Press Room

At the European Council summit in Brussels at the end of June, the heads of state and government of the member states proposed the extension of the mandate of Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, and the European Parliament is expected to confirm the German politician's nomination at its inaugural session in the week of July 15. Given these developments, Századvég evaluated and analyzed the activities of Ursula von der Leyen, covering the period from the Commission's assumption of office on December 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023.

According to the June 2024 survey of Századvég Konjunktúrakutató, household economic sentiment improved significantly, by 2.7 index points, while business economic expectations improved by 1.2 index points from the previous month. Thus, the household index, measured on a scale of -100 to +100, strengthened to -11.9, while the business index strengthened to -12.4. In the June survey, households were particularly positive about the economic outlook for the country over the next year. As regards businesses, the biggest positive change from May to June was in their profit outlook for the next year.

Brussels has called on EU Member States to phase out subsidies on utility rates immediately, even though their abolition would have serious social consequences. The energy crisis is not over, and countries that do not protect their populations from market prices are facing severe energy poverty, according to research by Századvég Europe Project.

Századvég Konjunktúrakutató estimates that the Hungarian economy will grow by 2.7% in 2024, 3.9% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026. However, growth conditions are fragile, so it may be worth taking a cautious view of economic expectations for the coming years. Looking at global trends, reducing prices of energy carriers and external disinflationary developments point to a further moderation in Hungarian inflation. Regarding Hungarian exports, the output gap in the euro area could close at the end of 2025, which could be supportive for Hungarian exports, but deteriorating growth prospects in the euro area could also have an impact in Hungary.

Macro Monitor - May 2024

The circular economy, which has so far been understood primarily in the context of sustainability and climate protection, is increasingly becoming integrated into the efficiency and competitiveness considerations of national economies and businesses, making the extent to which the relevant actors apply digital solutions a critical factor, revealed the research project of the Digital Business Unit of Századvég Konjunktúrakutató at the end of 2023.

The industrial strategies of the world’s leading industrial economies, as well as those of the European countries that stand out in terms of industrial output, have in common that there is a clear technological focus in the assessment of the situation, the setting of priorities and targets, and the toolbox: challenges, targets and proposed measures are essentially examined and defined in terms of digital technology opportunities, according to research conducted by the Digital Business Unit of Századvég Konjunktúrakutató at the end of 2023.

According to the May 2024 survey of Századvég Konjunktúrakutató, household economic sentiment improved by 1.9 index points, while business economic expectations deteriorated by 1.3 index points from the previous month. Thus, the household index, measured on a scale of -100 to +100, strengthened to -14.5, while the business index weakened to -13.5. The May survey shows that households’ perception of their own financial situation has improved significantly. Meanwhile, the largest positive change from April to May was measured in terms of the reduction in the price increases of businesses over the past year.

6 out of 10 EU citizens do not agree with the new migration pact, which allows illegal migrants to be resettled in the EU Member States without the say of Member States, according to Századvég’s latest Project Europe survey.

The European Parliament and Council have adopted a Commission proposal to phase out fossil fuel boilers for heating buildings in the EU by 2040. The majority of EU citizens disagree with the decision, according to research by Századvég.

Most European citizens disagree with Brussels’ efforts to relax environmental and import regulations on Ukrainian produce, Századvég’s Project Europe research shows.

While 59% of EU citizens would fight for their country on its own soil, just over a quarter (27%) would take up arms outside its borders. In fact, when it comes to the involvement of EU soldiers in Ukraine, there is overwhelming rejection (69%) according to the latest results of Századvég’s Project Europe research.

Századvég has been conducting international public opinion surveys since 2016 to examine the views of European citizens on the issues that most affect the future of the EU. The aim of the 2024 survey of the unique Project Europe survey series was to map public attitudes on the most important public issues affecting our continent. The main topics of research are issues related to the Russia-Ukraine war and the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. Topics will also include, among others, the sense of prosperity in society, perceptions of the European Union’s activities, energy price developments and energy policy, media, religious affiliation and attitudes to migration. The results of the survey were presented on 7 May 2024 at the Europe in the Shadow of War conference, held in the Várkert Bazár with the participation of several renowned professionals and public figures.

Macro Monitor - April 2024

Results from Századvég’s Project Europe survey show that almost two thirds of EU citizens are concerned that, more than a year and a half on, there is still no meaningful result from investigations into the historic scale of attacks on the EU’s critical infrastructure.