Diplomacy & Trade 2016 November by Diplomacy&Trade

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IT IS TIME TO ACT

"N o c o u n t r y i s s m a l l w h e n t a c k l i n g climate change. Emissions may be low but everybody is part of this bigger picture, everybody has got to think about how their energy system is organized, everybody has got to think about the initiatives and the innovation they can undertake." ( Climate negotiator Paul Watkinson) SEE INTERVIEW ON

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Germany

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“My main objective during my time as Ambassador to Hungary is to further develop the close partnership between Hungary and Germany and especially to strengthen our relationship within the European Union,” the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Heinz-Peter Behr, who presented his credentials in Hungary in September, 2015, tells Diplomacy&Trade. Germany is Hungary’s most significant investor. see articles on pages 8-15

Ethos of Democracy This October, the Vice President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari paid a visit to Hungary. In addition to meeting with state leaders and participating at cultural programs, he held a lecture entitled ‘Indian Democracy; Achievements and Challenges’ at the Corvinus University of Budapest. see page 17

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letter from the publisher

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contents Must see: cultural programs in November

17 INDIA

18 SOCIETY 19 WITTYLEAKS

PUBLISHER

Hungarian Hollywood Council Spanish Riding School

23 GIFT PAGE 24-25 WHAT’S ON

Concerts, festivals, events and exhibitions in and out of Budapest

26-27 GASTRONOMY

Babel Budapest presents new menu Martin’s Day festival New wine and cheese festival Big whites

Neighborly similarities

AND DON’T FORGET

monthly in print - daily on the web

www.dteurope.com

20-21 BUSINESS GE hub in Budapest BCCH 25 years

PUBLISHER: Peter Freed, EDITOR: Réka A. Francisck, COPY EDITOR: Joyce Freed PHOTO EDITOR: Dávid Harangozó SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Tamás Varga, DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Tibor Ocsenás ADMINISTRATION: Judit Ludányi ASSISTANT: Ágnes Rapaport CONTRIBUTORS: Sándor Laczkó, Tamás Magyarics, Réka A. Francisck, Ralph Scheide, Dorka Tamás, Alexandra Ruff, Balázs Bokor, László Doszpod PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS

JAPAN FOCUS - COMING SOON

Diplomacy&Trade is preparing a special Focus section on Japan, whose diplomatic relations with Hungary date back almost 150 years. Japan is an important investor in Hungary with its corporate investments exceeding EUR 700 million, to date. There are about 140 Japanese companies present here, providing jobs for more than 20,000 people. The Focus will feature an interview with the Japan Ambassador to Hungary, Junichi Kosuge covering issues of economic relations (including trade and investment) as well as political, social and cultural ties. You can also read about JETRO (the Japanese external trade organization), Shokokai (that comprises Japanese investors in this country), the Hungarian-Japanese Friendship Society as well as a number of Japanese companies present in Hungary.

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Tackling climate change

22 CULTURE

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08-15 GERMANY FOCUS 16 ENVIRONMENT

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ANALYSIS The impact of 1956 abroad

Vice Presidential lecture

Peter Freed

Saxony Minister President in Hungary

page 24-25

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Since temperature measurement began, September 2016 was the second warmest September on record. Thus, it is positive news that the Paris Agreement dealing with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and financing as well as setting out some key objectives to keep the warming effect of climate change well under two degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, reached one year ago, is coming into force this fall. The Chief Climate Negotiator for France explains to our readers why collective awareness and action on a multilateral level are vital for the future of humanity. Also on this subject, we report that Hungarian President János Áder has vetoed a law on the ban of windfarms because it would conflict renewable energy goals. The country in focus in this November issue of Diplomacy&Trade is the Federal Republic of Germany, Europe’s financial powerhouse and Hungary’s most significant investor. German companies provide jobs for nearly 300,000 Hungarians and subsistence for more than a million, including family members. The Focus features an interview with the German Ambassador to Hungary, Dr. Heinz-Peter Behr who discusses issues of economic relations (including trade and investment) as well as cultural, social and civil ties. You can also read an interview with the Minister President of Saxony and with a former Hungarian ambassador to Germany (also a former foreign minister) and gain insight into the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and other civic organizations, and several of the prominent German companies present in Hungary. This month’s political analysis looks at the international implications of the 1956 anti-Stalinist uprising in Hungary. Our business section features General Electric opening a Digital Hub in Budapest and the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hungary celebrating its 25th anniversary. The culture section introduces the Hungarian Hollywood Council that guards the memories of the world famous Hungarian icons of Hollywood, while this month’s WittyLeaks article has been authored by the Austrian Ambassador, Ralph Scheide who looks back to the time he has spent in Hungary before and during his tenure as ambassador. Of course, we also have the usual culinary guides, restaurant offers and Society picture compilations.

A nail in the coffin of communism

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on the record UPCOMING NATIONAL DAYS November

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60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1956 POPULAR UPRISING IN HUNGARY

Algeria

Cambodia

National day National day

Poland

National day / Independence day

Angola

Independence day

Latvia

National day

Morocco

National day

Oman

National day

Monaco

National day

Lebanon

National day

Bosnia and Hercegovina

National day

Albania

National day

Barbados

National day

Romania

National day

Laos

National day

UAE

National day

Thailand

National day

Finland

National day

Kenya

Independence day

Malta

National day

Hungary’s national flag was hoisted in front of the Parliament building in downtown Budapest on October 23 in a state commemoration marking the 60th anniversary of the popular uprising against the Stalinist regime, which started on this day in 1956. The ceremony was attended by President János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Parliamentary Speaker László Kövér, the chief of staff of the Hungarian military, Tibor Benkő and representatives of the diplomatic community. During the day, a series of commemorations and programs were held across the country to pay tribute to heroes of the failed revolution and freedom fight. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke in front of Parliament while opposition leaders held separate rallies in other parts of the capital.

Kazakhstan

Independence day

Bahrein

National day

Qatar

National day

Japan

National day

Lybia

Independence day

Mongolia

National day

INSIGHTS - 1956 AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY

LOBBYING AGAINST FREE TRADE DEAL WITH CANADA

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the 1956 popular uprising against the Stalinist regime in Hungary, the British Embassy in Budapest prepared a special exhibition that presents the flow of events from the viewpoint of contemporary British diplomats. "What we wanted to do here is to look at the revolution through the eyes of the people who were then here at the Embassy," the British Ambassador Iain Lindsay told Diplomacy&Trade. "We had the accounts, memoirs of the head of the Legation, Leslie Fry, along with other historical documents. Some members of the staff still alive were able to recount their own feelings of what it was like to be here then – particularly, the Hungarian members of the staff. We thought it would be a very powerful message – especially with the accompanying website (www.1956nezopontok.hu) – and a very appropriate way to celebrate the 60th anniversary," he added. He explained that “it is also a solemn commemoration that we tried to make as interesting as possible. We managed to bring together many of the old bits of furniture from our Embassy stores and it is fantastic to see what we have been able to put together.” Mission leader Leslie Fry and his staff were themselves caught in the crossfire in the downtown building of the Legation. “Some of the staff were going out and about the streets with the Hungarian staff to see what is happening, witnessing the fighting. They were in real danger, the Hungarian staff in particular as – not covered by the Geneva Convention – they were subject to Hungarian law. Of course, after the revolution, a number of our staff were arrested, interrogated, tortured and imprisoned.”

HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT VETOES A LAW ON THE BAN OF WINDFARMS President János Áder has returned a law tightening conditions for establishing windfarms to parliament, saying that the law is in conflict with several goals promoting the use of renewable energy. In his justification, Áder said the law did not promote the implementation of the Paris climate accord, went against the government’s 2010-2020 renewable energy action plan and would introduce ‘unnecessary’ administrative restrictions. He was quoted by the Hungarian news agency MTI as saying that the law would make it impossible to build windfarms and endanger the fulfilment of plans to increase the ratio of wind energy in total energy production. The President asked parliament to debate the issue and prepare regulations that support efforts to keep the economy on the ‘path of decarbonization’, keep open all theoretical possibilities for “cleansing our energy basket” and help the country fulfil its promises concerning the fight against climate change. Government office chief János Lázár earlier said the amendment was needed because the efficiency of wind turbines is too dependent on weather changes and the fluctuation in output can only be neutralized by adjusting the output of power stations operating on the grid. He said this was the reason for regulating the capacity of wind farms linked to the grid. Environmental experts deny this argument and suspect that the Orbán government is trying to ban windfarms to justify the necessity for the deal for new nuclear power stations with Russia. w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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The deputy ombudsman in charge of future generations in Hungary, Marcel Szabó, as well as representatives of civil organizations have called on Hungary’s government not to sign a planned free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada. Addressing a conference organized by the ombudsman’s office, the National Council for Sustainable Development and the National Society of Conservationists, Szabó asked the government to request the European Court for a review of the planned treaty with Canada. He said problematic issues in the draft included the spreading of GMO, procedures of potential disputes between investors and states and the agreement taking temporary effect before its ratification. Szabó said the agreement is not in line with the criteria approved by Hungarian lawmakers in June on free trade agreements and it is also unconstitutional. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade László Szabó told parliament’s sustainable development committee on Monday that the CETA free trade deal with Canada would create far better conditions for Hungary than its current bilateral agreement with Canada. At the end of September, Minister of State for Security Policy and International Cooperation in the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, István Mikola stated his view that CETA would be favorable for Hungary.

FINANCIAL LITERACY OF HUNGARIANS IS AT LOW LEVEL Overall levels of financial literacy, indicated by combining scores on knowledge, attitudes and behavior are relatively low, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concurred in its latest survey. The average score across all participating countries is just 13.2 out of a possible 21, and 13.7 across participating OECD countries, showing significant room for improvement. Hungary is ranked 22nd with a score of 12.4. It turns out, Hungarians do not think they are smarter than they actually are in terms of financial literacy, as a majority of them said they have average knowledge in this area. According to the financial website portfolio.hu, the icing on the cake is that only one third of Hungary’s adult population are active savers, whereas one in ten respondents resorted to borrowing to make ends meet. In one of its latest publications (Adult Financial Literacy Competencies), the OECD put the spotlight on 30 countries and economies, assessing the financial literacy competencies there. According to the data overall levels of financial literacy, indicated by combining scores on knowledge, attitudes and behavior are relatively low: Hungary tied with Georgia for 22nd place with an average score of 12.4 points, scored the lowest in financial attitudes and the highest in financial knowledge. In Hungary, only 27% of adults are active savers (in contrast, 69% in Austria are active savers and in Norway the percentage is even higher, at 84%).

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company briefs NESTLÉ HUNGÁRIA CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY

BYD TO INVEST EUR 20 MILLION IN KOMÁROM

Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD is establishing Europe’s first electric bus factory in Komárom, NW Hungary with an investment of HUF 6.2 billion forints (EUR 20 mn), towards which the Hungarian government is providing a grant of HUF 925 million (EUR 3 mn). Production is expected to begin early next year; the plant will initially produce 200 buses a year and the world leader on the electric bus market will create 300 new jobs in two phases thanks to the investment project. According to the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, the production of electric buses will improve competitiveness and contribute to enabling Hungary to achieve its global climate policy goals. The Managing Director of BVD Auto Europe, Isbrand Ho stressed that when deciding on the site for the company’s first European assembly center, important factors included the central location of Hungary and Komárom, engineering knowledge and experience relating to bus production and the Government’s measures aimed at facilitating economic growth. “Hungary was once one of the great centers of bus production and through this investment we would like to help Hungary become one of the frontrunners in electric powered bus manufacturing”, he said. The new plant will also include a paint shop that applies state-of-the-art technology, a research center and a testing center, he told reporters, adding that BYD is also planning to enter the European market with additional zero emission vehicles.

BUDAPEST AIRPORT CEO RECEIVES PRO TURISMO AWARD

Rapidly developing digital technology is continuously raising complex legal and corporate governance issues that require highly skilled expertise, comprehensive market knowledge, a practical approach and an international mindset. In order to serve this business sphere with the highest standard of legal advice, bpv Jádi Németh has announced the establishment of a new IP/IT competence center headed by Dr. Krisztina Ivanics. A statement by the law office stresses that Krisztina brings unparalleled expertise combined with a comprehensive understanding of technology, business, and law. She previously worked as the Chief Legal Officer of leading online and digital companies and has 20 years’ experience in the field of IP/IT, media law, privacy, data protection and e-commerce as well as in related commercial activities. “An acclaimed expert in the digital, software, automotive, and creative industries. Krisztina’s strategic mindset and legal expertise will provide bpv Jádi Németh’s clients with first-class legal support in these matters. They will have access to outstanding professional care and support in creating effective and innovative in-house solutions for their everyday challenges.” She specializes in software licensing and software services as well as in cloud computing. As Managing Partner Dr. Andrea Jádi Németh pointed out, “our firm has always been proud of its progressive solutions. The technological revolution spurred by smart devices, connected industries, improved software solutions, and digital applications is redefining not only the business landscape but it is also having an immense impact on legal regulations.”

LUFTHANSA TECHNIK OPENS NEW ENGINEERING SERVICES CENTER Lufthansa Technik AG, Germany’s leading aircraft maintenance and engineering company opened a new Aircraft Engineering Services Center at Budapest Airport this October. The new center will focus its activities around the Boeing 737 aircraft – one of the most popular types among narrow-body medium-haul aircraft – and some general non-aircraft type related support services. In addition Lufthansa Technik AG, which has been operating in Budapest for over 15 years now, is going to transfer several non-aircraft type related services to the Budapest Aircraft Engineering Services Center such as aircraft electrical load analysis, aircraft flight data, and reliability data compilation as well as technical documentation services. The Center creates about 50 new high-tech aviation engineering jobs. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, emphasized that Hungary appreciates Lufthansa Group presence and its expansion here and the government is very much open to support any future cooperation as well. Lufthansa Technik Manager for Aircraft System Engineering & Modification, Marcus Knoth noted that "during our analysis phase, Budapest had to contend with some other European locations and finally fulfilled our demanding selection criteria. Thanks to the availability of highly qualified and motivated personnel, good infrastructure, good accessibility of the location and, last but not least, the great support on site, the decision for the Budapest location was made easy."

