According to the latest flash report of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), in January 2012 the volume of exports and imports increased by 5.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year. The trade balance in the first month of the year had a surplus of 129bn HUF.
A dress designed by a young architect sewn from tiny wooden slats inspired by Hungarian folk architecture won the Rethink/re-button! Magyar is the Mode Contest contest invited for the second time by Design Terminal, a background institution of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice. A record number of 1000 entries were submitted this year.
Pál Schmitt has resigned as President of the Republic. He announced his resignation in a pre-agenda address in Parliament.
Hungary highly values and cherishes the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, the martyr Swedish diplomat. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Government of Hungary decided to declare the year 2012 as Wallenberg Year and to set up a Commemorative Committee. This anniversary is a good occasion to draw lessons from the past, and to review, in their light, current human rights and minority issues, and to address the future and the young generations.
The objective of the fixed exchange rate loan system is to cushion the impact of the substantial volatility of the exchange rates of certain foreign currencies and make more calculable the situation of FX debtors. People involved can request the scheme from this week, starting 2 April 2012, from the financial institution which has provided the loan.
The Hungarian Government presented its official responses today – before the deadline – to the European Commission on two ongoing infringement procedures (retirement of judges, independence of the data protection authority), and on two other questions under scrutiny (independence of the Hungarian National Bank, independence of the judiciary).
The Minister of State for Health Mr. Miklós Szócska and Magor Papp, president of the Hungarian Residents’ Association at the Semmelweis University began together to shred the notices of denunciation previously deposited by the residents.
The state budget according to EU methodology had for 2011 a surplus of 1204.6bn HUF which corresponds to the 4.3 percent of GDP. The budget deficit excluding one-off items was 2.43 percent instead of the 2.94 percent which had been assumed. This is an outstanding achievement considering prior domestic results and data of other countries as well.
The researchers of the American Harvard and MIT universities concluded a study on economic complexity last year. The atlas analyzes the foreign trade of 128 countries and sets up an economic growth ranking which is based on the so-called Economic Complexity Index (ECI). The basis for the analysis is the quantity and complexity of exported goods and the frequency of exports. Consequently, services and non-export goods were not included in the study.
The opening of a Daimler-Benz factory in central Hungary's Kecskemet is one of the greatest recent achievements for the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at the opening ceremony on Thursday.
Hungary's government has adopted a two-year programme on preventing corruption in central government institutions, Bence Retvari, the state secretary for public administration, said on Thursday.
The government has adopted the Ministry of Rural Development's proposal on illegal land purchasing. The Minister of Rural Development promised swift and effective action regarding so-called pocket contracts.
At the Government spokesperson's press conference on Thursday, Sándor Fazekas stated that the Government had declared war on speculators: they have formed a committee to filter out suspect land purchase contracts.
In December 2011-February 2012 the dynamic increase of the number of employees has continued in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year – the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reports. The number of employed aged 15-74 has increased substantially, more than in the previous period, by 51 000 to 3 million 794 thousand from 3 million 743 thousand a year before and thus the rate of employment rose to 49.5 percent. Among the population aged 15-64 years the number of employed increased by 50 000 to 3 million 761 thousand from 3 million 711 thousand a year before and thus the rate of employment rose to 55.8 percent.
On 27 March Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics addressed the 12th annual general meeting of the Hungarian Association for Innovation, (Magyar Innovációs Szövetség). He said that the Government must support innovation and pioneering inventions must be built into the system – otherwise inventors might take their economically important innovative talents abroad, where they can be better rewarded.
"In 2011, Hungarian exports to Serbia increased by 38 percent compared to the previous year, exceeding 50 million Euros, while at the same time imports from our southern neighbour grew by 50 percent" – said State Secretary for Agricultural Economy György Czerván at the Serbian-Hungarian Economic Summit in Kalocsa.
Sándor Fazekas holds talks with his Brazilian counterpart Jorge Alberto Mendes Ribeiro Filho, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply of the Federative Republic of Brazil.
At its last meeting the Government approved of the submission made by the Ministry of National Development on the identification of for priority transport security project proposals in action plans, Deputy State Secretary for Transport Zoltán Schváb reported during the signing of the related support contract for Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt. (ÁAK) on 27 March, 2012 in Budapest. In acknowledgement of the significance of this unprecedented transport security programme, a decision was made to allocate HUF 38 billion on the aggregate for launching railway and public road infrastructure programmes to prevent accidents causing personal injuries.
In this week’s two-day sitting, the Hungarian parliament will consider the following bills: the proposed cardinal Act on Parliament; the amendment to the cardinal Act on the Organisation of Courts and the Judiciary (in the light of the Venice Commission’s comments); amendment to the cardinal Act on Data Protection (in the light of the European Commission’s recommendations); and the proposed resolution on government measures to curb excessive domestic debt from foreign currency denominated loans.
Hungary and Canada are the depository states of the Treaty on Open Skies; the 20th anniversary of its signing and the 10th anniversary of its entering into force are celebrated this spring. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence emphasise the significance of the successful operation and the unimpeded implementation of the treaty on this occasion as well. Joint Statement of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
With the introduction of a new system called ÉTDR building permit application process will be significantly faster which is important from the citizens’ and authorities’ points of view – emphasized Péter Szaló Deputy State Secretary for Area Management and Construction of the Ministry of Interior on the press conference of the new system.