Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary spoke before the General Assembly of Delegates of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) on Friday, 30 May in Budapest, Hungary. He did so on the occasion of the signing of a new strategic cooperation agreement between the Hungarian government and HCCI.

‘Let us remind ourselves that we have been working together for 15 years…The HCCI is a distinguished partner for the Government. There are many organizations that seek to represent the interests of businesses, and we express our respect to them; but at the same time we acknowledge that the HCCI is the key strategic partner for the Hungarian government. So what we think about businesses and businesspeople is reflected in our cooperation with the HCCI: this is the basis and the origin of our cooperation. In this context, I probably do not need to speak at length about the fact that Hungary’s future depends not solely on politics and parties—although, of course, it does depend on them also—but primarily on performance and partnership,’ the Prime Minister stated in his speech.

He also highlighted the successes of the previous agreement signed by the two parties back in 2022. These include the introduction of income tax exemption for workers under 25, reducing the cost of starting a business, and redesigning dual training to make skilled labour more accessible to Hungarian firms.

‘There can be no successful management, no successful economic policy, without a strong entrepreneurial class,’ PM Orbán stressed.

As for the upcoming challenges, he spoke of the prospects of next year’s parliamentary election in Hungary.

‘As I see it, Hungary has two options, two paths. One is the path of tax increases. One should not bury one’s head in the sand: such a policy—a policy of tax increases—has come to the fore as we approach the election…The Opposition are not mincing their words: they want to introduce new taxes. And this is what we know from them: a wealth tax and real estate tax. They would increase personal income tax and push for new EU green taxes…

The other option, the other path that lies ahead of you—and ahead of Hungary—is what we call the path of national economic policy. This is a policy which favours performance. When it comes to the economy, we are not interested in ideology: we make our decisions solely on the basis of common sense. This is why we have cut taxes,’ the Prime Minister declared.

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