5 November 2013, Törökbálint

Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is with respect that I greet Her Excellency the Ambassador, the Vice President of Telenor and the company's local management, and a warm welcome to everyone who works in this fantastic building and for this successful company. I thought that, in addition to us signing this agreement and my saying a few words of thanks for the opportunity, I would, if you will allow me, also share a few thoughts with you which, although they may concern the economy I now direct personally to you, the people who in fact operate the Hungarian economy, and which may and will be important with regard to the future.

The first thing I would like to remind everyone about, Ladies and Gentlemen, is that following World War II the economic system constructed in Hungary was one in which the state took away private property and only allowed it to operate under extremely restricted conditions. The state interfered in everything and felt it was competent in all matters. Then in 1990, we moved to the other extreme, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction. The Hungarian state suddenly became weak, our assets slowly disappeared, and the principle was established according to which it is best if the state does not determine the rules within the economy, but instead the economy is left to regulate itself. It is my firm belief that after 2010 we moved on to a third era, which we call the era of strategic partnership, in which companies that are important to the Hungarians and to the Hungarian economy, and which operate in strategic areas, are searching for cooperation, are searching for agreement and are searching for partnership with the Hungarian state in the interests of creating what in English is called a win-win situation. Meaning that neither should profit at the expense of the other and both profit in such a way that the other party also profits; in other words it is our hope that these strategic partnership agreements will create a situation of this nature in which none shall profit at the expense of others and none can profit against the interests of the people of Hungary.

It is important to stress, Ladies and Gentlemen, that just as the worker is deserving of the wage he receives, companies are also deserving of the profit they generate, which is in balance with the capital, energy and professional expertise they have invested. In answer to the question of why we are signing an agreement with Telenor, we need only quote the figures that you too know well: the company already has 3,200,000 Hungarian partner subscribers from all over the country. I work in a field of industry known as politics in which it is the word of the people that decides what is right and what is wrong. If a company has 3,200,000 subscribers, a huge group of this size cannot all be mistaken, there must be a valid reason for this, and so this enterprise must be one of high quality that plays a key role.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

And accordingly, the Hungarian Government was right to think that Telenor would also be a key player within the Hungarian economy in future. I would also like to remind everyone, if I'm not boring you, that several revolutions have taken place in recent decades within the telecommunications market. I was born and grew up in an era in which one had to go from door-to-door in search of a working telephone line, photocopiers were officially registered and fell within the sphere of authority of the censors, computers worked with punch cards, and when I try an explain to my children what a twin line is, they look at me as if I had just arrived from Mars. This shows just how far the Hungarian world has also progressed over the past thirty years, Ladies and Gentlemen. And for precisely this reason, if someone had told me in the late seventies or early eighties that at the beginning of the second decade of the next century the Hungarian state would sign a strategic partnership agreement with a company that offers the Hungarian people unlimited access to these services, then as a young university student I would definitely have thought that they were one short of a full deck.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is, however, also important that while we express our thanks for this strategic partnership agreement we also have sufficient self-awareness to remind ourselves that the other signatory party is we ourselves, Hungary. This means that Hungary and the Hungarian state is today in a position to be a partner to such a successful and internationally acclaimed company. The fact that this company is operating in Hungary is a great acknowledgement for every citizen of Hungary, because it shows that we are building a society and an economy that can compete with the other countries of the world and which is a worthy partner to such a large, international company.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

When I spoke with the company's Vice President prior to signing this agreement, I also did not fail to ask him why they are signing a strategic partnership agreement with us and what is it that they see as the cornerstone of our cooperation. And the Vice President's reply, I wrote it down, it was in English, was that Hungarian employees are quite simply good and competitive, and this was the decisive criteria.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

And so I encourage the young people of Hungary to study, to finish university, to be innovative and to somehow attempt to form a relationship with companies such as Telenor so that future investors can also say what the Vice President told me today, that Hungarian employees are creative and quite simply good and competitive.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

In the modern world, it is not common practice to mention the fact that a company has a nationality. But just as everyone has a surname, so every company has a nationality. This is a Norwegian company. I must say, without having ever done any research on the matter, that if one were to ask anyone in Hungary today what they think of the Norwegians, I am sure that they would show positive bias. In the minds of the people of Hungary, the Norwegians are straightforward, rational and transparent people, who present valid arguments, are not corrupt and seek cooperation. Norway has a positive image in Hungary, therefore, and I feel that this company, Telenor, and today's agreement will reinforce this further, and so I think that through the company, Norwegian-Hungarian friendship, cooperation and mutual appreciation will also be strengthened. This company operates using Norwegian capital, Norwegians are responsible for managing the company, and it is with them that we are signing this agreement. A little earlier they made the gesture of giving us a round of applause in acknowledgement, and I suggest that we now also put our hands together for the Norwegians, the company's owners and management; they deserve it on the occasion of such an agreement.

I would like to mention one other thing, Ladies and Gentlemen. It says here behind me and it was mentioned in the various speeches, that the Norwegians also pay taxes. This is a good characteristic. And in fact, not only do they pay their taxes; they pay all of their taxes, as we have seen from the figures. I do not want to hide the fact that there has been some debate, because in order to put the Hungarian economy back on its feet we were forced to introduce special taxes in 2010, and this also affected the telecommunications sector, including this company. We discussed this issue today and agreed that we are of course glad to listen to any and all suggestions and recommendations that might contribute to the growth of the Hungarian economy and as such lead to increased tax revenue, because it is in proportion to this that we will be able to decrease the burdens that fall especially onto the shoulders of this sector. We would like to ask the directors of the company to, while of course we understand the problems related to the added tax burden, turn to the Hungarian Government in a creative manner and make suggestions regarding development projects that may increase the performance of the Hungarian economy, because it is in proportion to this that we will later be able to offer more favourable tax conditions. It is also important to note, Ladies and Gentlemen, that on 1 October Telenor established a centre here from which it will supply Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro, and from which it will provide its latest technological services. This is important to the Hungarians, because we feel that in addition to being a production centre, we can also operate as a service centre within this region.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

This agreement sends a message to every Hungarian citizen that Hungary is slowly regaining its lost positions and that it is good to do business with the Hungarians. The Hungarian economy has begun to grow, our currency is once again stable, inflation is practically negligible and our budget deficit is so low that it puts us among the top five countries in Europe.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Companies operating in the key sectors are coming to Hungary one after the other. The European Union report rating the member states published today forecasts continuous economic growth in Hungary for the next three years. I feel, therefore, that the hard work we have completed over the past three years has come to fruition, or at least shows great promise for the future. What I can say to the Vice President is that Hungary is performing better, but still not well enough. Further development projects and investments are required for it to perform well. This agreement, I hope, will open this door for both of us.

Thank you for the opportunity to have been here with you and thank you for your kind attention.

(Prime Minister’s Office)