Hungarian Conservative

With the arrival of the summer season, it has become highly disputed in the Hungarian press whether Lake Balaton tourism is decreasing or growing.

Orbán noted that according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden could put an end to the war, adding that he actually agrees with the Ukrainian President. ‘If the United States said they want peace, it would happen by tomorrow morning,’ the PM opined, stating that he cannot comprehend why the Americans do not want to do that, and there was no answer at the NATO summit to that question either.

Minister Gulyás announced that the maximum amount of the childbirth incentive loan (Babaváró hitel) will increase to 11 million forints. This change will come into effect in 2024 and will apply to couples where the woman is under 30 years old. also announced that the food price caps will be extended for one more month, but they will be phased out as of August as they have fulfilled their purpose. Forecasts indicate that inflation is decreasing. At the same time, food retailers mandatory discounts will be increased from 10 to 15 per cent.

The 2024 budget is a defence budget because during times of war, Hungary needs a budget that guarantees its security, protects families, pensions, jobs, and reduces utility costs, the Hungarian finance minister stated in parliament on Tuesday.

Viktor Orbán explained why his politics will eventually be proven right: ‘We were the only ones who said that borders must be protected during the migration crisis. Later, more and more EU member states realised that we were right. The same will happen regarding the war’, he underlined.

Starting from today, the mandatory discount programme has been launched in grocery stores all over the country to make sure Hungarian families have access to basic foodstuffs at affordable prices.

In its Tuesday report, the bank estimated a real growth of 0.4 per cent for 2023 and 3.5 per cent for 2024 in Hungary. The bank increased its estimate for the Hungarian Gross Domestic Product growth this year by 0.6 percentage points and raised the growth projection for next year by a full percentage point.

The price monitoring system will come into effect on 1 July, and is expected to contribute to pushing inflation back to single digits.

Alexandra Szentkirályi reiterated that Hungary still does not and will not ship weapons to Ukraine nor will it allow other countries to ship weapons through its territory.

The minister announced that the government has imposed a ban on 25 agricultural products from Ukraine, including grain, sunflower seeds, cooking oil, and specific meat products until 30 June. He also noted that while according to the European Commission, Ukrainian grain exports should be facilitated to ease the food shortage in Africa, these imports could ‘ruin the Hungarian agricultural market instead’.

The PM opined that if the escalation leads to a world war, it is definitely going to be nuclear. He said that the situation in Ukraine is getting worse by the week, and the danger of escalation keeps increasing.

To make the process of reducing inflation as strong and significant as possible, all possible tools must be used, they added. For this reason, in collaboration with the government, the Hungarian Competition Authority is establishing an online price monitoring system based on international examples, which contributes to increasing market competition and preventing overpricing.

Viktor Orbán stated that the war is becoming increasingly violent and brutal. He remarked that it would be natural for more and more people to stand for peace as a result, but he does not see this intention among the majority of EU leaders.

According to the National Bank’s forecast, slow disinflation is expected in March, followed by a strong disinflationary trend, with a good chance of reaching single-digit inflation by the end of the year.

There is a slowdown in global growth. The economies of a once highly globalized world are drifting apart. The EMU economy is being hit particularly hard. The recession is coming and, according to projections, the EMU will soon enter stagflation, the worst of economic states.

In a recent survey by the Youth Research Institute, more than half (52 per cent) of young Hungarian adults polled said that despite the current inflationary environment, they are able to live well on their income, with a further three per cent claiming not to have any financial worries.

In his regular Friday morning interview on public radio, the Prime Minister said that he believes this is the closest the world has ever been ‘to a localised war turning into a world war’.

‘Hungary must be a country that can have Hungarians do all the work that needs to be done in this country. If it’s uncomfortable or difficult, we need to pay more for it. If we have exhausted all of these options, then we can talk about guest workers. They can stay for a definite period, and their employment can be terminated if necessary, otherwise, we will lose our security,’ Viktor Orbán underlined.

National Bank Governor Matolcsy reminded that during the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis was successfully managed thanks to the joint effort of the government, the central bank, the banking system, the business sector, and families, and the crisis was solved within fourteen months.

The Hungarian Prime Minister delivered his state of the nation speech on Saturday. His topics included the war, the future of the country, domestic and geopolitics and his commitment to developing the countryside.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke about the war, the effect of sanctions and the intelligence report on the funding of the leftist parties during an interview on Friday.

The goal is to curb inflation and avoid recession, Viktor Orbán stressed last year. On Tuesday, 3 January, Finance Minister Varga announced that Hungarian public debt has decreased more significantly than expected, dropping to 73.5 per cent of GDP in 2022, and confirmed that in line with the projection, last year’s budget deficit target was met, at 4.9 per cent of GDP.

According to Gergely Gulyás, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, the Hungarian government would continue its policy of price limits as sanctions-induced inflation hits the European region.

The UK economy is under great pressure from the sanctions imposed on Russia. Energy prices have soared, and inflation is sky high. putting a strain on the population’s wellbeing. Meanwhile. the government keeps funding Ukraine.

While many countries struggle fighting the crises that are running rampant in Europe, the Hungarian response has managed to shield people from the worst effects of the war.

Although Sergio Massa, Argentina’s newly appointed economy minister, has made it clear that he is ‘no magician’, the public will have extraordinary expectations of him in the face of a major economic crisis.

According to the head of a Bavarian clinic, finding a hospital that can treat you quickly won’t be that easy in the future.

Inflation and the lack of heating materials tend to go hand-in-hand with war and crises, and it is interesting–and sad–to see that Hungary is now facing the very same issues as it struggled with a hundred years ago.