12 March 2014, Miskolc

Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is with special respect that I greet His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan and the directors and representatives of the Takata Corporation. There are many, Mr, Takata, who would like to coax you away from Miskolc, and they have good reason to. In a country the size of Hungary, an investment project such as yours is a rare occurrence. Everyone can see that Miskolc is an important city. It has become an important city once again. This is not only apparent from the presence of Mr. Takata and his Corporation, but also from the figures with which the Hungarian Government has supported the City of Miskolc in recent years and during the past four years. To do just a quick calculation, we have removed 36 billion forints in debt from the City, sent in its place 7 billion forints in operational funding and then sent 92 billion forints in development funding.

Dear Mr. Mayor,

There are very few who can strike such a good bargain with the Hungarian Government. Congratulations!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we are celebrating the laying of the foundation stone for an investment project that stands out from the list of similar events that regularly occur in Hungary these days. A greenfield investment project of this size has not been realised in Hungary since the Mercedes factory opened in Kecskemét, and I agree with those who say that this represents a new chapter in the history of Miskolc. Let us not forget, that the Takata Corporation is creating a thousand new jobs in a region in which the level of unemployment exceeds the national average. Let us think back. A few decades ago industrial production here in Miskolc was thriving and practically everyone was able to make a living from an honest day's work. And then everything suddenly changed and Hungary's proud 'steel city' became one of the losers of the period following the regime change; Borsod county district became one of Hungary's most disadvantaged regions from which, in addition, people slowly began to migrate. In the meantime, public thinking throughout Hungary was commandeered by a business approach that tried to convince us of the fact that we should make a living from business speculation instead of from industrial production, and from benefits instead of work, and that we shouldn’t save up to buy a home, a car or a washing machine, but should instead buy it immediately on credit. And those who refused to think and live in this way were regarded as old fogies who are incapable of understanding modern ways.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are a few countries in which people do not think in this manner. There are a few countries in which people continue to adhere to well-founded, traditional human values. Japan is one such country.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I was there recently – and I would ask His Excellency the Ambassador to pass on my renewed gratitude to the Prime Minister for his kind invitation – and I can tell you that Japan is a country which is facing up to the serious challenges of the modern age, and if Hungarian economic policy is often viewed as unorthodox, unusual or innovative, then what is happening in Japan is an economic revolution. Japan has reinstated its self esteem and has begun practicing a strong, new policy of industrialisation. We very much hope that Japanese investors will help us, the people of Hungary, including Miskolc, to reinstate our self esteem. This investment project is proof of the fact, and we can safely declare it, that Miskolc will once again be one of the industrial and economic centres of Hungary.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We Hungarians have always viewed the successes of the Japanese economy with admiration. Let us not forget, seventy years ago this country – similarly to our own – had to be reconstructed from its ruins. At the time, we were not lucky enough to have the opportunity to be part of the free world, but the gates of the world opened wide before Japan and they made the best of the opportunity. We Hungarians, however, had to wait a long time for the chains that enslaved us to fall free, but even so, despite this phase delay, the success of Japan's rebuilding provides us with hope and encouragement, because the Japanese not only rebuilt their country, but lifted it to be among the world's frontrunners within only a lifetime. And despite the fact, dear people of Miskolc, that similarly to Hungary, Japan is a country that is relatively low in natural resources. It is, however, famous for its culture of work and it is famous for the inventiveness of the Japanese people. Their life is an example that shows us what will power, diligence and hard work can achieve if it has before it a properly set objective. When, in 2010, we spoke of putting Hungary back on its own two feet, many waved their hands in disbelief. But what I say is that if Japan was capable of turning a country that had been bombed to ashes into an industrial and innovation centre within the space of a lifetime, and to occupy an internationally prestigious position to boot, then the ambition of the Hungarians should also be nothing less than to bring out the best from ourselves, as far as our situation allows.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Some important changes have occurred in Hungary over the past four years. We have achieved a second regime change. We might say that if the events of 1990 were a political regime change, then what we affected in 2010 was an economic regime change. I can also state that we are seeing the beginnings of a new industrial revolution in Hungary. This new industry that we are constructing no longer means simply a network of assembly plants like in the early nineties, but also production based on innovation that creates high added value. The situation can perhaps be described by saying that large corporations bring know-how and capital, and develop a high-tech interface to which it then connects small and medium-sized enterprises, its local suppliers. This is how things happened in Győr, it is how things happened in Kecskemét, and we very much hope that this is how things will happen in Miskolc.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our reasoning is that what has been successfully created in the Western and Central parts of the country can equally well be realised here in Northern Hungary. We are not prepared to give up on a single region or on a single citizen. We know that we have a debt towards the cities that were left behind following the regime change and that our debt means we must do everything possible to ensure that they are given another chance to occupy their rightful place in the world. Let us be frank: the industrial area of Borsod was left by the wayside for many years. My view, however, and I would point to the example of Dunaújváros or Tatabánya, is that where there is a resolve and people are capable of setting themselves objectives, and where work and production have their well-.founded old traditions, these traditions can be reawakened.