The real economic advantage of Hungary’s EU membership lies in the fact that domestic enterprises are part of a common market with 500 million people, Minister of State Zoltán Cséfalvay said in an interview for kormány.hu which he gave following a conference organized for the 10th anniversary of Hungary’s EU accession.

The Minister of State also pointed out that from a purely economic aspect looking at EU contribution payments and received funding it can be concluded that resources provided through the Cohesion Fund and structural funds are far larger than Hungary’s payments to the EU. This will also apply to the period 2014-2020, as EUR 25bn will be disbursed from EU funds, while Hungary’s contribution will total EUR 8bn over the next seven years. This, as a whole, will result in a positive balance of EUR 17bn, Zoltán Cséfalvay said.

On the other hand, he added, effects of the crisis must also be taken into consideration. For more than half of the ten-year period the region was affected by a global economic and a European crisis.  In addition to a euro-crisis, EU member states and the entire EU had to combat competitiveness disparities as well. In this fight, the resources allocated from the Cohesion Fund and structural funds have been a key instrument for less developed economies in the region, he stressed.

(Ministry for National Economy)