French companies will play an important role in Hungary’s economic growth in 2013, said Péter Szijjártó, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations following his talks held in Paris.
Minister of State László Felkai of the Ministry of Interior and Zsuzsanna Végh, the Director General of the Hungarian Office of Immigration and Nationality, presented the Office's report on 2012, and last year's characteristics of the migrant situation at a press conference.
In December 2012, gross average wages in the private sector increased by 8.3 percent, whereas net wages excluding family tax allowances were up by 6.2 percent, beating inflation, in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year – the Hungarian Central Statistical Office reported earlier this morning.
The Hungarian-Flemish Joint Commission held its scheduled meeting on 21 January 2013 in Brussels. The Hungarian Co-Chairman of the Joint Commission, Minister of State for Employment Sándor Czomba, signed an agreement with his Flemish partner, Secretary-General of the Flemish Foreign Ministry Koen Verlaeckt on the work agenda for the upcoming period.
As about 40-45 percent of Hungary’s general government debt has been denominated in foreign currencies. The duration became shorter with the IMF loan, which was unavoidable in 2008, so that the refinancing is due relatively soon, the country required further foreign currency resources. Thanks to the improving confidence in the fundamentals of Hungary and positive international investment climate and sentiment, the Government Debt Management Agency (AKK) mandated large investments banks last week to manage USD-denominated benchmark government bond issuance, after a highly successful investor roadshow. As a result altogether 3.25bn USD bonds were sold with yields slightly below the indicative levels.
The Government assures Hungarians those rights that citizens of other EU countries are also entitled to. The European Commission disputes the regulation providing tax-free status for distilling home-made pálinka; in their view the exemption is in breach of EU regulations. In the opinion of the Government, however, the relevant Hungarian legislation is fully in accordance with EU legal requirements.
The European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is well-placed to become the driving force of inter-regional cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Navracsics stated, adding that the Central European Initiative (CEI), in turn, may make a valuable contribution towards rejuvenating natural areas of cooperation which once permeated the region.
An energy cooperation agreement was concluded at the meeting of Hungarian-Macedonian Economic Joint Commission in Budapest.
In a speech in Budapest on Tuesday, Slovakian President Ivan Gašparovič said that Slovak-Hungarian co-operation is increasingly becoming an everyday reality, and that politicians from the two countries must strive to build good neighbourly relations. Following this, Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics said in a short address that Hungary seeks to deepen co-operation in every area with its neighbouring countries.
On Monday 25 February there will be commemoration events around the country for the victims of communism. On this day in 1947 Béla Kovács, General Secretary of the Independent Smallholders’ Party, was unlawfully arrested and later deported to the Soviet Union. In 2000 a resolution adopted by the first Orbán government stipulated that on this day commemorations should take place in every secondary school in the country. This year the Hungarian government’s official commemoration event will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge.