Diplomacy & Trade 2017 November

NOVEMBER 2017 HUF 1710

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on page 18

“THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE - BUT MOST OF US HAVEN'T NOTICED,” SAYS FUTURIST GERD LEONHARD, ADDING THAT BUSINESSES ”NEED A DEDICATED, PASSIONATE LONG-TERM UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUTURE.” Diplomacy-n-Trade.ai 1 2017. 02. 27. 11:22:30

Italy

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FOCUS

“Italy and Hungary have been sharing a deep friendship that even temporary ups and downs cannot jeopardize.”

That is according to the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Hungary, Massimo Rustico who tells Diplomacy&Trade about his aim of achieving a much better and intense political dialogue between the two countries “after a period of calm,” the future of the EU, the already evident increase in bilateral trade as well as cultural relations that date back many centuries if not a thousand years.

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An Experienced and Wise Diplomat K

In the fall of 1956 when the Hungarian issue was discussed at the United Nations, the chairmanship of the UN General Assembly was filled by the revered Thai diplomat, Prince Wan Waithayakon.

His one-time associate, former Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag has recently been in Budapest to talk about the Prince who was also the UN rapporteur of the issue. see page 21

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letter from the publisher

PUBLISHER

Austrian comedian Josef Hader on ‘Wild Mouse’

05 ON THE RECORD 06-07 COMPANY BRIEFS 08-16 ITALIAN FOCUS Interview with Ambassador Massimo

Rustico; ICE; CCIU; UniCredit; Alfa Romeo

17 ANALYSIS Gun control in the United States 18-19 BUSINESS No technology without humanity; Swiss Business Day

AND DON’T FORGET

monthly in print - daily on the web

www.dteurope.com

20-21 DIPLOMACY UK Minister of State visits Budapest;

Latin America Forum; Prince Wan and the 1956 Hungarian issue

22-23 SOCIETY

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exhibitions in and out of Budapest

30 WINE Beaujolais; Macok Bistro 31 GASTRONOMY Your goose is cooked

Diplomacy&Trade will present a special Focus on Finnish-Hungarian relations on the 100th anniversary of the independence of the northern European country. With Ambassador Petri TuomiNikula, we will discuss the relations between the two Finno-Ugrian peoples, including political and economic ties, cultural and civilian cooperation. Topics will cover issues like sister city relations, Finnish good practices built into digital education in Hungary. We also talk about the trade promotion agency Finpro and the cultural institute Finnagora, which together with the Embassy, form Team Finland that represents Finland and Finnish interests abroad by helping Finnish investments in Finland and abroad, and by developing the country’s image.

Ministry for National Economy, Sándor Berta/Stereoteam, FCA, Z. László Nagy, British Embassy Budapest, U.N. Photo, Embassy of Germany, Embassy of Mongolia, MOM Sport, Live Nation, www.cordobaecuestre.com, MÜPA, MOM Cultural Center, Budapest Operetta-Theater, Tom Wesselmann, Wineamore, György Szántó, Zoltán Reszegi, MTI Photos: Tamás Kovács, Szilárd Koszticsák, Tibor Rosta, Zsolt Szigetváry, Lajos Soós

annual fee of EUR 72 in Hungary, or EUR 90 to all other destinations. SEND REQUESTS AND INQUIRIES TO DUAX KFT. H-1034 Budapest, Bécsi út 60.

24 WITTYLEAKS by the Ambassador of Mongolia 25 BUSINESS MOM Sport event venue 26 CINEMA Writing is Wonderful!

27 BUSINESS Heineken evaluates festival season 28-29 WHAT’S ON Concerts, festivals, events and

FINNISH FOCUS - COMING SOON

CONTRIBUTORS: Sándor Laczkó, Tamás Magyarics, Ágnes Weninger, Batbayar Zeneemyadar PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS: Pixabay.com, Dreamstime.com, Can Stock Photo Inc., 123RF.com, GE Hungary, Márton Kovács/MFAT, Wessling Hungary,

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Peter Freed

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page 31

­­ contents

Our WittyLeaks column is authored by the Ambassador of Mongolia who compares Hungarian and Mongol folk traditions on the apropos of a Hungarian folk song. The cinema page features an Austrian comic and his new film while the gastronomy section presents two very topical themes: Beaujolais and geese.