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would also like to state here in Miskolc, that this requires foreign investors. And since a general election is approaching in Hungary, I feel it is important to state that we must not succumb to temptation. We must not succumb to undifferentiated and indiscriminate thinking. There are foreign investors who do not bring with them new jobs, but who take them away; who destroy our markets and do not want to stay here with us for a long time, and who only want to dispossess us of our opportunities. But there are those foreign investors, including Takata, who come here to create jobs, to provide chances and opportunities and to bring technology. They make their profits too, but they make them hand in hand with us and search for a win-win situation in which everybody can come out on top. These foreign investors deserve no criticism; we must cooperate with them and ensure that they remain our allies. Those political forces who stir up public sentiment against such investment projects and against foreign investment in general are in reality not friends of Miskolc, but the city's enemies and they damage our nation. They are not friends of Miskolc, but the city's enemies, because if things were as they say, then no jobs would be created here in Miskolc. And similarly, although we are facing serious challenges, it is not enough to point the finger of blame at one group of people and complain about the problems they supposedly cause. It is not enough to point at the causes of a problem. We also need to be able to say what we are going to do to change the situation. A politics built only on anger, aggression and emotions cannot create a future for Hungary. We need schools and we need jobs. Work and education. This is what can lead us out of the situation we are in today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would ask the people of Miskolc to never forget that without a way of thinking of this kind Miskolc cannot again become one of the determining industrial and economic centres of Hungary.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year's largest investment project will be the establishment and putting into commission of the Takata factory. One thousand new jobs will be created directly. We cannot give a precise estimate today, but large numbers of jobs will also be created by the small and medium-sized enterprises that work with and become partners to Takata.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The new Takata factory is not just the year's largest investment project, it is also the year's most valuable investment project to Hungary, because the factory will be built here in Hungary using the most modern, state-of-the-art technology available. We very much hope that the factory will be capable of forging a long-term, fruitful and close relationship with the University [of Miskolc], and if it transpires that we can also offer grey matter, initiative, talent and intelligence here, then perhaps research and development projects that represent a higher level than the manufacturing that goes on here may also arrive in Miskolc.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I feel that it is important to state that the Hungarian Government is glad that this investment project is a Japanese project. We are a particular and unique people within Europe and so we must appreciate our friends all the more. We don't have all that many of them, so we must hold on to the ones we have. And I would now like to remind you of the fact that it is no accident that we view the Japanese as friends of Hungary. And I would like to remind you of when, around the time of the regime change in the early nineties, when the majority of countries wouldn't have bet a dime on the future of Hungary, and when they viewed a former soviet country such as Hungary as more of a burden than an opportunity; this is when the Japanese came to Hungary. When we were in trouble. They were the first to arrive here with large-scale plans and investments. At a time when thousands of people in Hungary were otherwise being made redundant. We will always be grateful and we will always express our gratitude to Japan for this. And I would also like to remind you of the fact that Japanese investors did not leave us even during the time of the economic crisis. They didn't pack their bags and go home, they didn't demand austerity measures and didn't push for any kinds of closures, but instead pushed for further investment and for further development; they searched for new opportunities, they came here, and now this latest investment project will also be realised.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since 2010, just to also say a few words about the Hungarian national economy, the Hungarian economy has successfully climbed its way back from being one of the stragglers in the race to the premier league.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The figures show that it was a successful and good decision to place emphasis on the automotive industry within the structure of the Hungarian economy. Between December 2012 and December 2013, car manufacturing was responsible for 18% of all Hungarian product exports. The revenue generated by automobile exports was 16, almost 17 billion euros. 712 enterprises are involved in the automotive industry in Hungary; 712 enterprises that provide a living for 115 thousand Hungarian families. If we multiply that number by four, it becomes clear that this represents a wage-earning opportunity and a living for close to half a million people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We would of course not like to put the President of the Takata Corporation in the position of inadvertently finding himself in the middle of an election rally. This would not be a polite thing to do. The situation is, however, that we can also not behave as if there will not be elections on 6 April, because that would be a hypocritical and insincere way to behave. And so please allow me, with suitable moderation, to draw the attention of the people of Miskolc to the fact that they should participate in the elections. Go out there and do your part in determining your future and the future of Hungary. I would ask that you do this honestly and seriously, as is otherwise fitting for we Hungarians. I don't want to give you advice here today; all I would like to say is that it is not worth turning back to a past that almost threw Hungary into bankruptcy. I would ask that you all calmly put the past four years on the balance and take into account our reawakened Hungarian industry, increasing employment and the reduction in utility charges. And bring a calm and collected decision in the interests of the future of Hungary.

In closing, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would once again like to thank Mr. Takata and express my gratitude to our Japanese friends. Thank you for the confidence that you are expressing through this investment project. I would like to assure you that there is much more in Hungary than can be seen at present. Hungary holds many more opportunities than many people think. And we will bring forth these opportunities that lie within us, and this future that the Hungarians are capable of, together from the people of Hungary. Thank you for being with us here today.

Thank you for your attention.

(Prime Minister’s Office)