HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
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19th June, 2025
Tisza takes commanding lead over Fidesz in new poll
The Tisza Party, activated just over a year ago by Peter Magyar, now holds a significant lead over Fidesz, according to the latest Median poll.
In all, 51% of decided party voters favoured Tisza, and only 36% supported Fidesz.
The poll, based on a representative sample of 1,000 people surveyed during June 3-7, highlights strong generational and educational divides.
Tisza dominates among voters under 40, with 58% support, and also leads among those aged 40-49.
Fidesz retains an edge only among voters over 50, although support there has also declined.
Educational background plays a key role, as nearly half of university and high school graduates back Tisza, while Fidesz performs best among those with only primary school education.
Urban voters overwhelmingly support Tisza, but Fidesz maintains a narrow lead in small towns.
Public desire for change is growing, as 62% of respondents said they want a new government after the next election, up from 49% a year ago.
Magyar reacted to the results by thanking supporters and emphasising that Tisza “knows its task and feels its historical responsibility”. (telex.hu; hvg.hu; index.hu; nepszava.hu; 24.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Gulyas shrugs off poll results
Prime Minister’s Office leader Gergely Gulyas was dismissive of the latest poll results showing Fidesz falling behind the Tisza party, as he addressed a press conference on Wednesday.
Fidesz is not worried, he said, as it needs to win elections, not public opinion polls.
Gulyas preferred to highlight the government’s informal referendum on EU membership for Ukraine, and claimed that the outcome of the vote will determine Hungary’s position at next week’s EU summit.
He said more than two million people have participated so far, with only 10% of votes cast online, and all ballots certified by a notary.
He reiterated Hungary’s opposition to certain EU proposals, including phasing out energy subsidies and banning imports of Russian energy.
He added that Europe should secure energy from the cheapest sources, not based on political preference.
Gulyas announced that the government will extend the interest-rate freeze for another six months, affecting 286,000 loans.
The ban prevents a 15% rise in repayments, he said, acknowledging banks’ dissatisfaction but defending the decision as necessary.
He affirmed that caps on food price mark-ups will remain until inflationary pressures ease.
He added that the Ft 30,000 food vouchers intended for pensioners will be mailed out over a period of six weeks, starting in early September at the latest.
On another matter, Gulyas said legal action will be taken over a fake video which falsely claimed that Fidesz would try to postpone next year’s parliamentary elections.
He added that discussions between the government and the city are ongoing and questioned the mayor’s financial priorities.
Gulyas defended another controversial government video warning about the risks of Ukraine joining the EU, saying it reflects genuine concerns, not fear-mongering.
Other topics included infrastructure developments such as a new airport terminal and expressway as well as ongoing military modernisation.
Gulyas acknowledged ongoing problems with air-conditioning in hospitals, despite Ft 4 billion spent this year, but stressed that 96% of priority areas like ICUs are now covered, while full coverage will take time. (telex.hu; 24.hu; nepszava.hu; index.hu; 444.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Valasz fights back against Sovereignty Protection Office
News website Valasz Online has announced legal action against the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty, accusing it of violating the website’s rights, reputation and credibility with false and damaging claims.
The lawsuit centres on a statement published by the office following Valasz Online’s recent interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Valasz, the office falsely alleged that the interview was orchestrated by unnamed international actors, and that interviewer Szabolcs Voros was part of a media network funded by the European Commission, designed to undermine the Hungarian state.
Valasz Online called the accusations baseless and defamatory.
The website also criticised the government for amplifying these claims, noting that Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky recently referred to the website as a “Hungarian mini-portal financed from abroad”.
Valasz Online firmly rejected these assertions, stating that it has never applied for or received foreign funding from the EU, the US, or any other country.
It emphasised its independent model, saying it operates solely on reader contributions and minimal advertising.
Donations come via the Polgarvilag Alapitvany, a foundation supporting the publication.
“We do not and will not investigate our readers’ citizenship”, the statement added.
In the Zelensky interview, the Ukrainian president criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s approach as “anti-Ukrainian” and “anti-European,” accusing him of exploiting the war for political gain. (24.hu; 444.hu; hvg.hu; nepszava.hu; telex.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
No pensioner vouchers until autumn
The government’s promised Ft 30,000 food vouchers for pensioners will not be delivered until autumn, according to Robert Zsigo, parliamentary state secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Zsigo said Magyar Posta would begin delivering the vouchers to around 2.5 million pensioners in the autumn, with no specific date announced.
Although initial reports suggested a July 29 rollout, this was later corrected.
The vouchers, valid until December 31, are non-transferable, can only be used for cold food, and cannot be exchanged for cash or counted as income.
Originally announced in May as a replacement for a previously promised VAT refund, the government framed the vouchers as a response to “unjustified price increases”.