Please, also enjoy our program guides and society picture compilations.

COPIES ARE AVAILABLE AT SELECTED RELAY AND INMEDIO OUTLETS IN MAJOR HUNGARIAN CITIES.

Your goose is cooked… – on St. Martin’s Day

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Humanity will change more in the next 20 years than in the previous 300 years. That is the prediction of the well-known German futurist, Gerd Leonhard who spoke to a business audience in Budapest recently about the influence of future technology on the labor market. He warns that companies should invest at least as much energy in people as in technology and efficiency should never become more important than humanity.

The recent mass killing in Las Vegas was a very sad example of how (weapon) technology can be used against humanity. However, as you can read in our international analyst’s article about gun control in the United States, “there is practically no chance that this situation will change any time in the future despite the tragic events.”

The country in focus in this issue of Diplomacy&Trade is Italy as the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. We talk to Ambassador Massimo Rustico about Italy possibly becoming Hungary’s third largest trading partner this year and the increasing economic dialogue between the two countries. This is very much needed to strengthen the presence of Italian working capital as a couple of Italian companies have pulled out of Hungary recently. We talk to two organizations – the Italian trade agency and the chamber – that work on enhancing the economic relations.

The future and the past also feature on our diplomacy pages as a result of two recent visits to Budapest by a British Minister of State who talks about the possible future relations between the UK and the EU (including Hungary) and a former Thai foreign minister who recalls (in his capacity as historian) the role of a Thai prince in the United Nations debate of the 1956 Hungarian events.

4th Swiss Business Day in Budapest page 19 this November

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on the record

best way to do this was to bring the culture of other countries to those interested.

He stressed that everyone was welcome – without any entrance fee or registration – to taste foods, listen to music or make toys. The music program consisted of productions by military orchestras as well and jazz and world music performances.

Péter Princzinger also pointed out that the event would definitely be held in Hungary again next year, with some V4-related programs, concerts, fine art, applied arts or sport competitions on weekends.

On the occasion of the V4 Sunday, Historian István Kollai of the Corvinus University in Budapest condoned this Visegrád weekend as a good idea because it placed the emphasis on a common heritage instead of "a common enemy". He noted that the current strong Visegrád cooperation and the Visegrád discourse should not become anti-Western.

He also called for a uniform V4 position on whether to belong to the euro zone and whether the group wants to participate in the inner circle of decision-making in the EU. István Kollai pointed out that it is logical that the Visegrád countries have a different position than those countries that have a colonial past and have been adopting people outside Europe for decades.

SUMMIT OF THE V4 HEADS OF STATE IN SZEKSZÁRD

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TAMÁS KOVÁCS/MTI, SZILÁRD KOSZTICSÁK/MTI, DREAMSTIME.COM, 123RF.COM

The European Union (EU) integration of the Western Balkans, the transition to cyclical economy and the digital society were the topics of the two-day summit of the Presidents of the Visegrád countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) in Szekszárd, south-central Hungary this October. The meeting of Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic, Andrzej Duda of Poland and Andrej Kiska of Slovakia was hosted by their Hungarian counterpart, János Áder. The presidents discussed ways to encourage businesses to be more eco-friendly in their manufacturing processes, while retaining a competitive edge. The heads of state also talked about prospects for the integration of West Balkan countries in NATO and the European Union and called for accelerating the process.

Hungarian President János Áder pressed for the speedier integration of the Western Balkan countries with the European Union. The situation in the Western Balkan countries gives cause for concern, which is why action must be taken. The best way to prevent conflict is to accelerate the region’s integration with the EU, he said, referring to unresolved disputes involving borders, minorities and religions in the region, pressure caused by migration as well as the growing influence of radical Islam as further problems. Áder also warned against the environmental and economic dangers of a linear economy in which resources are used to produce things which become disposal. The Czech President was of the view that radical Islam was spreading in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which does not help the country’s development.

