HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
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29th April, 2025
Far fewer learning foreign languages
The number of those sitting for foreign language examinations plummeted among those over 30 years age from 11,389 in 2015 to 1,170 in 2024, according to data provided by the Education Office Language Accreditation Department.
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29th April, 2025
Cybercrime losses reach Ft 8bn in three months
Cybercriminals caused over Ft 8.2 billion in damage in Hungary between October and December of last year, with nearly Ft 2.5 billion linked to bank card fraud and Ft 5.7 billion to electronic payments, CIB bank, reports, citing MNB data.
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28th April, 2025
Csányi splits chairman and CEO roles
After 33 years, chairman and CEO Sándor Csányi is stepping down as chief executive of OTP, while retaining his post as chairman of the board, the 72-year-old businessman announced at OTP’s AGM on Friday.
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24th April, 2025
Ministry rejects use of traffic cameras for fines
The Interior Ministry has rejected a proposal by Dávid Vitézy to allow number plate recognition cameras to issue fines for traffic violations, such as blocking public transport or driving in bus lanes.
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24th April, 2025
TV2 CEO fired after interview
TV2’s CEO Pavel Stanchev is leaving his post by mutual consent after six years, the Fidesz-aligned broadcaster informed Telex on Tuesday night in a short statement.
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23rd April, 2025
Hungary’s EU fine surpasses €500mn
Hungary’s penalty for defying a 2020 EU court ruling on asylum laws has exceeded €512 million, ATV reports.
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23rd April, 2025
Foreign demand for property recovers
Property purchases by non-EU citizens in Hungary rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, as 3,647 transactions were submitted for clearance, of which 3,485 were approved, real estate brokerage Duna House reports.
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22nd April, 2025
Anti-drug chief appalled by pro-pot party
The annual pro-marijuana demonstration staged by the Two-Tailed Dog Party on Sunday will be the last, government commissioner for eradicating the illegal drugs trade, László Horváth posted on Facebook on Sunday.
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22nd April, 2025
Uber introduces 12-hour driving limit in Budapest
Uber has announced a Driving Time Limit feature in Budapest to enhance road safety by reducing fatigue-related accidents, starting April 21.
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17th April, 2025
Daily motorway tickets generate Ft 9bn in one year
More than two million daily motorway vignettes were sold between April 2024, when this option was first introduced, and the end of March 2025, with roughly 70% of the stickers purchased for foreign-registered vehicles, the state motorway operator NÚSZ announced on Wednesday.
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17th April, 2025
Toy markets get an Easter boost
Families with young children are planning to spend Ft 5,000-10,000 on average on toys in the Easter holiday period, according to a survey by toy retailer Regio Játékkereskedelmi.
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16th April, 2025
MPs suspend Hadházy’s immunity
Independent MP Ákos Hadházy downplayed concerns after Parliament suspended his immunity from prosecution on Monday, calling it “a simple little screw-up”.
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16th April, 2025
Only half of scooters are insured
More than half of the 650,000-700,000 scooters on Hungarian roads lack mandatory third-party insurance, according to the independent insurance brokers association Fbamsz.
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14th April, 2025
Retailers resist mandatory cash option
The Retail Association (OKSZ) is asking the government to amend the draft law that requires all retailers to offer the option of cash payment.
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11th April, 2025
Auchan opens first AI-powered cashierless store
Retail chain Auchan has opened its first cashier-less store in Budapest after a Ft 100 million investment.
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11th April, 2025
OTP hit by large-scale cyberattack
OTP bank experienced a large-scale denial-of-service attack on Thursday, disrupting access to its digital banking platforms, the lender announced.
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10th April, 2025
Banks agree to fee restraint under gov’t pressure
At the urging of both the government and the central bank, the Bank Association has encouraged its members to voluntarily review certain charges and offer fee reductions to customers, president of the organisation Levente Kovács said on Wednesday.
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10th April, 2025
Nobel physicist Krausz quits Russian academy
For reasons of conscience, Hungarian Nobel Physics Prize winner Ferenc Krausz is giving up his membership in the Russian Academy of Sciences, he announced in a social media post on Wednesday.
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4th April, 2025
Pharma sector remains major economic driver
Hungary is the world’s 19th largest pharmaceutical exporter, as drugmakers here generate more than 80% of their revenues from exports, which exceeded €9 billion in 2023, speakers said at the 35th anniversary celebration of the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ association Magyosz.
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4th April, 2025
OTP announces record dividend
The board of OTP bank will propose a dividend payment of Ft 964.3 per share at the April 25 AGM, the largest ever in the history of the company.