However, the pensioners’ section of the Hungarian Trade Union Confederation criticised the move as “humiliating alms,” and called instead for a proper pension adjustment law. (hvg.hu; portfolio.hu; telex.hu; 444.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Treasury returns Ft 10bn to Budapest after court ruling
The State Treasury has returned Ft 10.2 billion to the city of Budapest, mayor Gergely Kara-csony announced on Facebook.
The repayment follows a ruling by the Budapest Metropolitan Court, which found that the Treasury had unlawfully deducted the funds in May as part of a solidarity contribution. Interest on the amount is still pending.
The court also granted immediate legal protection to the municipality, preventing the Treasury from issuing further collection orders until autumn.
Karacsony had warned that without this protection, the city’s public services could have been jeopardised.
Despite the ruling, PMO leader Gergely Gulyas, said the government would appeal the decision.
While the government maintains that the city must contribute its fair share in difficult times, recent developments suggest a shift toward dialogue, Telex writes.
Negotiations have begun between city officials and government representatives, including Gulyas and state secretary Csaba Latorcai. (telex.hu; nepszava.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Budapest seeks mass transport CEOs
Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has relaunched the search for new CEOs of the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) and the Budapest Public Transport Company (BKV).
The Budapest city council declared the previous recruitment process unsuccessful at the end of May and then asked Karacsony to re-advertise the positions with unchanged terms.
Katalin Walter, who has been leading the BKK since 2021, submitted her application in the first round, but was not even invited for a hearing by the selection committee and subsequently resigned.
The mayor dismissed Tibor Bolla, who had been in charge of the BKV since 2012, after 444 published pictures of Bolla partying in Bali with a man who led a criminal organization linked to the BKV.
Karacsony later said in an interview with HVG: “some people promised that there would be real city politics here instead of party politics, but in contrast, they are the ones who are pursuing pure party politics in the issue of company management applications.”
The deadline for submission of applications for both positions is August 24. (hvg.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
EC begins proceedings against Hungary retail taxes
The European Commission has issued a formal reasoned opinion to Hungary, criticising the country’s retail tax regime for unfairly disadvantaging foreign-owned retail chains.
According to the Commission, the tax structure imposes disproportionately high burdens on companies operating through consolidated entities – typically multinational retailers – while domestic franchise networks are largely exempt.
Hungary had previously committed to phasing out the special retail tax.
In parallel, the Commission has launched separate proceedings concerning Hungary’s price margin restrictions – one targeting food products, the other non-food items sold in drugstores.
The rules cap the allowable margin between purchase and retail prices so tightly that affected companies, many of them foreign, risk operating at a loss.
The Commission contends that these measures distort competition and breach EU rules on the freedom of establishment.
In the government’s interpretation, “Brussels attacked Hungary today because it considers the profits of multinational companies to be too low”, claiming that the EU aims to eliminate discounts, raise prices, and remove taxes on large foreign companies.
As with many other issues, the government arbitrarily linked Ukraine to the case, asserting that “Brussels only cares about Ukraine and the profits of multinational companies”. (portfolio.hu; forbes.hu; telex.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Hungary at bottom in EU household consumption
Hungary’s actual individual consumption (AIC) stood at 72% of the EU average in 2024, making Hungary the poorest member state in the EU, Eurostat reported on Wednesday.
AIC was 70% of the EU average in both Hungary and Bulgaria in 2023, but Bulgaria improved to 74% last year.
Hungary’s consumption has risen relative to the EU average in every year since 2010, but formerly poorer member states in Eastern Europe have overtaken it one by one.
On a broader metric, Hungary’s GDP per capita in purchasing power standards now stands at 77% of the EU average, placing it ahead of five member states.
Slovenia and the Czech Republic (both at 91%) and Lithuania (88%) remain well ahead. Poland, Estonia (both at 79%), and Romania (78%) have surpassed Hungary, while Croatia has effectively drawn level at 77%.
Slovakia (75%), Latvia (71%), and Bulgaria (66%) remain behind Hungary. (hvg.hu; portfolio.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Corporate lending collapses in Q1
Banks’ corporate loan portfolios decreased by Ft 393 billion in the first quarter, by far the worst nominal figure in the past ten years, Portfolio calculates.
The annual rolling net transaction volume, based on the balance of loan disbursements and repayments, was last so weak at the beginning of 2017, meaning that companies barely took out more loans than they repaid on an annual basis.
Retail lending flourished, with growth above 10%, but loan portfolios grew by only 2% in the 12 months to the end of March.