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PRAKTIKER OPENS 20TH STORE IN HUNGARY Do-it-yourself retail chain Praktiker opened a 12,000 square-meter store in northern Budapest. It is the retailer's 20th and also the biggest store in the country, according to Praktiker officials speaking at the opening ceremony. The opening is in response to a pickup in the property market, according to Managing Director Karl-Heinz Keth, who owns 25% of the home improvements company. He stressed that as a result of more money going into the property market, people are purchasing more and this justifies the move that Praktiker – with a new majority (75%) stakeholder, Hungary's Wallis Asset Management in the background – starts its expansion in the Hungarian capital. Praktiker's sales rose more than one quarter to HUF 32.5 billion last year. Karl-Heinz Keth added that Praktiker has a long-term rental contract with the property owner, thus, the DIY chain will be a predictable and stable partner for the population of the local 4th District. Praktiker’s starting stock levels, worth HUF hundreds of millions, allow that – in addition to the usual assortment of the chain – big emphasis could be placed on horticultural products and building materials, with an independent vending gate linked to the latter department. In the new, modern design store, a separate webshop panel is located where the products ordered online can be picked up by the customers. This latest Praktiker business unit provides free WiFi access for the customers. It will in the near future be accompanied by a geo-location mobile application, which will help navigation to find products in the store and control product information.

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The CEO of Budapest Airport, Jost Lammers has received the prestigious Pro Turismo award, an official ministerial acknowledgment of constant efforts undertaken by the head of the airport company to attract new airlines to Budapest and Hungary. The Pro Turismo Award was handed over to Jost Lammers by Dr. Gusztáv Bienerth, Government Commissioner in charge of tourism at the Ministry of National Development. Passenger traffic at Budapest Airport has increased in the last four years outpacing by far other airports in the Central-Eastern European region. Passenger traffic has developed from 8.5 million passengers in 2012 to 10.3 million in 2015, which represents a 21.1% increase, due to the efforts by Budapest Airport. This year Budapest Airport expects traffic numbers to exceed the 11 million passenger threshold in December. “On behalf of all Budapest Airport staff I am proud to receive this award, since each and every airport employee has contributed to our magnificent results in traffic increase – particularly our commercial airline development and marketing team,” Jost Lammers said at the award ceremony. He added that “we continue our efforts to live up to the expectations of our passengers and be the best airport in Central-Eastern Europe in terms of both service quality and development. Our goal remains to attract more and more passengers from all over the world to witness the beauty of Hungary and Budapest.”

LAW OFFICE SETS UP UNIQUE IP/IT COMPETENCE CENTER

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“Hungarian-Swiss relations are mutually beneficial; there are more than 300 Swiss companies operating in Hungary that provide employment to 40,000 people”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Parliamentary State Secretary László Szabó said in Budapest at a conference organized by Swiss food industry giant Nestlé this October. The Food4Talk conference coincided with the 150th anniversary of the founding of Nestlé and the 25th anniversary of Nestlé Hungária Limited. The Deputy Minister told those present: Hungarian-Swiss relations are developing dynamically; foreign trade flow between the two countries increased by 10% last year. László Szabó recalled that Nestlé has been present in Hungary with production capacities for 25 years, and since the beginning has continued to introduce developments and innovative technologies, create jobs and bring the country more and more export opportunities. Nestlé Hungary’s Managing Director, Jean Grunenwald told the conference’s participants that Nestlé’s investments in Hungary total more than HUF 100 billion (EUR 330 mn). The company plays a determining role within the Hungarian food processing industry and provides employment for 2,400 people at its plants in Bük, Szerencs and Diósgyőr, and its unit in Budapest. The company also actively cooperates with Hungarian suppliers that produce quality ingredients, he added. Mr. Grunenwald stressed that the company has always sought to provide innovative solutions to the social challenges and requirements of the age and is a frontrunner in science-based product development as well as research and development aimed at healthy nutrition, and supports efforts to improve public health.

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analysis

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UCCDEACONESSHISTORY.CA

BY TAMÁS MAGYARICS

The 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 once again gave an opportunity to assess the events leading to the outbreak of the revolution, the events during the 11 days ‘that shook the Kremlin’, as well as the impact of the Revolution and the Freedom Fight on the world – because Hungary was, beyond dispute, ‘punching above its weight’ in those days. The commemoration events in Hungary are in the view of the Hungarian public at large, but it is less known how the Revolution and the Freedom Fight are remembered abroad, both in the Hungarian diaspora and the academia, or, for that matter, in political circles abroad. It is a sad fact that as time goes by there are fewer and fewer people around the world who actively participated in the events of OctoberNovember 1956. Therefore, it is more than welcome that efforts have been made to save the personal recollections of the events and to establish an ‘oral history’ archive. The Hungarian diplomatic missions abroad were instructed to locate the survivors, in cooperation with the local Hungarian communities, and to record the memories of those who played a role in the events. It is a classic effort of history ‘bottom up’ as the major actors in the dramatic days who were not executed by the Kádár-regime have already told their stories. Besides the individual memories, the various Hungarian communities in their new homelands have tended to develop a unique outlook of the events in Hungary in 1956 with a special reference of the role their chosen homeland played in the events. Thus, for instance, the memories of the Olympic Games in 1956, and especially the famous – and brutal – waterpolo semi-final game between Hungary and the Soviet Union have special reference to the Hungarian diaspora in Australia. Likewise, a large number of the Hungarian refugees in Canada remember how the faculty and students of the Sopron University of Forestry fled to Canada and literally transplanted their university department over there. Or, for the Hungarians who ended up in the United States, the experiences at the Camp Kilmer transition camp provide a common point of reference. When talking about the ’56-ers in the United States, it must be mentioned, too, that their unique experiences set them apart to some extent from the ‘45ers and the ’48-ers, not even talking about the members of the single largest wave of Hungarian immigrants into the America of the first decade of the 20th century. The Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 was a game-changer of sorts in international affairs, as well. This aspect, by definition, was more a topic at conferences, symposiums, and lectures than in the ‘oral histories.’ Hungarian and foreign researchers of the age have written relatively extensively on the impact of the events in Hungary at that upon the East-West relations in general, and a number of individual countries such as Austria, Italy, the German Federal Republic, etc. in particular. Naturally, some countries and relations have been accorded special attention. It is, by now, a commonplace w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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▶ HUNGARIAN REFUGEES ARRIVING IN NEWFOUNDLAND IN 1957

A NAIL in the COFFIN of COMMUNISM

THE IMPACT AND SIGNIFANCE OF THE FREEDOM FIGHT OF 1956 ABROAD

that the United States, despite the harsh rhetoric of ‘the rollback of communism’ and the ‘liberation of the captive’ nations, did not in fact plan any action to make good on these promises. The Eisenhower Administration, very much like the other western governments, such as, for instance, the British, basically viewed the relations with the Soviet Union in a Realpolitik context, and believed in the ‘legitimate’ right of the Soviets to have a security zone along their western borders. However, the cruel and bloody suppression of the Hungarian freedom fight by the Soviets made Washington realize that even hinting at possible American assistance in the event of an uprising behind the Iron Curtain was irresponsible and morally indefensible. The subsequent shift in American politics towards the satellite countries emphasized evolution, gradualism, and – under Lyndon. B. Johnson – ‘bridge-building’. The latter amounted to encouraging links in so-called soft areas such as educational and cultural exchanges, plus trade relations with the underlying idea that the achievements in these fields might ‘spill over’ over time in the

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political arena as well. Less known is, though, the influence of the Hungarian Revolution and the Freedom Fight on the Soviet-Chinese relations. Chairman Mao Zedong started to criticize the Soviet leadership of making a distinction between the ‘Stalinists’ and the ‘non-Stalinists’ within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and elsewhere as early as December 1956. The emerging rift between the two Communist giants was not restricted to ideological disputes. An increasingly angry exchange erupted between the CPSU and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the Soviet military intervention in Hungary on November 4th, 1956. The matter of discord was not about the necessity of the intervention, but the Chinese started to claim (erroneously) that it was them who persuaded the wavering Khrushchev to send his tanks and troops into Hungary. This quarrel contributed to the final break between Moscow and Beijing, which resulted in armed conflicts between them in the late 1960s. Mention should be made of another country: Romania. In spite of the fact that the Hungarians (and a number of Romanians)

sympathized with the stated goals of the Hungarian revolutionaries, no action was taking place against the rule of the Communist Party over there. The retribution, though, was almost as severe as in Hungary. Although, fewer people were executed than in Hungary, more people were thrown into prisons, where hundreds or perhaps thousands died because of the inhuman conditions and torture. The overall significance of the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 lies in the fact that it drove a huge nail into the coffin of the Soviet Union and East and Central European Communism. It punctured the myth that the communist state was that of the ‘workers and the peasants,’ it exposed the essentially imperialist nature of the Soviet Union, as well as the hollowness of the MarxistLeninist dogmas. The walls of the buildings in Budapest (and elsewhere) were full of slogans such as ‘Russians go home.’ However, there was an invisible ‘writing on the wall’ for the Soviet Union and Communism too, which was read by people all over the world. Tamás Magyarics is a foreign policy analyst

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BY SÁNDOR LACZKÓ

FOR OPEN and RESPECTFUL DISCUSSION GERMANY

357,022 sq km 63 80,722,792 (July 2016 est.) 19 -0.16% (2016 est.) 211 8.5 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) 217 80.7 years 34 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) 56 46,900 (2015 est.) 28 4.6% (2015 est.) 47 96.36 million 15 539 (2013) 13

Refugees and migrants Ambassador Behr is of the opinion that “even though Hungary and Germany might seem to be positioned on different ends of the scale regarding refugees and migration, we agree on most aspects, e.g. to fight human trafficking and help those who have to leave their war-torn homes to stay as close to their native regions as possible. However, Europe still needs to decide how to share our responsibilities as Europeans towards those who keep arriving at our borders. Their number is much lower than last year, which is a success. Discussions and the exchange of positions and views are vital parts of any democratic process. Hungary’s and

The German minority in Hungary In the 2011 census, more than 131,000 people said they belonged to the German minority in Hungary. That makes the German minority the second biggest minority group in Hungary after the Roma people. Over the years (the German minority has been part of the Hungarian people ever since the 18th century), these Germans became well integrated into Hungarian society. The Ambassador notes that this process of assimilation was, however, stopped after the Second World War when large numbers of the German minority were displaced. Only after 1949

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HUNGARY

93,028 sq km 110 9,897,541 (July 2015 est.) 90 -0.22% (2015 est.) 207 9.26 births/1,000 population 214 75.69 years 94 1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population 58 $26,200 (2015 est.) 71 6,8% (2015 est.) 79 11,786,000 (2012) 78 41 (2013) 104

Germany’s shared history and friendship will certainly help us overcome our differences of opinion, as we have been able to on other topics.” He mentions, as another example, the future of the European Union. “Hungary and Germany may have different expectations with regard to further integration but Germans and Hungarians firmly agree that our common future lies in a strong EU. Both governments support a stronger European defense cooperation. The EU is also the framework for the considerable volume of trade and investment between our countries.”

Maltese order and the Red Cross in Budapest and the countryside. Let me add that very recently, the German Embassy – in grateful remembrance of those events and thanking the volunteers – inaugurated memorial plaques for the camps in Zugliget, Csillebérc, Zánka and Leányfalu. Through my experiences in 1989-90, I fell in love with this wonderful country and its population and I am very happy to be here 26 years later,” he says.

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the most powerful memories from that time is the overwhelming help that the German embassy and the East German people received from the Hungarian officials and particularly the civil societies. When the German Embassy became too small for all these refugees, four refugee camps were opened with the help of the

ISTVÁN BIELIK/KÉPSZERKESZTŐSÉG

FACTS COMPARED AREA country comparison to the world POPULATION country comparison to the world POPULATION GROWTH RATE country comparison to the world BIRTH RATE country comparison to the world LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH country comparison to the world NET MIGRATION RATE country comparison to the world GDP - PER CAPITA (PPP) country comparison to the world UNEMPLOYMENT RATE country comparison to the world TELEPHONES - MOBILE/CELLULAR country comparison to the world AIRPORTS country comparison to the world

INTERVIEW WITH HEINZ-PETER BEHR GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY

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Ambassador Behr took up his position in Budapest over a year ago. “My main objective during my time as the German ambassador to Hungary is to further develop the close partnership between Hungary and Germany and especially to strengthen our relationship within the European Union. In my opinion, communication is the foundation of a relationship of mutual respect and closeness. Thus, it is necessary that representatives of two countries, be they politicians, economists, civil societies or scientists, are able to address sensible topics and even differences of opinion in open and respectful discussions. If such discussions are possible, the partnership between those countries will remain strong and will even be strengthened, which is true for the German-Hungarian relationship. And I believe that we have created an environment in which a closer and more open discussion on difficult issues, such as the refugee crisis, is possible,” he points out. He served at the Budapest Embassy earlier: in historic times – 1989-90 – when one of his responsibilities was administering to the East German refugees. “I remember my time in Budapest quite vividly and think of it as one of the highlights of my professional career. I arrived in Budapest on the day Imre Nagy (Hungary’s Prime Minister in October 1956) was reburied, an occasion of great importance for the Hungarian people and an occasion that turned my first day as the German Embassy’s secretary for economic affairs into a most memorable new beginning. I never expected to be part of such historically relevant and far-reaching events, but I am very glad that I was. My involvement in the story began when the ambassador asked me to take care of the approximately 200 East German refugees seeking shelter at the embassy. At that time, our embassy was located in Izsó utca near the City Park and the building itself was not big enough for the accommodation of so many people. My task, therefore, was to organize rooms, beds, food and everyday necessities for the refugees. In an attempt to offer them as much comfort as possible, we vacated all the offices of the embassy, except for that of the ambassador, and put in bunk beds. One of

Source: World Factbook

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did Hungarian-German bilateral relations improve again. In recent years, the German minority set out to expand their physical presence especially in the political sphere. Since 2013, they are represented in parliament by nationality spokesman Imre Ritter. “The constant work of the German minority towards a revival of German culture and language in Hungary positively influences bilateral relations. It shows that German and Hungarian cultural roots do not only exist alongside each other, but prosper together. German schools, universities and clubs on a local, regional and national level work to improve the conservation of the German language and culture and provide not only the German minority but all Hungarians with the opportunity to study, work and learn in both languages and in an intercultural environment.” He is of the view that these universities and schools are a fixed component of the bilateral relations and of the German minority within the Hungarian society. “Among others, the German-Hungarian educational center UBZ Baja, the Andrássy University Budapest and the German Thomas Mann school are just some of the institutions that provide their students with a chance to actively shape bilateral relations. The Thomas Mann School and the Baja educational center offer degrees that are recognized by the Hungarian and German school systems, while the Andrássy University Budapest offers the possibility to study at a German language university in Hungary.”