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3rd April, 2025
Proposed US sanction on Russia could hit Hungary
A bipartisan proposal by US senators would impose a 500% tariff on US exports from countries that do not abandon their Russian energy imports, if Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to refuse to engage in good faith ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine or violates any agreement, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
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3rd April, 2025
Tesco fully outsources home delivery
Tesco’s home delivery services will be handled exclusively by external providers Dodo and Wolt, the retail chain announced yesterday.
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2nd April, 2025
Opera House under auditors’ scrutiny
An ongoing audit of the Opera House may be behind the cancellation of a press conference called on March 21 to announce the productions and events planned for the Opera’s 142nd season.
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2nd April, 2025
Elanders to shut down Hungarian plant
Elanders Hungary, the Hungarian subsidiary of Swedish printing group Elanders, will cease operations at the end of June after more than two decades of operation in Zalalövő, Zala county, Mfor reports citing local website Zaol.
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1st April, 2025
Lower prices for Budapest residents at city baths
Podmaniczky Movement leader Dávid Vitézy announced in a post on social media on Monday that students can enter public baths in Budapest at a lower rate from April and tickets will cost less at certain hours.
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1st April, 2025
Road closures planned from Wednesday to Sunday
Several roads will be closed at various times between Wednesday to Sunday because of the upcoming visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest, city police announced on the police.hu website on Monday.
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31st March, 2025
Száraz sells Culinaris Wholesale
István Száraz, a close associate of Ádám Matolcsy, has sold Culinaris Wholesale, the wholesaler behind the speciality food retailer, Válasz Online reports.
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31st March, 2025
Ráckeve tap water deemed unsafe
Authorities in Ráckeve have banned tap water consumption after arsenic levels in the Csepel Island town were found to exceed permissible limits.
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28th March, 2025
Tisza volunteers attacked again
Tisza volunteers working for the party’s national consultation campaign were attacked in Tök by a “Fidesz sympathiser”, according to Tisza leader Péter Magyar.
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28th March, 2025
State may sell stake in MBH bank
The state is considering selling its stake in MBH bank, with bank officials in talks with Citigroup advisors over a potential share transaction, Bloomberg reports, citing insider sources.
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27th March, 2025
Foot-and-mouth disease spreads to cattle farm
The foot-and-mouth disease continues to spread in northwest Hungary, with a new case detected at a cattle farm in Levél, a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron county.
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27th March, 2025
Village shops to get Ft 3mn subsidy
The government will provide up to Ft 3 million in grants for shops operating in villages with less than 2,000 inhabitants, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Facebook after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting,
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26th March, 2025
IKEA makes big changes at Soroksár store
IKEA’s store in Soroksár in south Budapest is set to become what the owner deems “the world’s largest fulfilment centre” by 2026 as the Swedish furniture retailer is tripling warehouse capacity to support both in-store and online orders via a €50 million investment, it was announced on Tuesday.
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26th March, 2025
Hepatitis A outbreak hits Hungary
Hungary is facing an outbreak of hepatitis A infections, with reported cases in January and February seven times higher than last year, according to the National Public Health and Pharmacy Centre.
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24th March, 2025
2 injured as grenade explodes at training session
A live grenade exploded during a volunteer training session for government officials in Újdörög, seriously injuring a public servant and a training soldier.
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21st March, 2025
EC may withhold funds over sovereignty law
The European Commission has already taken Hungary to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its sovereignty protection law, but further consequences over the legislation may follow, Népszava reports.
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21st March, 2025
Gov’t mandates ATMs in every town
The government has announced in the Hungarian Gazette that at least one ATM must be installed in every municipality, under a resolution signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
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20th March, 2025
Racist outburst raises tensions in Parliament
Amid Tuesday’s Parliament vote banning Pride, an altercation erupted between Our Homeland’s vice-president, Előd Novák, and Momentum MP Lajos Lőcsei.
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20th March, 2025
Traubisoda returning to shelves
Traubisoda, the iconic Hungarian soft drink of the 1970s and 1980s, is making a comeback, Agriculture Ministry state secretary András Tállai announced on Wednesday at the ceremonial restart of production in Felsőlajos, a village in Bács-Kiskun county.
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18th March, 2025
Foodora couriers await unpaid wages
Couriers contracted by Delivery Hero Hungary, the company behind Foodora, have not been paid, triggering a wave of discontent on Friday, Népszava reports.
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18th March, 2025
New high-security case houses crown
The installation of new state-of-the-art security cabinets for the Hungarian coronation regalia will begin on Monday in the Parliament.
