Prime Minister Viktor Orbán inaugurated Egis Pharmaceutical Company’s new pharmaceutical technology research and development unit and analytical development laboratory building in Budapest, which were built with a total expenditure of 7 billion forints.
The Prime Minister drew attention to the fact that even though there is news about factories closing and crisis in Europe, in Hungary two new plants have been inaugurated recently. He said that the Hungarian Government aims to create a work-based society through protecting existing jobs and encouraging development investments that establish further work and research opportunities for Hungarians. In this spirit, the Government launched a job protection action plan as a first in Europe and was following this same principle when it provided 226 million forints in funding towards Egis’s investment.
Prime Minister Orbán highlighted that the invitation from Egis is especially joyous and honourable, because the pharmaceutical company is of significant importance within the Hungarian economy and accounts for almost half of research and development expenditure, providing work to 40 thousand families. The Hungarian Prime Minister said that cooperation between the Hungarian Government and the French owner of the company is excellent and there is a good partnership between Egis and the country’s health sector officials. He said that the investment, worth nearly 7 billion forints, will create around 50 new jobs for highly qualified professionals. He also emphasized that if the employees of a Hungary-based manufacturing or research enterprise are skilled, the investment is very likely to stay in Hungary, which will lead to the launch of joint investment projects. The Dr. Wander Pharmaceutical and Food Preparations Company., the legal predecessor of Egis, created its first national R&D laboratory in Hungary in 1932, which clearly demonstrates the unchanged attitude of the firm: as was the case 80 years ago, its reaction to the global economic crisis is again not downsizing but the realization of job-creating investments.
The factory will celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of its founding. Its operation is a success story which relies on Hungarian knowledge, manpower and capacity. Whereas it exports to more than 60 countries, each phase of research and production is carried out in Hungary. Egis is of great help for Hungary as it reinvests about 90 percent of its profits into Hungarian R&D, production and other investment projects. Viktor Orbán stressed that the Hungarian government considers Egis a strategic ally. He is convinced that these investments and developments will bring Hungary closer to becoming a strong, determinative state within Central Europe, which will overcome the crisis successfully. He is also confident that Hungary will become a country which is moved forward with the help of 5.5 million people’s value-creating work.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
