HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
|
|
9th October, 2025
Magyar would revive education and health ministries
Tisza would establish new ministries for education, environmental protection, and regional development, among others, if elected to govern, party leader Peter Magyar told ATV on Wednesday.
The party would return the administration of schools to local councils and would provide a bigger say to local leaders in the educational, social and construction areas.
Speaking in Bonyhad, Tolna county, as part of his tour of the country, Magyar said a ministry of healthcare and several other ministries which did not exist in the past 15 years would be created.
Referring to Sandor Pinter, he said “in our cabinet a retired policeman will not take care of education, social affairs, child protection, and police matters, but these will have separate ministries. (atv.hu; naphire.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Tisza Party might adopt euro
The Tisza party is seriously thinking of adopting the euro, the party’s economics expert Andras Karman said in an interview with 444 published on Wednesday.
Stating that Hungary would have more advantages from the euro than disadvantages, he said “In fact, personally I think that among the EU countries not using the euro, we would have the most to gain from adopting the euro.”
There are two reasons for this, Karman added: the Hungarian economy is very integrated, it is attached to the eurozone by many threads, while on the other hand the credibility of its monetary policy is very low, since inflation was never suppressed in a stable way. He said the introduction of the euro would lead to lower rates, lower inflation, and greater investment security.
Karman affirmed the party’s promise to reduce the VAT on healthy food items from 27%, to 5% which will lead to a drop in prices.
Asked how Tisza would finance this, he said partly by ending the over-pricing of public procurements and partly by introducing a property tax. (telex.hu; mfor.hu; index.hu; privatbankar.hu; 24.hu; 444.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Orban writes about secret pacts in letters sent to households
A letter signed by Viktor Orban delivered to all households that received the government’s latest national consultation questionnaire warns of parties preparing to raise taxes and colluding with Brussels.
No parties are named, but it is clear that he is referring to the Tisza party in the letter, and to the document leaked by the pro-government media as tax plans, which Tisza has since denied countless times.
The latest letter says that the EU wants to force Hungary to help finance the Ukrainian war by raising taxes of Hungarian families and businesses.
Orban alleges in his letter that some political parties have reached agreements with the EU behind the scenes. He further claims that these parties have concrete and detailed plans but they do not want to make them public before the 2026 elections.
Orban also warns in his letter that the Tisza Party could undo income tax cuts and the exemption of mothers and young people from having to pay income tax. (index.hu; hvg.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Inquiry into alleged Tisza app data leak
The National Data Protection and Information Freedom Authority has launched an official inquiry into the matter of the data leakage case of the Tisza app, its president Attila Peterfalvi told Magyar Nemzet on Wednesday.
Index reported on Monday that a severe data leakage occurred as the personal data of 18,000 users may have been leaked from the party’s app.
Index also alleged that a Ukrainian IT company, PettersonApps, may have taken part in developing the app.
The Tisza Party denies data leakage or that it has anything to do with the Ukrainian developer.
Website 444 has talked to several people affected whose real data were put on the Anon Paste page.
Peterfalvi said no more information will be released until the inquiry closes.
Peter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza Party, wrote on Wednesday that the Tisza Vilag app has more than 300,000 users, and that “the ridiculous attempt to discredit it” has resulted in tens of thousands of new downloads. (24.hu; magyarnemzet.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Balog diocese buys Balaton holiday resort from the state for Ft 1bn
The Duna Regional Calvinist Diocese has bought a holiday resort at Balatonboglar, on the south shore of Lake Balaton for Ft 1.1 billion.
The diocese led by bishop Zoltan Balog bought the 9,604 square metre property from the state. It is separated from the lake by only a narrow walk on the shore, HVG reports.
The government has transferred more than 270 properties from the state to various churches free of charge in the past 15 years.
Their overall value is estimated at more than Ft 80 billion.
