Hungarian economic growth still below trend, but improvement expected
At its meeting in June, the Monetary Council of the central bank did not change the base rate (13%) but continued to cut the policy rate. The central bank cut its effective rate, the overnight deposit facility rate, by 100 basis points to 16.0%. Raw data show that retail sales decreased by 13.6%, while calendar-adjusted data […]
Corrupt elite in Brussels – majority believes EU bureaucracy is surrounded by corruption
The political leadership in Brussels can be bribed The poll shows that that more than two-thirds (68 percent) of Hungarians consider the activities of the Brussels elite to be corrupt overall: 35 percent of respondents consider Brussels leaders and EU bureaucracy to be highly corrupt, while 33 percent consider them rather corrupt. The results of […]
Hungarian economic performance could remain positive in 2023
Hungarian GDP grew by 4.6% in 2022, while we forecast economic output to grow by 1.1% in 2023, 4.3% in 2024, 3.8% in 2025 and 3.6% in 2026. Our forecast is subject to downside risks such as shrinking retail sales, declining industrial sales orders and a drop in investment due to the current high interest […]
Reflection on the European Commission’s preliminary report on the review of the regulatory framework for waste management
In 2022, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the review of the regulatory framework for waste management[1], to which Századvég Konjunktúrakutató Zrt. also responsed. We expressed our view that while the modernisation of waste legislation was meant to take into account the original objectives of the framework (e.g. waste management, reuse and […]
Brussels migrant quota – public opinion says no to mandatory resettlement
The rejection of the mandatory resettlement quota is significant Research data show that 70 percent of respondents have recently heard about Brussels’ plan to make it mandatory for EU Member States to distribute migrants according to quotas and to establish and maintain refugee camps in Member States again. It is important to emphasise that Hungarian […]
Challenges and outlooks – Future of the Hungarian dairy sector
The tendency to build and support sustainable supply chains is becoming increasingly prominent in 21st century economies. [1] The establishment of sustainable supply chains not only serves to protect the environment, but also contributes to the competitiveness of companies through more efficient resource management and cost reduction. [2] In accordance with this, the aim […]
Sustainable agri-food systems in the CEE – presentation of a study and policy discussion on the dairy markets
Pál Belényesi, from Brussels Consulting, moderating the panel discussion, provided a brief background on the topic. He stated that the dairy sector is the second largest agricultural sector in the EU, responsible for 12-15% of its agricultural output. The EU27, on the other hand, is the largest dairy producing region globally, with 145 million metric […]
European arms shipments to Ukraine: the EU is de facto involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war
Until the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the European Union – due to the experience gained during the Second World War – always made it a priority to promote and maintain peace on its territory, and to avoid or substantially reduce the chances of war conflicts on its territory. This decades-old practice has been superseded […]
In Ukraine, posters advertise the Ukrainian-Hungarian common destiny
Ukrainian posters proclaim a common destiny between Hungarian and Ukrainian residents, highlighting that Hungarians are equally involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war, while the Hungarian government has consistently urged the early agreement in a ceasefire and the start of peace talks. Despite Hungary’s pro-peace stance, the clients of the posters in Ukraine still have not reached […]
Stable ruling party dominance, feeble left
The advantage of Fidesz-KDNP over the left-liberal side is undiminished The poll examined the parties’ support base in several dimensions. If left-wing parties – similarly to the 2022 parliamentary elections – were to draw up a joint list, 42 percent of respondents would vote for the governing parties and 25 percent for the opposition alliance. […]
A new era of German social policy: the introduction of the system called „Bürgergeld”, i.e., citizens’ benefit
One might wonder what rational reasons might have led Europe’s largest economy to increase the tax burden on its national citizens at a time of increasing inflationary burdens on European households, ineffective management of the effects of immigration and an economic crisis that has hit Europe as a whole even further, in an attempt to […]
There is a fine line between reported lobbying and attempts to influence through corruption, or what are the reasonable limits of sovereignty?
In addition to the fact that lobbying as an activity originated in the United States of America, in its form it can be found in some form around almost every person or group of persons with the highest political decision-making, one might say inherent in power. If it cannot be ruled out, its proper regulation […]
This year may be characterised by subdued economic expansion
The decisive factor in global developments is the Russian-Ukrainian war and sanctions measures, which have led to uncertainty about gas supplies in Europe and a significant increase in energy prices. On a positive note, supply difficulties that initially caused uncertainty did not lead to gas shortages in Europe. On the negative side, energy price developments […]
Hungary must not drift into war – the population condemns pro-war statements
Further prolongation of the war must be prevented The Government of Hungary has been providing humanitarian support to Ukraine since the beginning of the war conflict, while simultaneously calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the parties concerned to be brought to the negotiating table in order to reach peace as soon as […]
National unity in favour of a ceasefire and peace talks
An overwhelming majority is in favour of an immediate, compromise end to the war The survey highlights that there is a social consensus in Hungary to end the armed conflict as soon as possible and to cease combat operations immediately. It can be concluded that 91 percent of Hungarians believe that the Russo-Ukrainian War must […]
The position of the Hungarians remains the same: they want peace instead of war
The expansion of the war must be avoided For more than a year, the war conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on, and Brussels’ sanctions and supplies of arms and munitions in support of Ukraine have not been able to prevent it from prolonging. In parallel with the escalation of the armed conflict, […]
Arms transfers to Ukraine – Europeans’ positions are far from uniform
The European community is divided on the issue of arms purchase Although the political leadership of many EU Member States is committed to arming Ukraine, public opinion on the continent is strongly divided on the perception of arms and munitions supplies. A January analysis by Századvég highlighted that in 13 EU Member States, the proportion […]
George Soros finances corruption monitoring while previously involved in numerous corruption cases
It is fundamental that corruption benefits neither the state nor the taxpayers. Yet since the democratic power system of the Western world, there has been a daily discourse about the emergence of corruption, whether perceived or real, the extent of the fight against it and its success. In addition, public opinion wants to channel the […]
Transparency International’s activities have lost their meaning – serious corruption in Brussels does not interest the pseudo-civilians of George Soros
Despite the biggest corruption scandal ever known to the European Union, despite Hungary’s historic agreement with the EU, Transparency International deals exclusively with discrediting Hungary. The Brussels scandal provides ample reason for NGOs to scrutinse themselves and Brussels, but according to their latest analysis, this is not what they are being paid for: NGOs continue […]
General perspectives, political attitudes
According to the latest results, nearly two thirds (64%) of EU and UK citizens feel that things are going rather badly in their country, while 29% are positive about the way things are going. A similar picture can be seen for the sense of prosperity. The vast majority of EU and UK respondents (56%) expect […]