Cultural relations

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The German-Hungarian friendship treaty of 1992 and the cultural agreement of 1994 form the basis of the bilateral cultural relations between Hungary and Germany. The close relation on a national level is mirrored by close relations on a regional level. Up to 400 cities and towns in Hungary and Germany celebrate often long-standing partnerships and exchanges. The German Embassy has two ways of promoting culture. The first is financing, supporting and organizing cultural events and projects through the means of the ‘Kleiner Kulturfonds’ – a fund solely established for the cultural sector. Just recently, several pieces by German artists exhibited at the Art Market Budapest were sold to the German Art Fund in Hungary. In order to promote contemporary German art in Hungary, this fund donates the purchased artworks to Hungarian cultural and

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educational institutions. However, the cultural sector does not only encompass culture in the proper sense of the word. “Close cooperation with our Hungarian partners on all levels is another important aspect of the embassy’s work and constitutes the second option for promoting culture. The focus lies on support and supervision of German schools and universities in Hungary. Furthermore our intermediary organizations like the GoetheInstitute and the DAAD provide German courses, ultimately facilitating cultural exchange between Hungarians and Germans,” the Ambassador explains. He adds that “there are, of course, also other cultural events and programs supported by the embassy. Deutsche Bühne Ungarn (German theater in Hungary) is a German-language theater in Szekszárd that has been promoting cultural exchange for several decades. This exchange also

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applies to a recent project: Budapest Klasszik Rádió, supported by the German Embassy and German firms, launched a German month this past October.”

Favorite places and literature Over the past year, Ambassador Behr has had the opportunity to travel in Hungary professionally and leisurely. He could see the most striking differences compared to 1990. “Over the course of 26 years, the Hungarian cities and townships have changed a lot. Even in 1989-90 it was visible that Hungary’s cities offered a lot of cultural treasures, but since then a lot of work has been done to make those cities even more beautiful. My favorite places apart from Budapest are Veszprém and Pécs. The beauty of the old city of Veszprém fascinates me. Pécs offers industry and deep tradition, diversity and solidarity. I like that an old mosque was renovated and turned into a Catholic church, keeping the decorations of the mosque. Other cities that I like very much are Győr, Eger and Tokaj.” He also stresses that, on the other hand, literature is one of the best elements through which to get to know a country’s culture. “Unfortunately, I can’t read the original version of the books and poems I like so much but even the German translations transport the depth of feeling and expression of Hungarian writers: among the authors I enjoy so much are Zsigmond Móricz, György Konrád and Imre Kertész, and recently I have discovered the works of some of Hungary’s younger and more contemporary poets. Looking back at the earlier time I spent in Hungary, at the experiences I had, the people I met and the books and poems I read, I can say that I see Hungary as something as my second home,” the Ambassador concludes.

When making a speech at the 25th anniversary of German unification at the Andrássy University here in Budapest, Ambassador Behr praised Hungary’s role in the unification process. Now, he stresses to Diplomacy and Trade that historically, Germany and Hungary have always been connected by good and friendly relations. “When Hungary opened its borders for refugees from East Germany in 1989, this relationship turned into a mutual friendship that still holds today. We cannot exactly know how the process of German unification would have advanced without Hungary’s support of the East German refugees and the opening of its border. As a constant reminder of the gratitude and friendship that are a vital part of the German-Hungarian relations, the German-Hungarian Friendship Treaty signed in 1992.” Nevertheless, he says, the close economic and academic cooperation between Hungary and Germany is not only a result of this gratitude towards Hungary. “It much rather is the result of the great potential which lies in our cooperation as two European countries. Some of Germany’s biggest companies (such as Audi, Mercedes, Siemens, Bosch etc.) have established business sites and production locations within Hungary. And therefore, Germany also supports GermanHungarian academic exchange and German schools and universities in Hungary.” One sector in which those two areas of cooperation come together is research and development (R&D). With Germany as Hungary’s biggest trade partner and German direct investment from around 6,000 companies, providing more than 300,000 jobs, Germany is determined to support Hungary’s plans to establish new R&D regions with close ties to local universities and businesses. The Ambassador thinks that such developments will strengthen the bonds between academia and business and will give more young professionals the chance to be actively involved in the future of Hungary’s economy. “On the mid- and long-term, not only the Hungarian but also the German economy will benefit from those investments.” HUNGARY’S MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC PARTNER Given the most recent numbers, Germany can be acknowledged as Hungary’s most important trade partner, therefore, the Hungarian economy highly relies on the ‘well-being’ of the German economy. With exports amounting to about EUR 23 billion and imports to approximately EUR 21 billion, these figures show that a quarter of Hungary’s foreign trade is done with Germany. The Ambassador highlights that the fact that Germany is Hungary’s most important partner in foreign trade is further emphasized by the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK) with its Budapest headquarters. Not only is the DUIHK the largest foreign chamber in Hungary, it also represents 900 companies committed to strengthening and broadening the economic ties between Germany and Hungary. He is of the view that in order to ensure positive economic development in the future, the Hungarian market needs to become more attractive for highlyqualified employees. “As it is, a significant part of well-educated and qualified professionals and university graduates choose to work abroad because they feel that foreign markets better meet their requirements. Could this highly-qualified personnel be kept within the Hungarian market this in the long run would lead to even more economic growth.” Another project that will work towards a positive future development of Hungary’s economy is the expansion of Hungary’s R&D regions. Information and communication technology, pharmacology, engineering and electronic engineering are Hungary’s most important research and development areas. Within these areas, GermanHungarian cooperation focuses on the automotive industry, an industry sector which has traditionally been of great importance in Hungary and especially in German-Hungarian economic relations.

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MAINTAINING the FRAMEWORK RELATIONS SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON THE COLORS OF THE GOVERNMENTS Dr. Péter Balázs, currently the Director of Center for EU Neighborhood Studies at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest was Hungary’s Ambassador in Berlin in the 1990s and Foreign Minister in 2009-10. Talking to Diplomacy&Trade about Hungarian-German relations, he recalls that “during the time I was Foreign Minister, we had very good and very close relations with Germany. I believe a normal relationship between two countries should always be between the two peoples and should not depend on the colors of the governments. We have to maintain good relations because governments come and go, they change all the time in both countries. I remember that during my relatively short period as Foreign Minister, there were two different governments in Germany and I had the same good and close relations with Guido Westerwelle, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier who is still Germany’s Foreign Minister. Both of them came to Budapest and I visited both of them in Berlin. We had close ties and that is the right attitude – that is the way it should be. Right now, what I see is that there are tensions between Hungary and Germany, if you consider the positions of the two countries on various important issues.”

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V4, a good starting point This June, Dr. Balázs said in Prague that the V4 countries were moving in the wrong direction when positioning themselves against Germany on the migration issue. Regarding whether there can be political or other consequences of ‘going against’ Germany, he says he believes “the Visegrád cooperation is a good starting point for Hungary; we are close partners with the other three V4 countries. I believe this can be the ‘necessary but not sufficient’ starting point for an alliance within the EU – we need more support. These four countries with a combined population of 60 million simply don’t carry enough weight to be an important factor. However, the Visegrád countries plus Germany can reach the ‘critical mass’ to have their voice heard within the European Union. That also requires a common stance within the V4 cooperation. Currently, it seems that while Hungary and Poland agree on many issues, the Czech Republic and Slovakia keep a distance from the view of the other two – this is especially true for the Czech government.”

Complex solution needed When asked what a proper solution to the current migrant situation would be, one that would be the most reassuring for all the parties and countries involved, he stresses that “it is a new and big problem – especially for the EU. The problem cannot be answered just by picking one or two elements of it like ‘they should stay where they are and we should give them

very good to hold an annual forum uniting friends coming together to discuss common problems. For me, the biggest value of it is continuity, maintaining the framework. Although, every year’s meeting has a different theme, we always discuss all the current problems. What I would like to emphasize is the existence of a Youth Forum for a couple of years now. It is a good feeling that it is not a one-generation project and that when old people die out, there will still be others who – because of their age – were not at the border opening but carry on the spirit of cooperation.” Professor Balázs is often asked to write political forecasts. “I think I am a realist when speaking about the future. In Germany, there are elections next year – in Hungary, in two years’ time. If I look ahead for just a few years, I can say that these elections will determine the scope of relations between the two countries. There have been several such changes in the past. I was the Hungarian ambassador to Germany when Gerhard Schröder replaced Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in 1998. In Hungary, Gyula Horn was followed by Viktor Orbán as Hungarian prime minister in the same year. Both were changes in government between different political camps, not to speak of the different political colors of the Kohl-Horn partnership before 1998 and the Schröder-Orbán ties after 1998. Still, Hungarian-German relations remained good and that is what we should maintain in the future, as well, irrespective of the outcome of the upcoming elections,” he concludes.

money to stabilize their situation there’. That could be part of the solution but not enough. The same is true for better controlling the borders of the European Union. We should see the complete picture of where the migrants start out from, what the transit countries are, who the smugglers are, where refugees reach the territory of the European Union – can we offer a humanistic treatment to those in need, can we identify who they really are, can we process their application for refugee status, can we send back those who do not get this status and, finally, how do we integrate those who are allowed to stay in Europe? These are complex questions, of which, I believe, we cannot just resolve one or another without having all in mind, and no single country is able to handle this issue by itself – it requires EU level or perhaps even higher cooperation.”

Bilateral forum The Hungarian-German Forum is a traditional and important civilian institution in relations between the two countries. The theme of last year’s general assembly was the prospects of cooperation in Europe from the Hungarian and German view while this year, the topics cover pan-European issues. As the co-Chairman of the Forum, Péter Balázs points out that “the mere existence of this forum is a great achievement as is the fact that it could be maintained since its establishment after the time of the border opening and that we could have already the 26th forum this year. It is N O V E M B E R

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Economic ties are an important pillar in bilateral relations. Professor Balázs points out that Germany is by far the largest economic partner of Hungary. “Few people realize that Germany’s share (close to 40%) in Hungarian exports and imports nowadays is bigger than that of the Soviet Union (about 33%) in the heyday of the Comecon – and nobody protests! Why? Because Germany is a predictable and transparent partner. There are several reasons for Germany being such a strong economic partner: tradition, proximity, the size of the German economy, the volume of trade and many other factors; but I think what is really important here is that German companies understand well the Hungarian mind and mentality. They have a deep understanding and they are able to react to the situation. Business people from more distant countries do not always understand the reactions of Hungarians.” He recalls that Hungary helped Germany right before the German unification process by opening its border for East German refugees to the West. One might think that may have brought about a kind of ‘gratitude factor’ that could also be an explanation for Germany establishing such close ties with Hungary. Péter Balázs agrees but he believes the effect is not direct and decisions are more rational: businesspeople want to earn money. “As I lived in Germany for several years, I could realize that they also treated the Czechoslovak ‘Velvet revolution’ and the Solidarity movement in Poland on the same level as what the Hungarians did with opening up the border.”

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MAINTAINING THE CHANNELS of DIALOGUE THE PRESIDENT OF GERMANY’S FEDERAL COUNCIL VISITS BUDAPEST The Minister President of the German federal state of Saxony and President of the Bundesrat (Federal Council) Stanislaw Tillich paid a one-day visit to the Hungarian capital on October 25.

political and economic systems in the region, he declared that Central Europe has created something honorable since then, a change of regime has been achieved – something that deserves recognition and respect.

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The importance of European values

Stanislaw Tillich took part – along with Hungarian state leaders and the President of the Polish Parliament – in the commemoration remembering the victims of volleys of fire at Kossuth Square in front of the Parliament building on this day in 1956 during the Hungarian uprising against the Stalinist regime. This event of remembrance was followed in the Hungarian Parliament by the official Hungarian state commemoration of the uprising and revolution 60 years ago where Minister President Tillich was one of the speakers. He stressed that those who sacrificed their lives in a hopeless struggle in 1956 are heroes of the 20th century, their sacrifice was not in vain because they fought not just for their own country, but the entire continent. "For a Europe in which people yearned for peace, freedom and an end to the division." At the same time, he appealed for European values, which should be motivation for people "who must still live in oppression and dictatorships in the world".

desire for freedom and self-determination that bonded people in several Central European countries – the desire for democracy, elimination of foreign domination and communism. The spirit of freedom came to Hungary in October 1956, those days were full of hope and confidence, and it seemed that freedom, democracy and self-determination were within reach, he reminded. He added that this proud country of great history deserved to achieve this goal, but unfortunately, hope lived here for a short time only, and the struggle against the Soviet forces was impossible to win. Stanislaw Tillich noted that it became clear, however, that the communist regime could not survive forever in Central Europe, because people's minds here had been shaped by European enlightenment and they lived with the conscience that the future could only bring democracy. Recalling the events of the 1980s eighties and the change of the

Great determination for freedom He added that this was a commemoration of one of the most moving events in Hungary's long history, an era that brought hope as well as grief to many families. “We commend those who had incredible courage and great determination for freedom and self-determination - many of whom lost their lives in this struggle,” he said. He pointed out that at that time, it was the w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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He underlined that with the future of Europe in mind, everyone should remember the long and difficult road that led to liberty, remember common European values, “we must remain able to have dialogue, we need to be able to see challenges from the other's point of view and should not forget, how much we lived through together.” The Minister President also recalled that in 1989 Hungary received thousands of people from East Germany and by opening the border to Austria, it opened the way to freedom. "For this, we, Germans will be grateful forever." In Budapest, Stanislaw Tillich, for whom it was the last trip abroad as President of the Bundesrat, met for talks with President János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Parlamentary Speaker László Kövér. As he had previously announced he wanted to discuss German-Hungarian relations, including ‘European issues’.

Exemplary relations “Political and economic relations between Hungary and Saxony are exemplary”, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported Minister President Stanislaw Tillich saying at his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest. As the head of the Prime Minister’s Press Office, Deputy State Secretary Bertalan Havasi told the government website kormany. hu, at the meeting, which was held in Viktor Orbán’s study in the Parliament building, there was agreement on current problems, including on handling the migration crisis and on issues concerning the future of the continent. ccording to the Press Chief, Viktor Orbán and Stanislaw Tillich also expressed satisfaction with regard to the state of inter-party relations in view of the fact that the alliance between Saxony’s CDU party, of which Mr. Tillich is President, and Fidesz has been strong and successful for many years.