Due to the interest-rate differential, the proportion of foreign-currency loans increased from 38% to 49% in three years, and the proportion of loans with maturity of more than one year, mainly for investment purposes, shrank from 79% to 74%. (portfolio.hu; hvg.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Subsidies open for district heaters
District heating providers can now submit applications under the Jedlik Anyos Energy Programme, Hungary’s most ambitious district heating development initiative in 35 years, Energy Ministry state secretary Gabor Czepek announced via the ministry’s official Facebook page on Wednesday.
Launched earlier this year, the Jedlik Anyos scheme comprises ten separate calls for proposals aimed at spurring Ft 440 billion in private-sector investment.
In the first phase, applicants may seek between Ft 20 million and Ft 1.5 billion in support.
Beginning July 21, district heating producers will be eligible to apply for further rounds of funding, with Ft 51 billion earmarked specifically for the renewable-based modernisation of heating systems. (portfolio.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Large factories shed jobs in past year
Hungary’s largest industrial firms have significantly reduced headcount over the past year, Telex reports.
The 15 biggest domestic manufacturers cut a combined 4,655 jobs – an average reduction of 7.8% – between April 2023 and April 2024.
Of the companies surveyed, 11 reduced their workforce, while four moderately increased theirs.
The combined total number of employees at these companies fell from 64,446 to 59,791 in the space of a year.
Audi, Hungary’s largest industrial employer, eliminated 653 jobs. Samsung SDI, the country’s second-largest company by revenue, reduced its workforce by 631.
Mercedes-Benz, whose Kecskemet plant ranks third, was one of the exceptions, adding 68 new jobs.
The steepest reductions occurred at the Jabil plant in Tiszaujvaros (down 24%), Samsung SDI’s God facility (18%), and SK On’s sites in Komarom and Ivancsa (34%).
The latter two have reportedly seen a sharp fall in EV battery orders, contributing to the dramatic contraction. (telex.hu; portfolio.hu; 24.hu; forbes.hu; economx.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Adriatic port firm posts Ft 2bn loss
Adria Port, the Hungarian state-owned company holding the concession for a section in the port of Trieste, reported a net loss of euro 861,000 in 2024, an improvement over the euro 982,000 shortfall recorded in 2023.
The operating loss of euro 1.3 million was partly offset by euro 418,000 in financial income, mainly from interest earnings.
Adria Port’s second Italian subsidiary, the Milan-based APH Invest, established in 2023, posted a euro 31,000 loss for 2024.
HVG adds that the project underscores Hungary’s ambition to secure direct access to the Adriatic for strategic logistic purposes. However, profitability remains a distant prospect. (hvg.hu; forbes.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Forestay and OTP back new hotel
Forestay Fund Management has signed a euro 28 million financing agreement with OTP bank to support the development of the Moxy Budapest Downtown hotel, a 283-room project on Kazinczy utca in Budapest’s party district.
The hotel, slated for completion in May 2026, marks the debut of Marriott’s Moxy brand in Hungary.
Alongside guest accommodation, the development will include nearly 1,000m2 of ground-floor retail space and an underground garage for 85 cars.
The project is being developed and will be operated by the Forestay Group, which is expanding its hospitality portfolio in the region. (portfolio.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Debrecen Airport suspending operations for runway maintenance
Debrecen International Airport will suspend operations from June 30 to July 3 to carry out preventive maintenance on its runway, local media outlet Haon reports.
The decision follows unusually high temperatures over the Pentecost weekend, which raised concerns about potential heat-related surface damage, as occurred last summer.
The maintenance aims to safeguard the long-term operability of the airport’s infrastructure and to enhance the condition of the runway to ensure uninterrupted service, the airport operator added. (haon.hu; portfolio.hu; 24.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
MAV testing Chinese commuter train
A Chinese-made CRRC Zemu double-decker train is currently undergoing compatibility testing by MAV Rail Tours on behalf of the Chinese manufacturer, state railway company MAV said on Facebook on Wednesday.
The trials are a prerequisite for operating approval of the model.
MAV has not disclosed further details, nor has it confirmed any intention to procure the model.
At present, the only double-decker trains in regular service with MAV are the KISS electric multiple units, produced by Swiss concern Stadler. (portfolio.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Hungary evacuates 87 citizens from the Middle East
One of Hungary’s largest evacuation operations in recent years has successfully reached a “safe stage,” Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared after a Hungarian aircraft brought home 87 Hungarian citizens and one American from Israel.
The operation was particularly complex due to the closure of Israeli and Iranian airspace.
All Hungarians who requested evacuation had to first travel by bus to the Israeli-Egyptian border, Szijjarto said.
From there, they continued to Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt, where a Hungarian Armed Forces aircraft was waiting to fly them home.
“We are, of course, helping everyone who needs it,” the minister said, adding that these operations are more challenging than ever due to the changing security situation in the Middle East. (hvg.hu; nepszava.hu; economx.hu; hirtv.hu)
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