In the 18 months since Balog was nearly deposed due to his involvement in the clemency scandal, his diocese has received properties worth billions of forints free of charge. (24.hu; hvg.hu; mfor.hu; 444.hu; nepszava.hu; klubradio.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Inflation stabilises at 4.3%
Inflation remained at 4.3% year-on-year in September, the same level as in August, the Central Statistics Office announced on Wednesday.
The 4.3% figure was slightly below the average forecast among analysts of 4.4%, Portfolio notes.
Among the largest increases in food prices, margarine cost 29% more, the price of chocolate soared by 19.2%, the price of eggs rose by 18.2%, coffee was 17.6% more expensive than a year ago and the price of bakery products went up by 13.1%.
Household energy became 10.6% more expensive, including a 23.4% increase for pipeline gas and a 2.3% rise for electricity.
Fuel prices alone dropped by 0.3%.
Core inflation – which excludes energy and seasonal foods – was unchanged from August at 3.9% year-on-year.
Pensioners inflation was also 4.3% year-on-year in September, but dropped by 0.1% from the previous month.
Over the first nine months, the average inflation was 4.6%.
Analyst Gabor Regos of Granit Fund Manager noted that “unusually, several product groups recorded monthly price declines, with food prices falling 0.2% from August.”
Year-on-year, food inflation eased from 5.9% to 4.7%, a slowdown Regos described as “particularly surprising given this year’s poor harvest.” He added that the forint’s strengthening probably contributed to the more favourable figures. (ksh.hu; portfolio.hu; telex.hu; index.hu; mfor.hu; 444.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
MNB top inflation indicator at 3.6%
Tax-free core inflation, the figure most watched by MNB policymakers, stayed stable at 3.6% in September, the central bank announced after the Central Statistics Office released its inflation data on Wednesday.
Inflation for sticky price products – products resistant to price changes – rose to 5.1%, while core inflation, excluding processed foods, rose to 4.2%.
Government-imposed price ceilings and price margin caps continued to have an inflation-reducing effect of approximately 1.5 percentage points, the MNB said in its new estimate.
The MNB also introduced a new core indicator: the combined inflation of industrial goods and market services, calculated without price restrictions, was 5.2%, which represented an increase compared to August. (mnb.hu; portfolio.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Budget deficit unusually high
The budget deficit was Ft 303 billion in September, reversing the Ft 234 billion surplus of one year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Economy Ministry.
The ministry noted that the figure was “unusually high,” as the third-largest deficit on record for September.
The deterioration was mainly attributed to higher expenditures on public utility support, including subsidies for household energy and utility consumption, which were disbursed at a different pace than last year.
The cumulative shortfall for the year to date reached Ft 3.3 trillion, or 69% of the revised full-year cash-flow target of Ft 4.8 trillion, but below the time-proportional level of 75%.
Revenues from taxes and contributions rose by 8.1% compared with the same period last year, led by a 9% increase in consumption-related taxes.
Interest payments totalled Ft 3.1 trillion by the end of September, a rise of Ft 489.8 billion year-on-year.
The rolling 12-month deficit stood at Ft 4.8 trillion at the end of September, its highest level since March 2024. (portfolio.hu; 444.hu; economx.hu; novekedes.hu; telex.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Govt plans green investment incentives
The government will overhaul its investment incentive system to accelerate environmentally friendly projects, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Wednesday.
He noted that, under a new European Commission rule, investment support of up to euro 350 million for clean industrial and zero-emission projects no longer requires prior EU approval.
“This means that the government can make decisions much faster, and we no longer have to wait a year or more for Brussels’s authorisation,” he said, calling the change a major advantage over non-EU rivals.
The research and development incentives will be available to firms employing as little as 50 people, provided they create 10 new R&D jobs, fewer than before.
In addition, spending on R&D for projects involving co-operation with domestic universities or healthcare institutions, may account for 75% of costs, up from 50%. (portfolio.hu; hirado.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Foreign ownership of public debt rises
Households’ share of Hungary’s public debt fell to 25% by the end of August, from 28% at the start of the year, according to the latest data from the MNB.