Prospering economic relations Minister President Tillich also gave a short interview to Diplomacy & Trade. DIPLOMACY&TRADE Saxony is the province in former East Germany that has always had the closest ties with Hungary. What makes Saxony such an important business partner for Hungary? STANISLAW TILLICH 2015 saw the highest level of trade between Saxony and Hungary, and imports from Hungary increased by 17% in the first half of this year. Even more striking, is the development in the past 15 years. Since 2015, exports have increased almost six-fold and imports have doubled. A large part of our trade concerns the automotive industry. Automotive is one of the major industrial branches in Saxony, and Hungary is home to many high quality component suppliers. In addition, Saxony and Hungary are both strong in machine construction and electronics. DIPLOMACY&TRADE You are an engineer by trade and you were also an entrepreneur. Saxony is one of the leaders in Germany as far as new technologies are concerned. What possibilities of cooperation do you see in this field with Hungary? STANISLAW TILLICH Saxony is one of the most innovative regions in Germany with prospering companies in sectors such as microelectronics and biotechnology. Dresden has a higher density of research institutions than any other German city. This provides a good basis to stay competitive in new technologies and in the era of industry 4.0. Yet, we cannot succeed on our own and are open to cooperation with other regions. DIPLOMACY&TRADE You now also serve as President of the Bundesrat. In this capacity, what do you see as the main issues in German-Hungarian relations currently? STANISLAW TILLICH In general, GermanHungarian relations are on a good level. Germany is Hungary’s most important trade partner and Hungary is an important political and economic partner for Germany in Central and Eastern Europe. That is why one main issue in current bilateral relations is the fostering of bilateral trade. Of course, German-Hungarian relations are also affected by developments at the EU level – currently especially migration policy and effects of the Brexit. Although, Germany and Hungary do not always share the same opinion on these issues, we have to maintain channels of dialogue and avoid misunderstandings.

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COMBINING TRADITION and INNOVATION GERMAN-HUNGARIAN CHAMBER KEPT SUCCESSFUL BY QUALITY SERVICES The German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK), the largest bilateral chamber in Hungary, looks back at a history of over two decades. As to what the attractions of the Chamber are to its member companies, DUIHK’s Executive Director, Gabriel A. Brennauer explains to Diplomacy and Trade that “sometimes, I say our genetic code is providing concrete, useful, practical services for companies. That is where we come from and that is what we have been doing here for over two decades now. If we look back further in time, we can say that we will soon celebrate our 100th anniversary as it was in 1920 that our predecessor was established in Budapest. The principles that guide us also date back to those times in the first half of the 20th century: concrete services; bilateral, that is helping not only German firms in Hungary but also Hungarian companies in Germany; quality services, that is, putting the interests of the customer in focus.” Of course, he says, the Chamber can only be big if there are a lot companies you can provide services for “Germany being the most important trade partner of Hungary – this also helps us, naturally. We have an extensive professional network, we have services and also a traditionally good relationship and a regular open dialogue with the Hungarian government. All these put us into the position of being one of the most influential bilateral chambers in this country, not to speak of the fact that with our membership of some 900 companies, we are by far the largest in Hungary.”

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towards their mother companies: they have to try to explain the possibilities, what the country can do. This is something we try to point out in the dialogue and explain that we are kind of natural allies in this issue.” The other issue where DUIHK works together with the government is the area of vocational training (or dual education). “As you know, the Hungarian government has decided to apply the German model for the further development of the Hungarian system in this field. Since chambers of commerce and industry in Germany have a very important role in this professional education scheme and DUIHK is part of the big German chamber family, we are very glad to show how this scheme works. We have already organized some special trips to Germany for Hungarian professionals from several chambers, ministries and business so that they can have a look of how this works in practice,” Gabriel A. Brennauer points out.

Predictability In 2012, he said that the lack of predictability is a big problem for investors in Hungary. Now, he recalls that “back in 2012, the introduction of sectorial taxes really came as a surprise to companies. We have seen some improvement since then. For more than 20 years now,

In less than two years, the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The Executive Director reminds that DUIHK has a great history in combining tradition and innovation and “this will be our challenge in the next few years, also, to keep from our history - our legacy if you like – what is valid, that is, to focus on the concrete needs of the companies but, on the other side, to be attentive to what the new developments, the new challenges are. We have to be very attentive to some tendencies. For instance, where the already ongoing trend of digitalization is heading, what this brings to our companies; where they need special assistance.” He stresses that out of the about 900 member companies, 40-50 are really ‘big shots’, i.e. global players, most of the others are SMEs and therefore, they might need special attention and a functioning network of peers and allies. ”Our members are not only located in Budapest, but they are present in all 19 counties, as well. I think it will also be a challenge using modern technology and innovative thinking to stay closer to the members conceptually as well as physically. We believe we are on the right track: as we improve and evolve, we constantly introduce innovations in our services to bring us forward in our work step by step in a well thought-out German way. We have a wonderful Hungarian staff and we mix their creativity with our German attitude to bring out the full potential of our workforce and our membership base. Representing the biggest foreign business community and the most important trading partner in this country, we are looking forward to the 25th and 120th anniversaries with hope and the desire to continue to work with our partners. We believe that our past and our experience give us the strength and the courage to try new ways in keeping the solid base that we have created,” he concludes.

we have been doing an investors’ climate survey annually. It shows that last year, for instance, there were no ‘big bad’ surprises in government policy in this respect. The surveys show that indicators have improved over the past years and some of the ‘not so good’ indicators have moved back towards normal, so, the general mode has improved.”

Expertise DUIHK devotes extensive efforts to increase energy efficiency in businesses, households and public institutions and promotes the dissemination of appropriate, modern technology – in particular of renewable energy sources. As to why this is an issue in focus at the Chamber, the Executive Director, who has been in this position for ten years, points out that this is a matter of competitiveness. “We, as a Chamber, are generalists. We cannot enter in depth into certain productivity technologies, we are looking into aspects where our members have a common interest. Energy is something that everybody needs – small businesses, big businesses alike. We have in Germany a great expertise and we also have great interest in Hungary using energy resources in an intelligent way.” He notes that Germany is in a very specific N O V E M B E R

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At DUIHK’s Annual General Meeting this May, the German Ambassador Heinz-Peter Behr called the cooperation between the Embassy, the German Chamber and the Hungarian government ‘trustworthy’. The Executive Director believes it is a good word to be used to describe this situation. He stresses that “we have a constant dialogue and I think the one thing we have achieved to put in place is very regular meetings and consultations with the government. These are currently at the state secretarial level. Trust is something you have to show by action and this comes with time. We have had a working group for some three years now. It helps to explain the situation and understand it. Earlier, many issues arose from not knowing the other side’s position, the reasons or that certain things were simply not intended how they seemed to be. All parties have to understand that we have a common interest: our companies want to make good business here, they want to grow and they want to invest. This is also what the Hungarian government wants the companies to do. I believe that the top managers of all the foreign businesses in this country are sort of honorary ambassadors of Hungary

Upcoming anniversaries

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Trustworthy cooperation

situation having, at the same time, a western history and an eastern history. “We have a large number of prefabricated houses in East Germany built in the communist era. We have had the challenge of making these houses properly insulated to comply with modern environmental and energy efficiency requirements and we have built up a lot of experience and specific know-how, which can be transferred to countries with similar needs like Hungary. We have a special training program, a European energy management training, we have promoted in Hungary. We are helping not only businesses but we have recently done a survey in the area of infrastructure and energy in Hungarian municipalities to see what their needs are. The main point is that energy is a cost factor and we strongly believe that we can help in this area,” he highlights.

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E-MOBILITY A LA MERCEDES DYNAMIC AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MODELS DEVELOPED Mercedes-Benz has a strong emphasis on the development of alternative propulsion options, because nowadays 25% of emissions come from transport, so, it is the common responsibility of the entire industry to reduce pollution from transport. The results of these efforts are – among others – the electric cars, which have a number of positive characteristics like affordable running costs, low noise levels, exceptional driving experience and operation without harmful emissions. The aim of Mercedes-Benz is that these vehicles become available to a wider circle of people in the future and therefore, the company seeks to create an even broader range of electric models. The purely electricpowered Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive model is available in Hungary since the summer of this year. It provides a nocompromise alternative to the conscious buyers who search for high-quality but dynamism, environmentally friendly mobility as well as security are also important. However, it is important to be aware that the electric power does not necessarily mean lower emissions, because the level of emission for electric cars very much depends on the way the used electrical energy is produced. With this in mind, Mercedes-Benz is constantly striving to create environmentally friendly energy production technologies – thereby ensuring a sustainable future.

Constant improvement The company strives for continuous improvement by using the best available technologies in production, thus minimizing the impact on the ecosystem, such as in energy consumption, in the field of emissions and even considering the amount of waste material generated during the manufacturing process. The aim is to recycle the by-products of manufacturing as much as possible to reduce the environmental impact to a minimum. In order to continuously ensure ‘green manufacturing’, there is constant monitoring and measurement for each environmental impact (air, noise, waste, water, soil, natural resources). During production, Mercedes-Benz is committed to make sure that the environment is burdened as little as possible in the course of the direct and indirect processes and in the use of the manufactured products, as well.

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DAIMLER AG

Cars should sell themselves In an interview this February, Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars commented on autonomous driving and digitization forecasted to be part of the automotive future by saying that the company is researching both in the direction of batteries and fuel cells to see which provides a better solution. However, he was of the w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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opinion that the battery as a source of power has gained advantage in this race. “On the one hand, there has been clear progress in the case of battery-driven vehicles in the two previous problem areas: short range and long charging time. Cars with 500 kilometers of electrical range and fast-charging times of 20 minutes are within easy reach. On the other hand, the great problem of the fuel cell – the favorable and comprehensive distribution of hydrogen – has not yet been solved.” Commenting on the issue whether an intensively discussed state subsidy could help that the German federal government achieve its goal to bring one million electric cars onto the road by 2020, the Chairman said that “of course, subsidies would give electric cars in Germany a boost. This is seen in Norway, where every fifth new car is now an electric car thanks to a wide range of funding programs. The fact is that if the existing framework conditions for car sellers remain, the federal government's goal will be missed.” He added that he did not call for subsidies as “subsidies could, in any case, only have a bridge function. In the medium and long term they are not the solution. It is the products that have to convince the customer and to get on the market. Irrespective of political incentives, we will continue to research and develop Daimler in the field of electric mobility in order to have competitive products on the market,” he added.

Electric Drive models Mercedes-Benz has several electric models to offer. B 250 E model embodies dynamism, sustainable development and premium quality at the same time. The electric-

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powered B 250 offers dynamic and virtually noiseless driving experience – all that besides zero local emissions. This is made possible by the integrated 132 kW, 340 Nm of torque electric motor, enabling the B 250 E to achieve an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h. The Electric Drive model not only provides the benefits of premium technical parameters and the alternative propulsion options of the future, but also those that are related to the green plate number like free parking in the entire territory of Budapest, for example. In addition to the shorter city trips, you can also undertake longer journeys with the electric-powered B-Class since a single charge can take you up to a

distance of 200 kilometers. The lithium-ion battery can be charged even from a home (230V) outlet while from a 400V outlet, it is able to absorb sufficient energy in less than half an hour for a trip of about 100 kms. As for smart, its fortwo cabrio is currently the only electric convertible model on the market. With its 160 Nm of torque, this 60 kW electric car can produce particularly agile acceleration and is capable a top speed of up to 100 km/h. A fully charged battery provides a range distance of approximately 160 kilometers – it is ideal for urban-use. With the new quick charger (optional equipment available from 2017), it is possible to fully charge the vehicle in less than 45 minutes (depending on the country and the electric network).

SUBSIDIES ON THE HUNGARIAN MARKET

In Hungary, the government has already decided in favor of a subsidy system for electric vehicles. As Minister of National Economy, Mihály Varga said at the Emobility Forum 2016 this September, the government allocates a total amount of HUF 2 billion (EUR 6.5 million) for supporting electric vehicle (EV) purchases. The Minister was of the view that “it is in Hungary’s economic interest to successfully participate in the imminent change the car industry is facing,” announcing that in addition to existing incentives, the state budget finances from the allocated fund 21% of the gross purchasing price, up to HUF 1.5 million, of new electric cars and commercial vans . “As electric vehicles and environmentally friendly technologies are gaining ground, we are becoming more and more involved in the fight against climate change and global warming, and we are also contributing to economic and job growth,” Mihály Varga stressed. The government’s comprehensive e-mobility concept, the Ányos Jedlik Plan, includes all those measures, incentives and regulations that are required for the promotion of e-mobility, he added. Up to 2020, the government aspires to install 3,000 public charging points in a bid to make each Hungarian region accessible with electric vehicles. In order to promote e-cars, the government had already added some regulatory incentives: green license plates have been introduced, legislation on the installation and operation of charging facilities has been simplified and several tax incentives have been offered, he said. By 2020, the Government expects the number of environmentally friendly vehicles to reach 30,000. Industry experts predict that the price of accumulators and consequently that of electric cars will decline by 2020 to a level which will make these competitive compared to traditional cars even without subsidies. That has prompted the government to allocate HUF 2bn in this year’s budget and possibly HUF 3bn in next year’s budget to support the purchasing of purely electric cars and small commercial vehicles, Mihály Varga stated. This year’s amount is anticipated to contribute to the purchasing of 1,300 electric motor vehicles. Natural and legal entities, economic units, sole proprietors, civic organizations, local governments, statutory public bodies and budgetary institutions are entitled to apply for the funds. As a special condition, the incentive applies to motor vehicles with a gross purchasing price of not more than HUF 15 million (EUR 48,400).

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german focus

ENERGY GLOBE AWARD MAKES a DEBUT in HUNGARY PROPOSALS CAN BE SUBMITTED UNTIL DECEMBER 11, 2016

For the first time in Hungary, businesses, local governments, NGOs and educational organizations involving young people are invited to submit their sustainability and energy efficiency projects until the middle of December for the highest ranking prize in the energy world, the Energy Globe Award. The projects found to be the best will win the first Hungarian Energy Globe Awards and represent the country in international competitions.

the international best practices and certification standards often provide a model for customers or investors. Thanks to the growing number of global energy efficiency initiatives, we have a wealth of models to be followed that are already available and any business can choose from them the energy efficiency model that best suits their geographical and economic environment. This is the essence of smart energy management. The greatest return in this competition for the companies is that they can learn about the good models and, of course, can also win valuable prizes.” The participants will be competing for HUF three million in the enterprises and the next generation categories, while local governments can win a thematic playground in the area of sustainability for their community. The organizers are also inviting the public to help select the winners in each category, and those who participate will have the opportunity to win several smart, sustainable gifts, such as an electric bicycle and smart mobile phones in a draw.