The Slovak President Andrej Kiska said there is a long history of tension between the six countries of the Western Balkans but they are linked by their desire to become members of the EU. Andrzej Duda said it should be clearly stated that the EU is open to states that are prepared for accession. Deadlines are necessary to give societies the ambition to achieve a developed economy, to fight against corruption and to build democratic institutions.

The presidents were invited to take part in a harvest in the Szekszárd wine region while in Hungary.

FORMER PRESIDENT'S BUST UNVEILED

The bust of a former President of the Republic of Hungary was unveiled in the Óbuda University park, which is in the neighborhood of the one-time residency of the late President. Árpád Göncz was the President of the country between 1990 and 2000. He passed away in the fall of 2015, at the age of 94. Besides unveiling the sculpture, several speeches were made and in the end, there was common singing, as well.

The Ombudsman for Citizens' Rights, Katalin Gönczöl, commemorated her special relationship with the former President and spoke of Árpád Göncz's humanity while theater director Tamás Jordán recited two verses from the 20th century Hungarian poet, Attila József.

According to news reports, businessman Gábor Bojár asked the question in his speech why the political left in Hungary no longer has such a dominant figure as Árpád Göncz was. After the children of the former President of the Republic uncovered the bust, János Bródy and Zsuzsa Koncz sang, together with the audience, the legendary song ‘If I was a rose’. The halfhour celebration was followed by forty-five-minute reverence, and the participants of the ceremony went to the bust to place a rose there.

HUNGARIANS CONTINUE TO HAVE TRUST IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Hungarian citizens have a good perception of the European Union and this view shows a particularly positive trend. This is according to the ‘Parlemeter 2017’ survey published this October, that takes a close look at citizens’ views on EU membership and its benefits, whether their voice counts in the EU and on their attitudes towards the European Parliament, its priorities, actions and mission.

56% of the Hungarian respondents believe that EU membership is a good thing for Hungary. This is an increase of eight percentage points compared to the March result and the highest rise compared to other member states. 72% say that the country benefits from EU membership, which is 8% higher than the EU average and constitutes a 10 percentage point increase compared to the 2016 results. The Hungarian respondents attach importance to economic benefits. As to how the respondent country benefits from EU membership, the majority of Hungarians mentioned new job opportunities

V4 SUNDAY IN BUDAPEST

In celebration of Hungary's 5th presidency of the Visegrád Group (made up of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - V4), a family event, called V4 Sunday, was organized in the Várkert Bazaar event center in Budapest.

At the event focused on the national values of the Visegrád countries, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, Péter Princzinger recalled that the Visegrád Group, which was established in 1991, is primarily a political, diplomatic and economic cooperation.

The goal of the V4 Sunday was to bring this political formation closer to the people and “make it more realistic," he said. The w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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UPCOMING NATIONAL DAYS November

December

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Algeria

National day

9

Cambodia

National day

11

Poland

National day / Independence day

11

Angola

Independence day

18

Latvia

National day

18

Morocco

National day

19

Oman

National day

19

Monaco

National day

22

Lebanon

National day

25

Bosnia and Hercegovina

National day

28

Albania

National day

30

Barbados

National day

1

Romania

National day

2

Laos

National day

2

UAE

National day

5

Thailand

National day

6

Finland

National day

12

Kenya

Independence day

13

Malta

National day

16

Kazakhstan

Independence day

16

Bahrein

National day

18

Qatar

National day

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Japan

National day

24

Lybia

Independence day

29

Mongolia

National day

(51%) and EU contribution to economic growth (45%). These values are much higher than the EU average. However, most Hungarians (57%) do not feel that their word counts, although in comparison with the results of the March survey (66%), there is an improvement in this respect.

Commenting on the results of the opinion poll, the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani said the outcome of the survey “is very positive and encouraging. It shows that the confidence in our institutions and our work continues to grow and that we are leaving the crisis of recent years behind. Naturally, in some areas, views vary from member state to member state. This should inspire us to step up our efforts to tackle the concerns expressed. In general, people increasingly see the EU as a key player in tackling the big challenges and protecting them against common threats such as terrorism, unemployment or poverty and exclusion.”

