German car manufacturer Opel is expanding its unit in Szentgotthárd. The project is worth EUR 130 million, which will create 160 new jobs and increase production space by 1600 square meters, announced Opel’s Deputy President Joachim Koschnicke at the press briefing, which was held jointly with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Prime Minister called the investment project unprecedented.

In the wake of the project, 80 new machines will be installed and more than 100 000 engines will be produced annually; Opel’s total investment in Hungary since 1990 therefore amounts to some EUR 1.4 billion, Joachim Koschnicke highlighted. He added that Opel continues to be one of the most important strategic partners of the Hungarian economy.

In September 2012, Opel inaugurated a flexible engine factory worth EUR 500 million in Szentgotthárd, which will create 800 jobs by 2015. In addition, it is planning to open a new diesel engine plant in the near future.

At the press briefing held in the Parliament building, the Prime Minister said that it is unprecedented that only six months after a large-scale investment such as Opel’s engine plant, an agreement is concluded on a new project. This means Opel regards Hungary’s economy as predictable.

Viktor Orbán listed five important results of the Government’s economic policy, namely, the reduction of public debt and the budget deficit, Hungary’s trade surplus, which is the second biggest in Europe after Germany, the current account balance, which is in order at present and the improvement of the employment rate. He stated that the Government’s task for 2013 is to ensure economic growth, which will necessitate sustainably productive investments like Opel’s.

Government Spokesperson András Giró-Szász noted at the event that since the present Government came to power in 2010, more than EUR 5 billion of German capital has been invested in Hungary.

(Prime Minister’s Office)