Demonstrating the message István Salgó, CEO of ING Bank’s Hungarian branch office, honorary president of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSDH), and also a member of the jury, highlights equal opportunity as a value. “In the spirit of the competition, any initiative by a company, local government, school or social organization is welcome, irrespective of the value of the investment in question, since the jury is primarily interested in seeing what the impact of the project was in its own area and to what extent it can be regarded as an international model to be followed.” Climate research expert Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, head of the Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy is of the view that “we are inclined to look at sustainability as outsiders, thinking that it is the business of international organizations and perhaps multinational companies.” She adds that she was happy to join the jury “because the Energy Globe Hungary Award strengthens and demonstrates the message that wherever we are, we can all do something – businesses, local governments and young people – for a more livable, smarter and environmentally conscious future.” Dr. Péter Grabner, deputy chairman of the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority, another jury member, believes that “many people think the energy sector is overregulated with extremely stringent rules and changes that are hard to follow on a human scale. I am sure that this competition will demonstrate to everybody that it is a bustling and diverse sector in which dreaming, in the best sense of the word, and idealism and creativity have a place in addition to realism, strict criteria of returns and compliance.”

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Smart energy management “As the history of mankind has been about the discovery and use of energy sources, the 21st century will certainly be all about energy innovation. There are tremendous changes taking place in both technological solutions and in energy use,” according to Zsolt Jamniczky, member of E.ON Hungária’s Board and member of the Energy Globe Hungary Award jury. Another jury member, Attila Chikán Jr., President of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSDH) and CEO of the ALTEO Group emphasizes the business advantages of international relations: “Although the basic criterion for energy efficiency in the industry is the use of solutions tailored to the given companies, N O V E M B E R

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The Energy Globe Award was established in 1999 at the initiative of an Austrian engineer and ‘energysaving pioneer’ Wolfgang Neumann, and has become one of the most prestigious international events in sustainability and energy efficiency. The competition, which Hungary joins this year with the support of the E.ON Group, is now organized in 177 countries every year. In addition to the enterprises and local governments category, this year there is a category for young people and civil and educational organizations allowing them to submit their proposals until December 11. The jury of independent and renowned experts will select three proposals in each of the categories.

The applicants are not expected to submit a complete feasibility study but only case studies and a few data for identification and authentication that are necessary for assessing their projects. The evaluation and assessment criteria can be found on the website along with the project descriptions of a few former applicants of the international competition. The proposals can be submitted to www.energy-globe.hu until December 11. The submitted projects will be evaluated in December, and the announcement of the results and public voting will probably take place in early 2017. In 2017, three more categories will be added: next year’s projects in the categories of the construction industry, do-it-yourself (DIY) and ideas (projects that are still just an idea) can be submitted by those who are interested in sustainability and energy efficiency.

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Case studies expected

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The Energy Globe Hungary Award is here Take part in one of the most prestigious sustainability and energy efficiency awards in the world

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environment

MAKING the TRANSITION POSSIBLE “NO COUNTRY IS SMALL WHEN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE”

small in population. So, the challenges that a country like Hungary faces could be more relevant for a medium/small country in South America, Africa or Asia than the challenges which the United States or China are picking up as the latters have to deal with challenges on a different scale. So, I think everyone could be part of this innovation, everyone could be part of producing solutions and sharing those solutions. Institutions that Hungary has put in place may well be useful and interesting precedent for other countries to look at.”

business, cities and regions and it needs to involve individuals who think about their own place in this and move towards a low-carbon and resilient future. “We have the opportunity to make that transition but it is difficult – we are not yet on track, and thus, we need to make much greater efforts in the years to come. I think the fact that we have that framework in place with the Paris agreement gives us visibility that we are all acting on climate change and the collaboration we built around it. These are the ways with which we can speed up and make possible the transition. It is difficult but it is something we must seek to do,” he added.

In practice The Paris climate accord reached one year ago is coming into force this fall. The implementation of the agreement is not fully completed, yet, but the implementation process is ongoing. Paul Watkinson finds it important to note that some of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been put down. “The key element is how these are translated into national policies, measures, investment plans, financing arrangements, specific projects. That is the key challenge for the next couple of years, to move from the theoretical plan to implementation. In Europe, that is being done with the development of the energy climate framework, the burden sharing agreements – those are the specific challenges that we now need to meet. We will have the first test in 2018 when – I hope – we will reach an agreement on the overall rulebook and we’ll also have what we call the “facilitative dialogue”, which will be our first go at a global stocktaking of where we are, the chance to compare what we are doing with what we ought to be doing according to the science, and so setting the scene for countries to revisit – and strengthen – their national ambition. So, the process is getting going. I think we need to keep the momentum we already started and build it up over the years to come.”

Negotiating, bargaining? “I am the chief negotiator but I have to be honest I have not really been negotiating recently, I have been running a negotiating team, which is supporting others who are reaching the agreements rather than me. A negotiation is, of course, a sort of a bargain and is often a ‘we’ll do this, we want this’ type of talk,” he said. He stressed that it is a multidimensional negotiation; it is not between two partners. “There are 197 parties to the Climate Convention – of course, you can group them as developed and developing countries, North and South if you like but even that is too simple. Of course, the United States and Russia, for instance, are both in the north but their interests are far from the same. Within the ‘South’, you have China, you have India, you have the poorest countries of Africa and you have the Gulf States, as well – a huge diversity in economic capacity, but also in terms of responsibility for emissions and vulnerability to the impacts to climate change. Looking at it from another aspect, you can find 15-20 key poles within the negotiations whose interests need to be taken into account.” Paul Watkinson believes that in the end, however, success in Paris came from going beyond just bargaining, it was about making sure everybody had a stake in the agreement. “For us, what we wanted in reaching that agreement in Paris was for everybody to feel they got the agreement. Quite often, I thought the key test was the press release that everybody could put out at the end as a sign of success. I think everybody needed to say ‘I got something out of this agreement I wanted’ and that is what everyone was able to do.”

The Chief Climate Negotiator stresses that the Agreement is there to avoid dangerous climate change. “We are already experiencing something like 0.9 degrees warming. I believe the necessary changes will come about when technology comes through. I would say we have already seen some of that. One of the things that made it possible to reach the agreement in Paris – compared to, say, Copenhagen – is the changes that have already taken place. Look at the way in which the cost of solar power has come down in just the past 5-6 years – a massive fall. Look at the way in which hybrid vehicles have become quite widespread. Look at the way in which car producers are starting to come up with fully electric vehicles, which are not yet the bestselling models but indicate a trend for the future – a process that will accelerate. Bringing down the cost of clean technologies is critical, although we also need to ensure that there is a credible – and rising – price on carbon to change investment in high emission technologies. So, the change has already begun and the Paris Agreement in itself is a support in which that change can be sped up,” he concluded.

Part of a bigger picture At the event, opened by the French Ambassador to Hungary, Eric Fournier, the guest speaker was Paul Watkinson, Head of the Climate Negotiation team at the French Ministry of Environment, Energy and the Sea of France, and the French Chief Climate Negotiator. Following the event, Diplomacy & Trade talked with Paul Watkinson. He pointed out that “we are in a situation where we have a multinational agreement in place, the Paris Agreement, which sets out some key objectives for us to keep the warming effect of climate change well under two degrees Celsius, perhaps down

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to as low as 1.5 degrees from pre-industrial levels. It is a universal agreement in which all countries have already agreed to act and have already put forward their proposals for 2025 or 2030. So, we have a collective awareness on a multilateral level that we need to act, we have policies put in place. However, that, in itself, is not enough because it is not going to keep us under two degrees of warming. So, we have made some progress, we are about halfway towards where we need to be and we still need to make a huge effort.” He believes that this is where national action is critical – an action that needs to involve

As to what small countries like Hungary can do to make this climate agreement successful, the chief negotiator is of the view that “no country is small when tackling climate change. Emissions may be low but everybody is part of this bigger picture, everybody has got to think about how their energy system is organized, everybody has got to think about the initiatives and the innovation they can undertake: innovation in low carbon solutions or resilience to deal with adaption to climate change – these can come from everywhere. Most of the countries in the world are small. A lot of people live in China, India or the USA but many countries in the world are very small in surface area and very N O V E M B E R

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Tangible results

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The Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), the Embassy of France in Budapest and the FrenchHungarian Chamber of Commerce hosted an event this October with the title ‘From Paris to Marrakech: climate change stakes and economic opportunities in the EU’ in the BCSDH series ’Business Breakfasts for Sustainable Development’.

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india

THE ETHOS of DEMOCRACY A LECTURE ON THE BIRTH AND EVOLUTION OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY This October saw the visit to Hungary of the Vice President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari. In addition to meeting with state leaders and participating at cultural programs, he held a lecture entitled ‘Indian Democracy; Achievements and Challenges’ at the Corvinus University of Budapest. In his address before the lecture, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade – and co-chair of the India-Hungary Joint Economic Committee – László Szabó reminded the audience that the Embassy of India played a pivotal role in spreading the news about the Hungarian uprising against the Stalinist regime in 1956 is great proof of the friendly and brotherly relationship between Hungary and India. He stressed that India the largest country on the globe that drives its political processes through democratic regime, setting an example to the whole world. He was of the view that India becoming one of the largest investors in Hungary is a sign that “India has an open heart and a lot of trust towards Hungary” and Hungary wishes to serve this trust with a mutually beneficial partnership. Vice President Ansari began his lecture with a historical retrospection, noting that Hungary and Hungarian scholars and travelers are well known in India. “Foremost among them was Sándor Kőrösi Csoma. The Asiatic Society in Kolkata is proud of his association with it and has published many of his research works. His tomb in Darjeeling is a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. An Indian of my generation also recalls a footnote to the events of October 1956 in this city and the role that an Indian diplomat by the name of Mohammad Ataur Rahman was destined to play in them. The gratitude of the Hungarian people was publicly acknowledged by President Árpád Göncz on his visit to India in 1991.”

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DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

Prolonged struggle Sharing his perceptions and experience with the young audience gathered in the auditorium, he pointed out that India attained its freedom from British colonial rule after a long struggle. “The Indian national movement is one of the few instances in history where state power was not seized in a single moment of revolutionary change but was obtained through a prolonged struggle that alternated between active and passive phases and in which the constitutional space offered by the existing colonial structure was utilized without being co-opted by it.” Before going into details of the evolution of Indian democracy, the Vice President deemed it was important to contextualize the nature of w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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Indian society. “Our population of 1.27 billion comprises of over 4,635 communities 78% of whom are not only linguistic and cultural but social categories. Religious minorities constitute 19.4% of the population. Much of this is reflective of our cultural past. Indian culture is syncretic in character and, as a historian put it, ‘embraces in its orbit beliefs, customs, rites, institutions, arts, religions and philosophies belonging to different strata of societies in varying stages of development. It eternally seeks to find a unity for the heterogeneous elements which make up its totality.’ It is a veritable human laboratory where the cross breeding of ideas, beliefs and cultural traditions has been in progress for a few thousand years. The national movement recognized this cultural plurality and sought to base a national identity on it,” he said.

Democratic polity, secular state He reminded the audience that the Objectives Resolution of December 1946 stipulated that all power and authority of independent India shall be derived from the people and would guarantee some basic rights to citizens. The principles enunciated in this document were amplified in the Constitution of India in November 1949 and made operative in January 1950. It stipulated universal adult franchise. Its basic principles were summed up in a brief and pithy form in the Preamble; its sections on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy made it a socio-economic manifesto. “In other words, the superstructure of a democratic polity and a secular state structure, put in place in modem India, is anchored in the existential reality of a plural society.” The first general election in India was held in 1951. 173 million citizens were qualified to vote; of these, 44.87% exercised their franchise. 1,874 candidates belonging

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to different national and regional parties contested. More than six decades later, in the 16th general election in 2014, the size of the electorate had increased to 814 million the voting percentage had gone up to 66.4 and of these, 67.9% were men and 65.6% women. The number of contestants was 8,251. Since 2004, votes are recorded through EVMs or electronic voting machines. The Vice President proudly made note of the fact that these are manufactured in India and their accuracy and secrecy has been fully tested.

Simple-plurality system “Our electoral system, commonly known as FPTP or First-Past-The-Post system, is a single-member district, simple-plurality system in which voters (over the age of 18 since 1989) cast a single ballot to choose a single representative to the lower house of parliament or the State legislative assembly, the candidate with the largest number of votes, even if only a plurality, getting elected to represent the constituency,” he explained. He also mentioned that a critical question about the First-Past-The-Post system of election relates to the representativeness

of the elected representative. “In the 2014 general election, only 117 of the 539 winning candidates in the House of the People secured 50% or more of the votes cast. This in the context of the overall national voting percentage of 66.4% makes evident the actual representativeness of the elected Member of Parliament. One study shows that it was 31%. On the one hand, the FPTP system has the merit of being uncomplicated since it uses single-member districts and candidate-centered voting and gives to voters a clear choice between candidates and parties. For this reason, the Supreme Court characterized it as having ‘the merit of preponderance of decisiveness over representation.’ On the other hand, this system produces a discrepancy between voter-share in results. It also results in the exclusion of small or regional parties in the legislature. This is accentuated by the unequal presence of the weaker sections especially women and minorities. At the same time, the FPTP has not been able to uphold majoritarianism in a multi-party system since the winning candidate often wins only about 20-30% of the votes.”

Quest for improvements The debate on this, as on other matters listed in the Law Commission’s report, continues. Different segments of political opinion view the proposed changes differently and are unlikely to develop a consensus at an early date, the Vice President pointed out. “It is evident that the quest for improvements will continue with the growth of public awareness of the electoral process. An observer of the Indian scene has noted that the ethos of democracy expresses itself in the freedom of expression, respect for human rights, good governance, pluralism and mutual understanding adding that a participatory democracy today is only possible through the active participation of citizen’s initiatives. Evidence of this, in the case of India, is to be found in new social movements that mobilize large masses and in the process create space for political action that have a transformative capacity. The impulses and processes generated by these movements add vigor to Indian democracy,” he concluded.

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W E LC O M I NG T H E VI C E P R E SID E N T: I n d i a n Ambassador Rahul Chhabra, Vice President Ansari, Corvinus Rector András Lánczi and Minister of State László Szabó

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society New Ambassadors

This October, eight new ambassadors accredited to Hungary presented their credentials to Hungarian President János Áder at the Sándor Palace in the Buda Castle (starting from the top and pictured clockwise): Maximiliano Gabriel Gregorio Cernadas from Argentina, Ulyana Simeonova Bogdanska from Bulgaria, Kirsten Rosenvold Geelan from Denmark, Peter Burkhard from Switzerland, Olav Berstad from Norway, Al-Obaidi Tallal Jameel Saleh from Iraq, Isabelle Poupart from Canada and Gholamali Rajabi Yazdi from Iran.