HUNGARY'S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR BOOM According to end of summer figures by the Central Statistical Office (KSH), the volume of construction output in Hungary was 36.8% higher in August 2017 than the low base a year earlier. Construction output grew by 9.8% in August compared to the previous month.

In August 2017, compared to the same month of the previous year: The volume of output rose in both main groups of constructions: by 46.8% in the construction of buildings and by 24.1% in that of civil engineering works. Growth in the construction of buildings was primarily the result of the construction of industrial and warehouse buildings and, to a lesser extent, sports facilities as well as educational and residential buildings in August. In the case of civil engineering works, production grew, in addition to the low base, as a result of road, railway and utility construction works.

Out of the divisions of construction, output increased by 46.5% in the division of the construction of buildings, by 28.2% in civil engineering and by 35.9% in specialized construction activities.

The volume of new contracts increased by 46.0% compared to the same period of the previous year, within this, the volume of new contracts concluded grew by 95.4% for the construction of buildings and by 18.9% for the construction of civil engineering works. New contracts were concluded mainly for the construction of industrial buildings and, to a lesser extent, housing and hotel buildings. Growth in civil engineering works was the result of contracts signed for railway development as well as utility and road construction.

At the end of August, the month-end volume of the stock of contracts of construction enterprises was 89.7% higher than the previous year's low base. The volume of the stock of contracts was 22.2% higher for the construction of buildings and 134.6% higher for the construction of civil engineering works than a year earlier.

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­company briefs GE DOUBLES THE VALUE OF ITS PROCUREMENT IN CEE

Initiated by GE and co-hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, GE's CEE Supply Chain Dialogue conference was attended

by Representatives of Hungarian, Polish, Croatian, Czech, Romanian, Serbian and Slovenian government organizations, investment agencies and export banks.

The objective of the event was to explore opportunities to better connect SMEs in the CEE region to the global economy via GE's supply chain, hence to further increase the competitiveness of the CEE region.

"Central and Eastern Europe have experienced

unprecedented growth in the past 20 years. The source of that growth has been low labor costs, robust internal consumption and foreign direct investments. However, a preoccupation with pure technology absorption is not going to maintain economic growth in the long run and the increase in productivity is getting closer to the boundaries of technology," Peter Stracar, President and CEO, GE CEE, said. "Further growth needs different drivers and the real challenge will be how we support the transition of CEE into an innovation based region”, he added GE buys directly from over 30,000 suppliers from multiple locations around the world; the value of such transactions amounts to USD 70 billion globally, which is close to 50% of Hungary's USD 124.3 billion GDP. For Europe, this value is approximately USD 9 billion

annually, out of which USD 1.7 billion comes from the CEE region. GE has over 6,500 suppliers, including 1,500 Hungarian qualified suppliers in the area.

"Key to GE's performance is the support and growth of its supply base. We believe there is a real opportunity to expand our spending in CEE providing for substantive growth for our suppliers and the opportunity to better support our plants in Europe," GE Europe Supply Chain Vice President Melissa Twiningdavis pointed out. "We wish to create future-safe, strong SMEs by sharing our know-how, especially on disruptive technologies, by developing entrepreneurial attitudes and by developing stronger export capabilities.

Increased and stronger cross-border collaboration shall drive the growth of our SME suppliers in CEE, including Hungary”, she added.

British Petrol (BP) has inaugurated the second Hungarian office of its Global Business Services (GBS) Center. At present, 274 employees work in the new office operating in cooperation with the Budapest Center, but it will create 500 high added value jobs, in total, in the seat of Csongrád County when the expansion project is completed, in 2020. BP's choice fell on Szeged was due to the city’s good infrastructure, excellent university and high number of talented young people, according to a press statement released by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA).

BP has been present in Hungary since 1991, representing the Castrol product line. The GBS Europe business service center in Budapest was established in 2009. 85% of the 1,700-strong team hold a college or university degree, while their average age is 32 years, and more than half of the staff speak more than two languages fluently. The company's service center supports the operation of the global group in the fields of finance, procurement, HR, customer service and IT. In his inaugural address, Levente Magyar, Minister of State for Economic Diplomacy at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, emphasized that the project realized through the renovation of the building of a former clothing factory symbolized the economic history of the country in the past 100 years. The building was erected in one of the golden ages of Hungarian industry, and one of the world's leading businesses has made it now its important center.

