11 June 2013, Győr.
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen!
My warmest greetings to Audi's management and workers, both German and Hungarian. A special welcome to professor Piëch, in whom we have the pleasure of greeting the man who, twenty years ago, married Audi and Hungary, opening the latest era in the development of Hungarian industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Audi is at home in Hungary. This is proven not only by the past twenty years of joint success, but also by the financial assistance that Audi provided to us during this never before seen level of flooding along the Danube that is endangering human life, homes, factories and the whole country. This gesture is also proof that Audi is a true ally of Hungary and a friend to the Hungarian people. Thank you, Audi!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thanks to our solidarity, we are winning the fight against the flood, and the people of Hungary have once again shown that they are capable of working together for a common cause. Many ask how this can be explained. The solution is very simple: we love our homeland, and if it is in trouble, we protect it.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
24 years after the change in regime, we are finally experiencing a time of real economic renewal and industrialisation. In the years after 1990, we Hungarians were in a situation which was as if one was trying to play Monopoly, but using the rules of "Gazdálkodj Okosan!" [the game's socialist version]. And that's impossible. And so it proved to be. The Hungarian economy, which was up to its neck in debt, was incapable of competing with the highly developed West. Meanwhile, we were faced with the fact that the products that were once acceptable on the CMEA markets were unmarketable in the West. The Western world was not in the least concerned about how many rounds of the economic competition we missed out on through no fault of our own. These were turbulent times with no points of reference or compass. It was in these uncertain and risky times that Audi chose to invest in Hungary. Over the past twenty years, Audi has become a true ally to the Hungarian economy and the people of Hungary. Today in Hungary, this name is the key to success, be it with regard to cooperation with Hungarian universities or even women's handball. Audi plays an important role in Hungarian higher education, working in cooperation with Hungarian universities. The figures clearly show that of the 1331-member engineering team who works here, 539 engineers completed their studies here in Győr, in the most modern conditions. Audi is capable of producing the best-qualified Hungarian engineers needed for the running of its own factory.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The production hall that we are inaugurating today will enable the Audi plant in Győr to cover the whole car manufacturing process, meaning that the motorways of the world will soon be filled with Audis that have been fully manufactured in Hungary. This fills us with pride. And we should also be proud of the fact that as a result of continuous development, Audi's Hungarian plant now produces practically the complete engine range of the Audi Group. I would like to thank the factory's workers, who since 1992 have continuously proven through their performance that Hungary is worthy of trust. The city of Győr is worthy of trust, and the people who work here are worthy of trust, because they are capable of fulfilling even the highest international quality requirements.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As a result of this latest investment, the current 9,557 employees will increase with the creation of 2,100 new jobs in the long term, while through its suppliers the company will indirectly provide work for a further 15,000 people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The inauguration of this production hall takes us one step closer to making Hungary a regional car manufacturing centre. Our new economic policies have delivered results and from standing still in 2010, the economy is now running in third gear; the Hungarian economy is performing better. But there is room for improvement; we can switch from third gear to fourth, and then to fifth. Our goal is clear: the largest possible ratio of the 21st century automotive industry's state-of-the-art products should be manufactured in Hungary by Hungarian people. Audi has become a determinative partner in the realisation of this endeavour. Audi imagines the country not as simply an assembly plant, but views Hungary as a tightly-woven network of high-tech enterprises working with high added value and performing at top quality.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Audi is an excellent example of the success that Hungarian and German people can achieve if they work together. We, Germans and Hungarians, have undertaken many things together on many occasions during the course of our history. We have achieved excellent results in the interests of many good causes. What is happening here today is good for Hungary, good for Germany, and good for the whole of European civilisation.
Thank you for your kind attention.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