Indian Film Week in Budapest

Farewell by the Polish Ambassador

The Embassy of India, Budapest organized an Indian Film Week ‘Bollywood Blockbuster’ in October at the Pushkin Cinema in Budapest. Ambassador Rahul Chhabra invited guests to a cocktail party before the opening ceremony of the film festival.

After almost five years in service as the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Hungary, Roman Kowalski bid farewell to fellow diplomats, friends, government officials and other invitees at the Gundel Restaurant, thanking all those who helped his work here since his arrival in the fall of 2010.

Italian Ambassador Farewell Party and Concert

After serving since May 2012 as the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Hungary, Maria Assunta Accili Sabbatini held a farewell party and concert at the Italian Institute in Budapest.

Spanish National Day

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Swisscham Hungary welcomed the new Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Hungary, Peter Burkhard with a wine-tasting event held at the Etyeki Kúria Winery southwest of Budapest. The managers of Swiss companies in Hungary were among the invitees.

TIBOR ILLYÉS/MTI, EMBASSY OF POLAND, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

Welcoming the New Swiss Ambassador

On the occasion of Spain’s National Day and the Day of the Spanish Armed Forces, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Hungary, José Ángel López Jorrin held a reception at the Hungarian National Gallery in the Buda Castle for hundreds of fellow diplomats, friends, government officials, Spanish nationals in Hungary and other invitees.

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witty leaks WITTY

IN THIS SERIES, DIPLOMATS SHARE PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF THEIR EXPERIENCES ON “EXCURSIONS” into Hungarian culture, art, gastronomy & scenery.

LE A K S

SAYING GOOD BYE TO HUNGARY

NEIGHBORLY SIMILARITIES AND MULTIFACETED CONNECTIONS

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DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

BY AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR RALPH SCHEIDE

As I am approaching the end of my term as the Ambassador of Austria to Hungary in late December this year, I think it is the right time to look back on the past two years and some of the great moments I was lucky to experience in this wonderful country. I have been to Hungary a few times before, all the way back to when I was a boy and was very impressed by the – then seemingly – giant and serious looking statues at Hősök tere (Heroes Square). Of course, I would not have believed it if somebody had told me then that I would lay a wreath on the same spot many years later as the representative of my country. During another journey to Hungary as a teenager, I cycled from Vienna to Budapest, a special experience at the time. On my daily way to work, from the 12th district in Buda, crossing the Széchenyi Bridge and going down along most of the Andrássy Boulevard, it often sprang to my mind that Budapest knows how to surprise with its unique atmosphere, from the wide boulevards in Pest to the green hills in Buda, now in autumn colors. The great panorama along the river, making Budapest a real Danube metropolis, is always a joyful sight. Not least through our long common history, Austrians and Hungarians share more than just a 366-kilometer long border and I was reminded of that practically every day. People-to-people contacts are long established and rooted in family ties. Whenever you walk through the two capitals, pay attention to the soft accent Hungarians use when they talk German in the streets of Vienna, how the statue of Prince Eugen of Savoyen in front of the Budapest Castle resembles the one in front of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace in Vienna, or the great composers featured on the programs of the opera houses in both cities alike. Or walk in any restaurant and figure out that we share quite a number of traditional dishes, like Goulash or Spätzle (soft egg noodle). An opportunity to experience a shared Austrian and Hungarian tradition, cultivating classical equitation and horse breeding, in Budapest will come up on December 3rd and 4th, when the Spanish Riding School from Vienna will perform with its Lipizzaner horses in the Papp László Sport Arena for the first time ever in Hungary. I highly recommend this unique event. In more recent years, our bilateral cooperation has been driven by the opportunities that have arisen from Hungary and other Central and Eastern European partners becoming part of the European Union and, in a sense, returning w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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to Europa, although of course they have never really been absent. Since Austria and Hungary joined the European Union, in 1995 and in 2004 respectively, cooperation has become ever closer on all levels – from government, to federal states and municipalities – and today, it has reached a quality unmatched in the past. It is fair to say, though, that especially immediate neighbors need to continuously foster and nourish their relations on all levels and not take them for granted or drive them to ever greater levels. Nowadays heads of governments and ministers meet regularly in Brussels and elsewhere, but it is in the more relaxed atmosphere of bilateral visits that personal contacts that can lead to a better understanding and the pursuit of a common agenda. For the people in our countries, this means that even though international travelers and businessmen travel comfortably and fast with the Railjet train between Budapest and Vienna, it is the train connections in the rural areas along the aforementioned extensive border that connect people on a day-to-day basis. It is also in this border area that historical transformations and changes can be seen in the most immediate

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way, as the dissolution of the dual monarchy in 1918 also separated once integrated transport networks and the Iron Curtain unfortunately cemented this situation for decades. We now have the opportunity to reconnect these once divided regions, for example, to allow travelers from Southern Burgenland to travel faster to the Northern part of the region by using the Hungarian connections just across the border. A matter that naturally caught much of my attention in the past two years was our economic cooperation. Austrian businesses have started to establish Hungarian subsidiaries soon after the democratic transition in Hungary and many have been present on the market ever since. In a wider context, they have been amongst the pioneers in the Central and Eastern European market, a region, together with South-Eastern Europe, they are still closely connected with. Today, Austria is Hungary’s second biggest trading partner with an overall trade volume of nearly EUR 10 bn. Last year, the Austrian investment volume in Hungary reached EUR 700 mn, the third highest figure of all investors. When I traveled around Hungary, and I did so frequently in the past two years, I visited Austrian subsidiaries and listened

to first-hand opinions about the environment in which they operate. While Austrian companies look with optimism into the future, I do not want to hide that reliability and predictability of the legislative framework have been often highlighted as paramount for any investment decision. With our Hungarian partners, my aim was and is to contribute to mutual understanding in this area but also to make our successful economic cooperation more visible to the public. Another important issue that I felt much attached to during my time in Budapest was meeting and debating with the younger generations from Hungary as well as from Austria. Groups of Austrian pupils during their stay in Budapest, students from local universities or the pupils of our two Austrian schools in Budapest frequently impressed me with their firm views about European integration and our place in it and not least with their language skills in many Central European languages and more. I am also happy to note that they surely do not accept the view, attributed to Oscar Wilde, that life was too short to learn German! Speaking of languages, in Budapest there are a couple of ways to learn German including the, I admit sometimes particular but usually referred to as charming, Austrian idiom and expressions. The ‘Österreich Institut’, for example, organizes German language courses and diploma exams. The two Austrian schools, the “Österreichisch-Ungarische Europaschule” for children from six to fourteen years, and the “Österreichische Schule Budapest” that is for pupils from fourteen to eighteen years of age, are both supported by the Austrian and the Hungarian state and have over 700 pupils, mostly from Hungarian background, registered. Besides these institutions, Budapest also features the only German-language University outside the German speaking countries. The Andrássy University has recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with guests from its founding states and I wish this wonderful institution a bright future in the coming years and decades. As language is a key to mutual understanding, it is good to see that people on both sides of the border are undertaking efforts to learn each other’s language. As the Ambassador of my country, I have been striving to follow suit and pay respect to the Hungarian language by using it more and more frequently in public addresses. I felt the Hungarian audience was always very appreciative of this. Taking into account our close relations and historical ties, it has been an interesting and most rewarding experience to serve as the Austrian Ambassador to Hungary. I am more than ever convinced that our countries have all the means and opportunities to continue contributing constructively and with a futureoriented approach to common successes in Europe. This is all the more important today, as the challenges we face in a globalized world can only be solved by concerted efforts at the European level and not by any state alone.

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business

ENHANCING the DIGITAL ECONOMY

GE OPENS GLOBAL DIGITAL HUB IN HUNGARY General Electric (GE) continues to invest and develop its industrial footprint in Hungary. With an investment of approximately USD 30 million (over EUR 27 mn), GE has opened one of its six global Digital Hubs in Budapest. Adding to its current workforce of 10,000+ employees in Hungary, GE’s new Digital Hub will create 400 highly skilled expert positions by the end of 2017 in the field of industrial internet solutions. (Excluding this number, GE Digital already supports a thousand Hungarian IT experts in GE businesses operating across the country.) The Hub will be responsible for software development, business processes and application resiliency, building and running infrastructure, and offering access to big data solutions. The Hub was inaugurated in the presence of Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Colleen Bell, Ambassador of the United States. GE aims to become one of the largest digital software companies in the world by 2020. According to a statement by GE, the key to the company’s transformation is Predix, the world’s first and only industrial-grade cloud platform built for the industrial world, launched by GE in February 2016. Predix leverages big data analytics that enables GE customers across the power generation, power distribution, healthcare, automotive, chemical, transportation, oil and gas and manufacturing industries to increase the efficiency of their high value assets. To assist its customers in using and developing applications on the platform GE has opened Digital Hubs in Detroit, New Orleans, Glen Allan, Bangalore and Riyadh, with Budapest becoming the

latest member of the hub network. Increasing productivity has huge potential. According to GE, by saving only 1% of total expenditure via efficiency and productivity increase, Europe can add EUR 2.8 trillion per year to the GDP by 2030, which is equivalent to a quarter of the current size of the Euro area economy. “The industrial internet represents a never before seen potential for the Hungarian and Central European economy. The region has the talent, knowledge and infrastructure to actively participate in the productivity revolution and the digitization of industry must be at the core of this mission,” the CEO for GE CEE, Peter Stracar pointed out. “GE is committed to put Central Europe in the driver’s seat to develop the building blocks for the Industrial Internet that will help companies in the region turn information into insights and insights into outcomes,” he added. Currently the contribution of the Hungarian digital industry to the GDP is around 20%, one of the highest in the CEE region, but still below the European and NorthAmerican average which is at 30-35%. GE, which has been operating in Hungary for over 27 years, is not only the biggest US investor, but also the largest Hungarian company running 12 factories, five research & development centers and three business service centers in 13 cities, and employing more than 10,000 people. GE is also the biggest exporter in Hungary, exporting 99% of its total production to foreign markets. In 2015, the company’s export, mainly to the US and EU countries, exceeded USD 16 billion (which is currently appr. 14.5 EUR mn).

STRENGTHENING the BUSINESS PROFILE and a half years of its operation, the British Trade Centre provided professional support to 500 small and medium enterprises, and – using the business network of the Chamber, it helped dozens of British firms in stepping onto the Hungarian market and in creating new jobs. The anniversary celebration took place in the Ball Room of the Budapest Marriott Hotel with Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Economic Affairs at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr. Petra Pana, the British Ambassador to Hungary, Iain Lindsay and BCCH Chairman Vazul Tóth as the main speakers. In her opening speech, the Deputy State Secretary praised the excellent British-Hungarian economic relations. She said that in 2015, the UK was 11th most important trading partner of Hungary, its share in Hungarian foreign trade was 2.9%. The volume of bilateral trade increased by 15% to EUR 5.1 billion in 2015 and the trend continued in

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the first half of 2016, with a growth of 3% to EUR 2.6 billion. In connection with Brexit, Petra Pana expressed her regret that the British chose leaving the European Union but stressed that Hungary respects the decision of British citizens and wishes to continue to be an important ally to the United Kingdom in bilateral economic relations. At the event, BCCH President Vazul Tóth said that over the past 25 years, the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary has played a significant role in strengthening the business profile of British companies present in Hungary. He expressed his confidence that the Chamber can also play a key role in the future development of HungarianBritish business relations. He stressed that in this effort, an important role is to be played by the British Trade Centre established in 2014. During its operation of the Centre so far, Hungarian and British companies signed business deals worth some GBP half a million.

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The British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (BCCH) celebrated its 25thanniversary on September 28, 2016. BCCH is an independent non-profit organization, which has been serving its members since its foundation in 1991 by British investors. Its mission is to represent British, Hungarian and international companies with the overarching principles of British business values and promote trade and investment flows between the UK and Hungary. The British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary – which has tripled the number of its members since its establishment – is affiliated with about 3,000 British and Hungarian businessmen from 20 sectors. In 2014, the BCCH co-founded – with the British Government and the British Embassy – the British Trade Centre, with a view to further strengthening bilateral trade relations between the United Kingdom and Hungary, as well as increasing its exports to Hungary by British small and medium-sized enterprises. For over two

DÁVID HARANGOZÓ, BCCH

BRITISH CHAMBER CELEBRATES A QUARTER OF A CENTURY IN HUNGARY

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The Smile is the Result HELVETIC DENTAL CLINICS BUDAPEST

negotiated a preferential rate for our patients, including their first night free, along with the first consultation. Should they need to rest after a dental surgery, clients just take the elevator and they can comfortably rest in their room. This is why the waiting room is almost empty while the clinic is 93 % full all the time.” Empain adds, “Of course patients may choose to stay wherever they want, but nothing is more practical than to wake up at 8AM to reach your 8:30AM appointment. Located a step away from the majestic Andrássy Avenue, Twelve Revay is of course open to anyone, but it is true that our patients make up 50% of their guests. The lab is also in-house.”

Exceptional care, comfort and peace of mind Even though it is one of the city’s newest dental clinics, Helvetic Clinics Budapest already has an excellent reputation. Through recommendations of satisfied clients, it has quickly developed a high-profile clientele that includes businessmen, TV stars and athletes, as well as local residents seeking exceptional dental care. “The great location in the heart of Budapest, 200 m from the Opera House on the Pest side, the unique ‘clinic – lab – hotel’ concept, and the uncompromised quality of dental care make Helvetic Clinics Budapest the preferred choice of thousands of patients who arrive to Hungary from all over the world, looking for a modern clinic equipped with the latest technology and impeccable quality dental care that comes with the longest and most serious guarantees one can find,” Pierre Chaker and Jean François Empain, the Swiss owners and managers note. They are proud to lead a world-class dental facility, accredited by Global Clinic Rating (GCR) - a database of 400,000 medical clinics that currently rates Helvetic Dental Clinics Budapest as the third best in the world, out of a total 126,514 dental clinics. The building that houses the clinic in Budapest was awarded the 2nd ‘Best Property Development’ last year as well as ‘highly commended’ as an International medical tourism hotel of the year in the IMTJ 2016 awards.