Banks held 23.9% of the total, a marginal decline from 24.1% in December.
In contrast, foreign ownership rose markedly, reaching 32.9% by the end of August – the highest level in a year and a half. The increase reflects the government’s heavy summer issuance of foreign-currency bonds. (portfolio.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
MBH Bank ends co-operation with its health and pension funds
MBH Bank has decided to end its partnership with MBH Gondoskodas Health Fund and MBH Gondoskodas Pension Fund, the bank announced on Wednesday.
Citing recent changes in the management of both funds and diverging business strategies, the bank said the strategic co-operation will cease on December 30.
From that date, the two funds will no longer be entitled to use MBH Bank’s name or visual identity.
The banking group added that it is exploring new partnerships in the fund market that align more closely with its updated strategic objectives. (24.hu; portfolio.hu; novekedes.hu; magyarnemzet.hu; forbes.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Govt exempts 4iG takeover of Raba from competition scrutiny
Raba announced after market close on Tuesday that 4iG’s subsidiary, 4iG SDT EGY, has made a formal offer to acquire all outstanding shares in the automotive manufacturer.
However, a government decree has declared the deal to be of national strategic importance, citing defence and industrial interests, thereby exempting the transaction from approval by the Competition Authority.
As such transactions typically require approval from competition authorities in several jurisdictions, 4iG has filed for the necessary licences in Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. (portfolio.hu; vg.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Lazar may lure carmaker to Pecs
Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar announced that efforts are under way to attract a major industrial investor to Pecs, in partnership with the city and the University of Pecs.
At a press conference in Siklos on Tuesday, he said “We are negotiating with a large automotive company for the benefit of Pecs.
“These negotiations are obviously confidential, given the intense competition, he remarked, adding “We are preparing a 600-hectare industrial park, with the M6 and M60 motorways as essential conditions.”
Lazar did not reveal the company’s identity. Earlier reports suggested that a Chinese car manufacturer – possibly Great Wall Motors – could be behind the talks. (portfolio.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Accused senior doctors deny guilt
The two Budapest-based head doctors who are suspected of requesting a monthly sum of Ft 100,000-140,000 from patients for state subsidised accommodation, deny any wrongdoing, website 24 reports.
Police impounded hundreds of millions of forints from the two doctors who work at the Peterfy Sandor utca Hospital Federation’s office on Szovetseg utca.
Ferenc Rab, deputy spokesman for the Capital’s Prosecutor General’s Office, said the accused filed complaints against the accusations but they were rejected by the prosecutor’s office.
One defended himself, saying that the patients only paid the regularly defined procedural fee and only those patients who were willing to support the foundation handed over money.
Earlier Telex reported that police had seized hundreds of millions of forints from the two doctors.
A court ordered that they remain in custody. (telex.hu; 24.hu)
|
9th October, 2025
Buda neighbourhood ranked among world’s coolest
TimeOut travel guides has selected the Margit District as one of the 39 coolest neighbourhoods in the world, ranking it 34th overall.
The Buda neighbourhood in District II is praised as a place where, nightlife, art, culture, and affordable food and drink can be found on every corner” and “where diversity is supported and independent businesses flourish.”
Inspired by the success of Bartok Bela ut in District 11, the local government is encouraging entrepreneurs to open trendy cafes and cool boutiques to create an exciting new neighbourhood near Margit Bridge, where past, present, and future blend harmoniously.
This neighbourhood has made significant progress in this area, as a Spanish/Japanese fusion restaurant is flanked by a shoemaker’s workshop reminiscent of the past, as is the nearby Lottery House, built during the socialist era.
“This is Budapest as it once was, shoulder-to-shoulder with its future,” TimeOut writes. (jo.444.hu; vg.hu)
|
|
|
|
Contact