Hungary FM: Sovereign Policy Is Foundation of Hungary’s Economic Achievements

The government’s sovereign policy is the foundation that has enabled Hungary to achieve remarkable economic successes even amid the crises of the past decade and a half, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said Friday in Maglod.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: MTI)

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister, speaking before local young people, outlined the series of crises Hungary has faced in recent years—from economic collapse and mass migration to the coronavirus pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. “Yet over these 15–16 years, the Hungarian economy has accomplished extraordinary feats that would have been challenging even under normal circumstances, let alone in times like these,” Peter Szijjarto said.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: MTI)

In Hungary today, one million more people are working than in 2010 (…) Hungarians pay the lowest taxes in Europe. Those who work know that the personal income tax rate is 15 percent, and companies pay just 9 percent in corporate tax (…) At the same time, we not only established utility cost reductions, but we have preserved them,

he added.

He pointed out that European families today pay two, three, or even four times more for utilities than Hungarian households. He also highlighted the restoration of the 13th- and 14th-month pensions, as well as Hungary’s family support system, which he said is admired around the world.

Szijjarto emphasized that all of these achievements were made possible, despite significant challenges, because the government has consistently followed its own path over the past 16 years.

We applied Hungarian solutions to every challenge. We made decisions in a sovereign manner and did not accept anyone—Brussels, for example—imposing something on us from the outside,

he stressed.

In this context, he also addressed Hungary’s independent approach to Ukraine policy and criticized what he described as Brussels’ position that “Europe must go to war, must send soldiers, must send money, and must admit Ukraine into the European Union.”

He underscored that Hungary’s sovereign, pro-nation government will not support such measures.

Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: MTI)