“Drs. Péter and László Lukács, co-owners of Helvetic Clinics Budapest, supervise the clinic and the dentists; they have successfully created a stress free environment, an atmosphere that is markedly different from most clinics. Here, each dentist strictly focuses on his own special field, so by the age of 35, our staff have done way more crowns, bridges, inlays, root canals, veneers and dentures than those not specialized. We also function as a training center for Semmelweis University in Hungary,” the owners reveal. “There is a young spirit here”. When patients arrive to Budapest, a courtesy driver picks them up from the

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All services under one roof “For our clients’ comfort, Helvetic Clinics is a ‘Clinic Hotel’ that offers dental treatment and accommodation: the clinic and Twelve Revay hotel are in the same building,” Chaker reveals. “Here we have

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airport and takes them to their chosen accommodation, at no cost. The same goes for their return trip: no matter the day, the hour, whether they use the airport or a bus or train station, the clinic will make it easy and stress free. “Helvetic clinics target individuals mainly within Europe's developed countries (see diagram) and with a claim of dental treatments 30-80% cheaper than those in its clients' home countries,” says Dr. Péter Lukács. “We are not a discount clinic, selling cheap dentistry. We offer the best dental care at the lowest possible prices, but never compromising on quality,” Dr. Lászlo Lukács adds. According to him, the quality of professional work at the clinic is guaranteed by a highly motivated and caring team of dentists, dental surgeons, technicians and implantologists who publish essays in the world’s most prestigious medical journals and give presentations and seminars at Hungary’s top universities, as well as overseas.

4% Belgium

“We acknowledge from our growing number of clients that there is significant international demand for quality dental service,” Empain states. “While Croatia is coming up as a dental tourism destination, Hungary is still the biggest market in Europe, highly competitive with excellent features. Budapest is one of the old continent’s most beautiful cities, a small Paris, thanks to its thousand-year-old history, culture and architecture. As we don’t have a restaurant in-house, our clients who often spend a week here, spend their money in town dining and relaxing, enjoying what Budapest has to offer to tourists or conducting business. They are absolutely charmed by the beauty of the city, and the buzzing atmosphere of all four seasons. Considering all this and the number of flights going in and out of Budapest airport, it's hard to pick another rival within Europe. It is an absolute win-win to have a clinic here.”

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GEHRING, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

Great Britain

Our company grew significantly in a moving environment, changes come fast and we adapt constantly to new conditions. We kicked off working in a 140 square meter facility which grew to 4,000 in two years. We started as an 8-people-company, and today, 60 people work here. We have a business model that seems to work. At the moment we are looking into the American market, and within 2 years, we plan to open a second dental clinic there: same quality standards and concept but targeted towards North American patients.”

Budapest, a dental tourism hotspot

Swiss German

Others

THE BUSINESS MODEL

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culture 14TH ANILOGUE INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL The most anticipated animation event of Budapest this fall, the 14th Anilogue International Animation Festival illuminates the screens of three cinemas - Urania, Puskin and Art+ - on November 23-27. Opened by The Red Turtle, the Japanese-French coproduction of Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch, directed by Oscar-winning Michakl Dudok de Wit, this year's Anilogue brings to town a packed program. The five festival days deliver the premieres of more than ten brand new animated feature films, sneak previews of works in progress, including Revengeance,

the new feature-length film from Bill Plympton, a competition program of short films, a 6-hour animation marathon with party-breaks, and an exciting peek into the history of animation in Denmark, the country in focus this year. Outside the cinema halls, the most inspired members of festival public will enjoy the workshops, roundtables and exhibitions brought to Budapest by numerous international guests. Last but not least, the Rutkai Bori Band brings the youngest festival-goers an experience in merging music and animation with a concert of her newest album, Pizsamator.

HUNGARIAN HOLLYWOOD COUNCIL GUARDING THE MEMORIES OF THE WORLD FAMOUS HUNGARIAN ICONS OF HOLLYWOOD The Hungarian Hollywood Council was established by a group of people devoted to preserving memories of the Hungarian roots of the Hollywood film industry. The Council, as a civil organization, announced after its inaugural meeting, that former Los Angeles Consul General of Hungary, Ambassador Balázs Bokor, author of the book ‘My Hollywood,’ had been elected as its President. Oscar-prize winner Ferenc Rófusz, director of the famous animation film entitled ‘The Fly’ holds the post of the Vice-President. Gábor Csupó, animator, writer, director, producer and graphic designer, several times Emmy-winner, along with Béla Bunyik, founding director of the Los Angeles Hungarian Film Festival also entered the Council`s board. It is symbolically important that the mayors of two Hungarian villages, Tolcsva and Ricse are also members of the board. Tolcsva was the birthplace of William Fox while Adolph Zukor, the founder of the Paramount Pictures was born in Ricse.

The newly founded organization aspires to guard the memories of the world famous icons of Hollywood who were born in Hungary or came from Hungarian families. It wishes to introduce, in the widest possible circle, their results, successes and to hold them as exemplars for the young generations who can truly be proud of them. The Council intends to organize, on a continuous base, memorial meetings, professional conferences, film screenings and round table discussions remembering the many-many Hollywood people, directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, actors, designers, stuntmen, composers, special effects managers, etc. with a Hungarian background. The Council has a strong commitment to work with professional film organizations and local municipalities to draw the attention of the media to the Hungarian “element” of the Hollywood successes. It will initiate production of films on these topics and publish several books portraying the life and art of these Hollywood Hungarian people. During the first 10 days of its existence, dozens and dozens of movie professionals and people devoted to the film joined this organization. Membership in the Hungarian Hollywood Council is free.

CAPA GRAND PRIZE 2016

SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL EQUESTRIANS RIDING THE FAVORITE HORSE BREED OF THE MUCH LOVED QUEEN OF HUNGARY, SISI, WILL PRESENT A SHOW TO BUDAPEST AUDIENCES ON DECEMBER 3 AND 4! In 2016, the Spanish Riding School tours around the world, stopping in the Hungarian capital at the Papp László Sportaréna. Presenting the everyday life of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this outstanding production features 60 horses, their riders and the many eye-catching tricks and moves that come to life through the perfect harmony and cooperation of man and animal. The Viennese riders will be accompanied by the Equestrian Unit of the Hungarian Police Force, and the two-act show will also feature actors and singers. It will be the very first time this highly acclaimed production can be seen in Hungary – don’t miss out on the program that promises great excitement for all fans of horse riding, from professionals to amateurs. CityTaxi_Hirdetes.ai 1 2015.01.20. 8:26:22 www.lovasshow.hu

COURTESY PICTURES, VIOLA FÁTYOL, STEFAN SEELIG

The Robert Capa Photography Grand Prize Hungary was founded in October 2014 by the Capa Center in order to recognize outstanding achievement in the field of photography. The contest is open to both Hungarian and foreign photographers living in Hungary. The awards are decided in two stages by an independent jury of five Hungarian and international professionals. In the first stage of the contest, the jury awards fellowships to three candidates - this year’s winners were Viola Fátyol, Zsolt Ficsór and Sára Erzsébet Timár. The candidates continue working on their projects until October, when they present their works at the Art Market Budapest. In 2016 Viola Fátyol received the grand prize for her project titled ‘If you have a heart, what you did to me, hurts you, too.’ Viola came in contact with the Folk-song Choir of Vámospécs in 2013 and soon became a part of the group – which became her theme for the photo contest. “I was interested in why the community was important for the women, and how they used their belonging to the group to process their life events.” The fellowships and the prize aim at furthering the development of the artists and at encouraging their experimentation in the future. The grand prize also includes an award of HUF 3.5 million.

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gift corner www.themacallan.com

The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky

www.dunaelektronika.com

Redefining business-class

Founded in 1824, The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed. Since then, The Macallan has built a reputation as one of the world's truly great single malt whiskies. To fully appreciate The Macallan, we must understand the contributing influences of Scotland, Spain and North America, and of their respective natural raw materials, together with the methods and the craftsmanship, perfected over the generations, that combine to give such outstanding quality and distinctive character. The Macallan distillery was founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid, a barley farmer and school teacher. Farmers had been making whisky on their farms in the area for centuries, distilling their surplus barley during the quieter winter months. From its founding by Alexander Reid, through the subsequent owners of The Macallan distillery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and into the present century, The Macallan has been recognised for the quality of its product above all else. This is the foundation for the worldwide fame of The Macallan.

Dell Latitude 7370

The world’s smallest 13-inch business-class laptop with an InfinityEdge display. Featuring an aluminum or optional carbon fiber LCD back for incredible durability. When you’re at the forefront of ingenuity, you get noticed. That’s why it’s no surprise the Latitude 13 Series 7000 was honored at the CES 2016 Innovation Awards. The winning streak continues. The smallest business-class laptop in the world is incredibly thin and light so it’s easy to carry with you comfortably. Get down to business anywhere duty calls with a slender and sophisticated PC that stays cool to the touch. · · · ·

6th Generation Intel® Core™ M7 Processor Windows 10Pro 8GB Memory 128GB Solid State Drive

www.lumas.hu

Infrared Central Park appears in radiant red hues, the sky and water in luscious turquoise – Paolo Pettigiani’s infrared images transform New York into a surreal landscape, revealing a completely new perspective on the city of cities. Popular in the 1960s thanks to is psychedelic appearance, infrared photography is making a comeback in the art world. Richard Mosse, winner of the 2014 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize for his images of war in the Congo, is perhaps the most famous proponent of the technique. The disassociation created by what is known as “false colour film” produces a powerful effect, in particular when used for landscape photography. This is because the green pigment found in plants, chlorophyll, appears transparent in infrared and therefore reflects the light. The specific filter Pettigiani uses makes the foliage appear reddish. Infrared photography’s enhanced contrasts and improved visibility give the images in Pettigiani’s Infrared an unreal, intense appearance that is positively mesmerizing! Infrared NYC I © Paolo Pettigiani, www.lumas.hu Photography, 100x150 cm, Limited Edition of 150, Signed, € 1.399 LUMAS Budapest Galéria, 1051 Budapest, Október 6. utca 21.

Christofle Club Collection

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COURTESY PICTURES, PAOLO PETTIGIANI

A historic signature of Christofle style, the beaded motif lends its soft, refined character to this collection of functional and decorative objects. Present in the House of Christofle since 1850, beading has often been revisited in ornamental detail on silverware, or in larger sizes and quantities on pieces such as the exceptional Cardeilhac box, a classic example of the silversmith’s prowess dating to the Thirties. Today, it reappears majestically as the highlight of the Collection Club where, for the first time, it mingles with leather on trays, round boxes, pencil cases, desk organizers, paperweights and vide-poches. In all, ten styles dedicated to functionality compose this strikingly modern and brilliant collection in mirror steel. At times, steel punctuated with a minimalist, solitary bead combines with calfskin (in colors such as camel, bronze, greige and taupe), in an elegant and unexpected mix of materials. At others, the bead seems to replicate infinitely across an entire surface, for example on the beaded box that is the key piece in the Collection Club. Multiplied exponentially, this pattern recalls the Thirties spirit for which the silversmith is renowned, simultaneously evoking a pure, minimalist tradition. Two pieces in silver-plated metal (both produced in a limited series of 50) complete the Collection Club: a cylindrical vase that seems encircled by a crown of silver pearls at its base, and a generous centerpiece with a silver beaded exterior and smooth interior. Offering a compelling interplay of positive and negative space, volume and flatness, curves and lines, these silver beaded pieces express the full elegance of Christofle design. Pavillon Christofle Budapest | 1065 Budapest, Lázár utca 14.

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what's on GUIDO & MAURIZIO DE ANGELIS OLIVER ONIONS SYMPHONIC MOVIE SOUNDTRACK CONCERT

NOVEMBER 29 AT PAPP LÁSZLÓ BUDAPEST SPORTARÉNA Guido and Maurizio De Angelis are among the most famous movie soundtrack composers in the world, credited for soundtracks such as ‘Sandokan,’ ‘Orzowei,’ ‘Around the World with Willy Fogg’ and ‘Zorro’. They’ve played all genres and their songs stormed the European charts. One of their flagshlip songs, “Santamaria”, for example, stayed at the top of German charts for several weeks in 1980. Under the name of Oliver Onions, they composed soundtracks for most Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movies, but their work didn’t end there: during their long career they worked and composed music under several aliases like Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, M&G Orchestra, Dilly Dilly, and Oliver Onions. With this concert, the world-famous composer brothers would like to show their respect and say farewell to the recently deceased Bud Spencer, who was their personal friend. The soundtracks of famous movies such as ‘Watch out, we're mad!’ ‘They Call Me Trinity’, ‘Even Angles Eat Beans’, ‘Crime Busters’, ‘Sheriff and the Satellite Kid’, ‘Banana Joe’, to mention only a few, will be brought to life during a big orchestra band concert in Budapest. The composer duo and their band haven’t played together since 1984; this show will be their first gig in Europe. They will perform with 17 great Italian musicians and a nearly 40-member symphonic orchestra.

