Hungary's government is striving to ensure that not only households have access to the cheapest energy in Europe but industry too, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Budapest on Wednesday.
Addressing a Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) conference, he stated that in the upcoming period, the most important element of competitiveness in the economy, besides a well-trained workforce, would be the price of energy.
Prime Minister Orbán stressed the need to reduce energy prices and achieve full employment. He pointed out that a gas pipeline link between Hungary and Slovakia will be opened on 30 March and this will enable the country, for the first time in Hungarian history, to receive gas which does not originate from Russia, he added.
The Prime Minister also said that Hungary should aim for an increase in economic output twice that of Germany, adding that the Hungarian economy has the potential for it. He pointed out that over the past year Hungary's economy had finally been put back on its own feet and no longer needed outside help. However, he added that Hungary continues to be an integral part of the global economy.
Prime Minister Orbán stated that Hungary needs to ensure that its global economic partners have an interest in Hungary's success. This logic will be followed when Hungary tries to enter alliance with amongst others, Germany, Japan, the United States, China and Turkey. He reiterated the need to increase the number of Hungarian small and medium-sized companies with export capabilities from the current 2,000 to 12,000 as soon as possible.
Domestic funds should be involved in financing the public debt to a far larger extent, Prime Minister Orbán stated. He underlined that the country should be reindustrialised and its external economic relations intensified, including cooperation with Turkey and India.
The Prime Minister also called for the restructuring of land ownership through increasing proportion of small and medium-sized farms to 80 percent with only 20 percent large agricultural units, establishing innovation centres and reducing labour taxes. He added that a demographic approach should be enforced in economic decision making.
Commenting on relations between Hungary and the EU, he said that based on a comparison between the number of community proceedings against Hungary and other member states, Hungarian economic policy cannot be called recalcitrant. The representation of national interests does not stem from some kind of rebel spirit but from the EU's internal structure and decision-making mechanism, he added.
(Prime Minister's Office)