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17th March, 2025
Matolcsy group denies Varga access to MNB assets
Ádám Matolcsy, son of the former MNB governor György Matolcsy, used the pseudonym Petra Kovács in corresponding with dozens of company executives regarding the affairs of Quartz Asset Manager, Polish company GTC and Switzerland’s Ultima Capital, the three companies to which, through many steps, the assets that belonged to the many MNB foundations set up by Matolcsy senior were transferred, Válasz Online reports.
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14th March, 2025
Pro-Fidesz media fared badly in lawsuits last year
Fidesz-affiliated media products lost 67 lawsuits out of 76 press correction lawsuits in 2024, the website Átlátszó reports, having requested the data from the Capital Court.
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14th March, 2025
MTelekom sets date for share buyback
Magyar Telekom will complete the remaining part of a Ft 24 billion share buyback announced last year between March 17 and April 2, totalling Ft 1.7 billion, the company announced on Thursday.
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13th March, 2025
Mystery illness strikes Nagykőrös
Hundreds of people have fallen ill in Nagykőrös, Pest county in recent days, HVG reports.
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12th March, 2025
Philippines job fair offers 3,000 jobs in Hungary
A job fair showcasing opportunities specifically in Hungary will be held on March 11 in Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands.
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12th March, 2025
Ryanair announces major expansion plans in Hungary
Ryanair unveiled ambitious expansion plans for its Hungary operations at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday.
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11th March, 2025
Spar lays off staff after online cutbacks
Retail chain Spar has laid off dozens of employees following the company’s decision to migrate its online store to food delivery platform Wolt from the end of March, Telex reports.
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11th March, 2025
Wizz Air phasing out onboard cash payments
Just weeks after the government proposed enshrining the right to use cash in the constitution, Wizz Air announced that it will eliminate cash payments from April 1 and in-flight purchases will be possible only via bank cards or digital payments.
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10th March, 2025
Foodora fined following numerous complaints
The Budapest Government Office has fined food delivery company Foodora Ft 50 million, after conducting an extraordinary inspection in response to numerous complaints.
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10th March, 2025
Budapest ambulance system collapses
The ambulance control system in Budapest went down again on Saturday afternoon for about a half an hour from 1:45 p.m., health expert Zsombor Kunetz reported on his Röntgen blog.
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7th March, 2025
Market transforms iconic hotel to flats
Market Asset Management will begin a two-year transformation of the Budapest Hotel into upscale apartments in the summer, the property developer of the Market Group announced on Thursday.
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7th March, 2025
BSE launches trading in 23 ETFs
The Budapest Stock Exchange launched the trading in 23 new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) yesterday, increasing their number to 32, the exchange announced.
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6th March, 2025
Stabbing seen as anti-Hungarian act
László Gubík, the president of Slovakia’s Hungarian Alliance party, said he is personally consulting with the Minister of the Interior after a man attacked a group of four people in Bratislava, who were speaking Hungarian, and cut one of them on the chin with a knife.
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5th March, 2025
CIB offers personal loans under 10%
CIB bank is also offering personal credit under 10% from March 1, following rival lenders, with interest rates at 9.64% for loans over Ft 7 million without any collateral.
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5th March, 2025
Gov’t bails out football club
The government is providing Ft 470 million from the central budget reserves to keep Szombathely-based sports club Haladás afloat and support its operations as an emergency measure, according to the official gazette Magyar Közlöny.
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4th March, 2025
Huge influx into state bonds last week
Last week, an astonishing amount of Ft 370 billion flowed into retail government securities, according to data from the state debt manager ÁKK.
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4th March, 2025
Bank fees now in Nagy’s crosshairs
Bank account charges have been rising significantly with no justification, so, if necessary, the government will take action in this area, Economy Minister Márton wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
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3rd March, 2025
Work on bridge to Slovakia resumes
The construction of the pedestrian-bicycle bridge across the Danube between Dunakiliti and Dobrohost will resume, as the government has allocated Ft 2.4 billion to complete the project, the Construction and Transport Ministry said on Friday.
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27th February, 2025
Wizz Air targets 40% share of Ukrainian air traffi
Wizz Air is targeting a 40% market share in Ukraine after the war-torn country reopens its air space, CEO József Váradi told Bloomberg news on Wednesday.
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26th February, 2025
Waberer’s to enter passenger transport market
Waberer’s Group is entering the passenger transport market by acquiring a 51% stake in Pannon-Busz-Rent, with the remaining 49% staying with its founder, Zoltán Kölbl, for two years.
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