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LAST CHANCE TO SEE: THE REAL SAINT MARTIN AND PANNONIA

UNTIL NOVEMBER 30 AT THE ISEUM SAVARIENSE (9700 SZOMBATHELY, II. RÁKÓCZI FERENC STREET 6-8.) A unique archaeological exhibition is part of Saint Martin’s Memorial Year in Szombathely. The collection – boasting an array of famous archaeological finds and numerous gold objects, among them one item of the Nagyszentmiklós hoard – presents a period spanning nearly five centuries of Pannonia, Saint Martin’s land of birth, and provides an insight into how Christianity spread in this region. Saint Martin, a world famous saint born 1700 years ago in the territory of our country, a Roman soldier who became the Bishop of Tours, is being celebrated this year by Pannonhalma Arch-Abbey and the Town of Szombathely. As the outstanding event of the Saint Martin memorial year, this exhibition offers a unique collection of international importance, gathered from the territory of Pannonia, a Roman province of that time. The double identity of a Roman soldier converted to Christianity is, at the same time, the precise reflection of his age: through the objects on display in this exhibition visitors, for the first time, have a comprehensive insight into the way Christianity spread within the territory of the Roman province. www.iseumsavariense.hu

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LASSAK STUDIO, BÉLA KANYÓ, COURTESY PICTURES

NOVEMBER 17-19 AT SYMA EVENT CENTER With its 35-year career, Cats is the second longest-running show in Broadway history, and the fourth longest-running West End musical. It has been performed around the world many times with shows in more than 300 cities and has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 1998 Cats was turned into a made-for-television film. Most Hungarian theater goers have heard about this musical, maybe even seen it once or twice in Budapest in Hungarian language, but this year in November they have a chance to watch, listen to the still running West End musical in original language (with Hungarian subtitles). Hungarian audiences will have the opportunity to personally experience the wonderful feeling of the original Cats, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Really Useful Group’. www.jegy.hu

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CATS MUSICAL

IMRE KŐVÁGÓ NAGY, KRISZTIÁN KOLESÁR, COURTESY PICTURES

NOVEMBER 17-18 AT TRAFÓ ‘Schrödinger's cat’ is a thought experiment, sometimes described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. The scenario presents a cat that may be simultaneously both alive and dead, a state known as a quantum superposition, as a result of being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not have occurred. Neither the cat, nor Schrödinger will be present this evening, instead the doubts and questions that this problem raised in the choreographer, together with 6 fabulous dancers. www.trafo.hu

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TIMOTHY AND THE THINGS: WAITING FOR SCHRÖDINGER

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what's on HUNGARIAN STATE FOLK ENSEMBLE: HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY

NOVEMBER 22-23 AT MOM CULTURAL CENTER As a musical genre, the rhapsody is characterized by its tumultuous rhythms, strong emotion, impassioned surges of thought, and freedom of expression. The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble’s dance performance, Hungarian Rhapsody, incorporates all the marks of the genre while relying on, and taking inspiration from folk music and folk dance tradition to create its own unique dance rhapsody. The performance includes images of the peasant traditions of Hungarians and other national groups of the region in dynamic succession, offering a compelling look into this singular, kaleidoscopic, yet oddly unified thousand-year-old culture as expressed in the acrobatics of the men’s dances, the lyricism of the girls’, and the virtuosity of couples’ dances. Hungarian Rhapsody is a journey through time. The production’s message is that even in the midst of homogenized, superficial ‘global culture’, we, Hungarians still have a culture that is uniquely our own and is vital to our existence. ‘Hungarian Rhapsody’ was originally created for the North-American tour of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble in 2013 when the show was performed in the biggest cities, concert halls and theatres of the USA and Canada from New York City to San Francisco and from Toronto to Miami. www.heritagehouse.hu

LAST CHANCE TO SEE: CENTRAL VALUES – COMMON HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY CENTRAL EUROPEAN DESIGN

IMRE KŐVÁGÓ NAGY, KRISZTIÁN KOLESÁR, COURTESY PICTURES

LASSAK STUDIO, BÉLA KANYÓ, COURTESY PICTURES

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UNTIL NOVEMBER 20 AT THE MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS The aim of Budapest Design Week in 2016 is to present the various idioms, solutions and means that are used in the works of designers from countries with similar social, economic and cultural traditions and challenges. On this note, the Guests of Honor at Budapest Design Week are the Visegrád Countries celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Visegrád Cooperation this year. The exhibition Central Values – Common Heritage in Contemporary Central European Design, hosted by the Museum of Applied Arts until November 20, shows the most prominent works of contemporary designers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary and highlights the similar circumstances, objectives and sources of inspiration of the four Visegrád Countries, which have gradually found their place in the global market. The large-scale exhibition will be accompanied by a number of programs for the design trade and for the general public. www.imm.hu

PLACEBO - THE PLACE FOR US TO DREAM TOUR

NOVEMBER 11 AT PAPP LÁSZLÓ BUDAPEST SPORTARÉNA British alt-rock legend Placebo celebrates a 20-year career with an extensive tour of the UK and Europe. The tour kicked off on October 13 in Denmark and will culminate in a massive gig at London's Wembley Arena in December, and, on November 11 will stop in Budapest. The band’s career started with the release of their self-titled debut album which was released on June 17, 1996 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart at the height of the Britpop era. The album spawned several successful singles, the most popular being “Nancy Boy”. Placebo have released seven studio albums, all of which have reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom, and have sold around 11 million records worldwide. Frontman Brian Molko says of the tour, “Let’s just say there will be songs in the set that I’ve sworn never to play again. I think it’s time that we purposefully acknowledged what a lot of Placebo fans really want to hear. They’ve been very patient with us since we rarely play our most commercially successful material.” He adds, “A 20-year anniversary tour seems like the right time to do so. That’s our intention. This tour is very much for the fans and a chance for us to revisit a lot of our early material. So, if you want to see us play songs like ‘Pure Morning’ and ‘Nancy Boy’, which we haven’t played in almost ten years and may not play again, then you’d better come along to these shows! We’ll have some surprises in there too.” www.livenation.hu

THE CARER (JUTALOMJÁTÉK)

AS OF OCTOBER 27 IN MULTIPLE HUNGARIAN CINEMAS Theatrical legend, Sir Michael Gifford (Brian Cox) is terminally ill. He’s also foul-mouthed, irascible, and generally impossible. Into his fraught household comes Hungarian immigrant girl Dorottya (Coco König) to act as yet another in a long line of badly treated caregivers. Dorottya secretly hopes to become Michael’s acting pupil but Michael bullies and exploits her until an impromptu exchange from Hamlet reveals a mutual love of Shakespeare and their relationship gradually changes. As Michael mellows, Dorottya transcends her own selfish ambitions, and each learns some valuable lessons. However, when Michael is offered a Lifetime Achievement Award and Dorottya persuades him to accept it in person, the resulting fallout sees Dorottya fired and Michael in the hospital. Their relationship has given both of them renewed confidence, however, and together they make it to the Awards Ceremony. Initially, this seems like a mistake. Michael looks completely out of his depth and the audience fears for his health. However, it’s just a well-rehearsed double act: Michael rises to the occasion with a show-stealing speech and ends, prompted by Dorottya, with “To be or not to be.” – a famous question, to which he now supplies the answer - thundered in his famous voice - “And the answer is TO BE!” Directed by János Edelényi and produced by József Berger, the movie premiers in Hungarian cinemas on October 27.

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gastronomy Nature Calls

BABEL BUDAPEST INTRODUCES FALL MENU

Located centrally, in the very heart of the city, on Piarista Lane, Babel Budapest provides an unprecedented fine dining experience in the Hungarian capital city. When I say unprecedented, I mean it literally. I don’t know any other places to serve Dew and Rust, or use tones of hay as an essential ingredient. “It was 30 kg only,” owner Hubert Hlatky-Schlichter corrects me on the amount of hay they have used during the past 11 weeks, since they re-opened, following a deliberate short break while the new kitchen team trained for the start. Their first, crafty menu debuted with success, and was served to up to 1,100 guests during the summer and early fall. Now time has come to renew, again. According to the chefs, István Veres and Gábor Langer, the new menu is inspired by the flavors and colors of the fall: orange, misty pearl whites and a myriad shades of brown. One of the desserts on offer is actually named Rust, and it looks like, too. In fact, this dessert is a beautiful fusion of chocolate, porcini mushroom, hazelnut and Tokaj Furmint. The THE SPIRIT OF BABEL chefs expect it will become an all-time favorite, along with ’Caprice’ another signature dessert made of pumpkin, cassava, hay, calendula and lemon, Babel Budapest focuses on traditional sprinkled with sweet, sugary cumin and served with garlic ice-cream tastes of the late Austro-Hungarian (indeed, garlic, and it is delicious). Root vegetables make their debut as Monarchy, however, Transylvania main dishes, such as the Parsnip variations with lovage and walnut, that, and its natural resources are in the at first resembles a well-organized pile of decaying tree branches, because spotlight. 75% of the raw material of the smoking procedure it goes through to be just as black and soft as it comes from the inlands, just like the should be. It’s interesting to see and taste what can be made of vegetables, equipment and accessories of the with tricks and a gourmet torch! Consuming this specific dish, or my other restaurant. favorite on the menu, the Beef Tartare starter served with pumpkin and horse-radish, I felt an urge to plan a long walk in the Buda mountains, to inhale the woody, moldy smells of the fallen leaves. In general, Mother Nature feels closer than ever while leafing through Babel’s new menu that kept only a few dishes, such as the Egg galuska with truffle and iceberg lettuce, from the previous menu, and that will, later on, import new courses as chilly winter arrives. The beautiful dish compositions are served on lace printed plates custom-made by the well-known Hungarian ceramics artist, Juli Néma. Babel’s wine list, a unique selection of more than two hundred Hungarian wines carefully chosen to best accompany dishes by sommelier Péter Blazsovszky. “Babel, finally, is just like I have always wanted it to be: well-thought out and sophisticated,” Hlatky-Schlichter says. And now it is ready for autumn. Are you?

Cadeau Grand Cru Chocolates A unique chocolate tasting took place recently at St. Andrea Wine & Gourmet Bar: Cadeau Bonbon Manufacture presented its first signature Grand Cru dark and milk chocolates.

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BOLDOG, COURTESY PICTURES

Based in Gyula, a little town in East Hungary, which is famous for its castle and spa, the family owned Cadeau Bonbon Manufacture is run by master confectioner and chocolate maker László Balogh who opened his first Kézműves Cukrászda (Artisan Confectionery) in 1992. Six years later he moved to a bigger building which has a ‘chocolate factory’ on its premises, producing no less than 60 types of handmade bonbons and dozens of chocolate bars. Until 2016, the family used Cellabut Belgian chocolate but the time had come to present their own, signature chocolate varieties. “With the creation of our first private label Grand Cru dark and milk chocolate we reached a new milestone. It turned out exactly the way we wanted: the perfect, recognizable tastes and textures that define us,” a proud László announced while his daughter Boglárka offered two kinds of chocolate for tasting. She explained that their milk chocolate has a cocoa content of 46%, and the dark chocolate, which is a ‘cuvée’ that blends Mexican, Cuban and Peruvian cocoa beans, has a 71,2% cocoa content. The slender chocolate bars are packed in stylish eco-conscious paper. László revealed that creating ones own recipe of chocolate is a long procedure that includes a blending workshop which Cadeau carried out in France, at the OR NOIR™ laboratory. During the event, which transformed into the MORE CHOCOLATE WITH TRAVEL TIP perfect afternoon with an early dinner by chef Ádám Barna and even more chocolate desserts, Make a trip to Gyula, visit the more than 600-year-old a new, limited selection box of 100 bonbons castle, be pampered and relax at the Gyula Castle Spa, was also presented. Named ‘Csodaszarvas’ and make sure you visit the 100-year-old Confectionery (White Stag), marking László’s love for (Százéves Cukrászda), also run by the Balogh family since hunting, that will be available only in early 2004. This confectionery opened in 1840 in a building that December, at Kézműves Cukrászda and today is the most valuable double-storied town-house in a few franchise shops in Budapest (Veres the South Great Plain. Its wonderful salons feature original Pálné Street 8), Kecskemét, Székesfehérvár Bieder Meier furniture and wall paintings. Having a cup and online at www.cukraszok.hu. The of coffee and a cake here is a real time travel. Take the Csodaszarvas box of bonbons includes time to walk through the building and visit the in-house the International Chocolate Award-winner confectioner’s workshop museum. Raspberry Mania bonbon. 2 0 1 6

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gastronomy BIG and REFINED! PROFESSIONAL WINE-TASTING EVENT BY PRESTIGE RESERVE CLUB BY LÁSZLÓ DOSZPOD

Not long ago, Prestige Reserve Club approached a group of Hungarian winemakers to give their opinion of how a great white wine can be big and refined at the same time by presenting two of their wines.

THE FOLLOWING CELLARS RESPONDED TO OUR INVITATION

Figula

ÖREGHEGYI OLASZRIZLING - 2015 GELLA ’15

Bott

HÁRSLEVELŰ - 2015 - VINCULUM ’15

Jásdi

FURMINT - 2013 - SIRALOMVÁGÓ ’13

Szepsy

ÚRÁGYA - 2015 - SZENT TAMÁS ’13

St. Andrea

PANAGIA - 2014 - MÁRIA ’13

Spiegelberg

CHARDONNAY - 2013 - JUHFARK ’11

Szent Tamás

PERCZE - 2013 MAGNUM - SZENT TAMÁS ’12 MAGNUM

13TH NEW WINE AND CHEESE FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 26-27 AT THE MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE, VAJDAHUNYAD CASTLE Enjoy fresh air and a beautiful setting while gathering expertise on fine wines and wineries and sampling local artisan cheeses. Programs include a ceremonial presentation and greeting of the new Hungarian wines, wine tastings with the introduction of the best new Hungarian wines and a ‘consecration of Advent wine and cheese.’ A market place will be set up selling products and presenting wine and cheese tourism in Hungary.

www.ujboressajtfesztival.hu

photos by COURTESY

PICTURE, SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

It was no challenge to define the characteristics of a great white wine as both winemakers and media representatives agreed that such a wine is identified by higher concentration, complexity, intensity, a longer finish, goût de terroir and harmony.

It was just as easy to name the factors working against finesse, such as the lack of harmony that indicates over ripeness or unbalanced residual sugar, over-extraction and oxidative character, uncontrolled contact with the skin, perhaps indications of emerging botrytis, and in the case of intense fragrance varietals, the excessive varietal notes, the high concentration of unpleasant mineral notes, and the use of disproportionate or low quality barrels. In the upper class wines that were presented (with points between 8894), the above problems certainly did not prevail. However, the differences signifying the style of the various cellars – fundamentally resulting from the ripeness of the grapes, limiting yield, appreciable terroir characters and barrel use – were distinguishable. Instead of analysing the individual wines, I prefer to focus on general lessons. If grapes are harvested at their optimum ripeness, you can avoid high alcohol or residual sugar, but must reckon with producing a less full bodied and complex wine that ages slower, nevertheless, perhaps nicer in the bottle. Barrel use can be decisive in ageing and higher complexity, however, overly toasty-smoky properties and the raw oaky flavor integrates slower in the wine. The inhomogeneity of individual barrels and the inability to reproduce the consistent quality pose a major challenge to winemakers. We found that very pronounced barrel use almost never integrates in a medium bodied, moderately complex wine. Optimally timed launch is desirable for nearly all great white wines because experience shows that consumers drink such wines well before they reach their peak. Almost all the wines sampled had no residual sugar or disharmony, while even wines with 15% alcohol content were not excessive in view of their concentration and complexity. The HUF 5-17,000 price range clearly indicates that the price level of great white wines is catching up with that of great red wines.

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Mercedes-Benz. For those who represent. Discover our new tax-free Mercedes-Benz diplomatic offers. Diplomats definitely know how important it is to make a good impression. That is why Mercedes-Benz created special deals for those who represent entire countries. Learn more about our new tax-free offers and choose the Mercedes-Benz that suits your demands the most. www.mercedes-benz.hu/diplomatic-sales

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