“Thanks to their agricultural and food industry opportunities and their workforce reserves, the regions of the Southern Great Plain represent Hungary’s reserve economic capacities”, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said in Békéscsaba.
At the forum to mark the opening of the economic year organised by the Békés County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, János Lázár said: “The whole of Békés County, as well as certain parts of Csongrád, Hajdú-Bihar and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok counties, are economically unexplored and inaccessible, and accordingly may be regarded as relatively underdeveloped and disadvantaged areas”.
“However, these areas also represent opportunities for agriculture and the food industry, and thanks to their workforce reserves also represent a competitive reserve for Hungary”, he continued.
According to the Minister, it has become clear that Hungary cannot give up on its food industry, which represents a reserve for the economy. Hungarian agriculture received 3400 billion forints in funding during the 2007-2013 EU programming period, but its efficiency and economic success did not improve significantly in view of the fact that EU funding subsidised the sector’s turnover rather than resulting in further development”, he explained.
“What opportunities we succeed in creating for the food industry within the framework of EU regulations is a strategic issue”, the Minister pointed out.
On the subject of the region’s infrastructure development, Mr. Lázár recalled that “after over ten years of struggle” we have succeeded in realising the construction of the M44 dual carriageway”. He reminded the press that on Tuesday in Szeged, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had made a promise with relation to converting the M47 linking Szeged, Debrecen and Miskolc into a dual carriageway. “Around 240 kilometres of the highway are still to be constructed at a cost of some 400 billion forints. This will probably have to be financed from the national budget”, the Minister said.
The Minister explained that between 2010 and 2014 the Government had had to reorganise a country that had gone into bankruptcy, but in contrast we can now “realistically expect” economic growth of 4-5 percent. “In the 2007-2013 period, EU funding represented the only available development funding, and although it initially looked like we may only be able to apply 60-70 percent of the available financing, it now seems that Hungary will not lose a single forint in financing after all”, he indicated.
Hungary will be able to apply for 9200 billion forints in funding during the 2014-2020 period, while it will be contributing 3000-3500 billion. According to the Government’s plans, tenders must be published by 31 March and funding contracts must be concluded by the end of March next year with regard to the full available budget.
At the event, Mr. Lázár explained: “Enterprises create economic growth and opportunities for wage increases, and accordingly the Government regards them as key partners and “its most important allies”; Reinforcing enterprises is especially important in areas where the economic figures are worse than average”.
“During the last EU programming period, 17 percent of funding was spent on economic development; we are spending 60 percent on this during the current cycle”, the Minister highlighted.
(MTI)
(MTI)