At the delivery of the project, Richard Hookway, Managing Director of BP GBS and IT, said that with the opening of a new service center, in terms of the number of employees, Hungary and Szeged had become one of the five most important countries and one of the ten most important cities, respectively, for BP.

HONG KONG POWER SUPPLY MANUFACTURING IN MISKOLC

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WESSLING KNOWLEDGE CENTER OPENS IN BUDAPEST German firm WESSLING, a leading consulting, analytical and testing company engaged in quality, safety, environment and health, has opened a knowledge center, a leading regional research and development (R&D) base of international engineering innovation in Budapest.

With the inauguration of the WESSLING Knowledge Center, a hub has been created that will house a leading regional R&D base of an international engineering innovation network of a thousand researchers, Minister of State for Economic Development and Regulation at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade István Lepsényi said at the opening ceremony.

Each research field of the WESSLING Knowledge Center is directly linked to the strategic objectives of the Irinyi Plan of the Hungarian government and together, they help realize the innovation background vital for certain priority areas, such as the food, health and chemical industries, he noted.

WESSLING’S 25-year success story in Hungary is an example of how to switch to innovation-driven economy,

and it is highly remarkable when it comes to acquiring knowledge capital and creating R&D&I-driven industries, István Lepsényi said. The Hungarian government has drawn up several programs for boosting the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy, as this is the right path for progress, in his opinion. “Through the implementation of these programs, we stimulate industrial production, support the expansion of our enterprises on both domestic and export markets and help create a favorable business environment”, the Minister of State pointed out.

As Diana Wessling, representative and shareholder of the family-owned company explained earlier, in addition to analytical services, the new Knowledge Center will serve to strengthen the role of the WESSLING Group in research and development. The Knowledge Center will closely cooperate with Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University and the Szent István University of Gödöllő.

“The Knowledge Center’s investment leads us to expect that the current number, of 250 engineers and scientists, will increase by thirty percent”, she said.

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The Hong Kong-based Ten Pao Group has selected Miskolc for its first production site outside of China. The strategic decision, arrived at with a view to facilitate overseas expansion, is expected to optimize the production and transportation processes of the company's activities significantly, leading to the enhancement of operational efficiency. The investment, valued at over EUR 14.3 million, is expected to lead to the creation of 300 jobs in the county seat of Borsod. Operational successes could result in further expansions even in short term.

Established in 1979, the Ten Pao Group focuses on the manufacturing of switching power supply units for consumer products, smart chargers and controllers for industrial use. Currently among the industry leaders in the field of power supply and charger unit manufacturing in China, the company only operates production facilities in the towns of Huizhou and Hanzhong.

The construction of the first production site of the company outside mainland China will cost EUR 14.3 million and lead to the creation of an estimated 300 jobs. The new facility that opened on October 5 will primarily focus on the manufacturing of chargers for the Miskolc-based Bosch Power Tools hand-held tool production plant, while also serving European partners.

Hungary and Miskolc were favored in the process leading up to the investment decision because of costefficient logistical arrangements as a result of the close proximity of the partners, and the availability of the quality workforce needed.

Bingbing Yang, Vice President of Ten Pao stressed that the new Miskolc unit of the company is an important step in growing international, building on the close proximity of the most important partners.

Minister of State for Economic Diplomacy at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Levente Magyar added that “Chinese companies are contributing significantly to Hungary’s economic successes, Hungarian exports to China are expected to continue to increase, as is the ratio of added value in these products.”

GE HUNGARY, MÁRTON KOVÁCS/MFAT, WESSLING HUNGARY, TIBOR ROSTA/MTI

NEW BP CENTER OFFICE OPENED IN SZEGED

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­company briefs PÁTY INDUSTRIAL PARK LAUNCHES KÜHNE + NAGEL FACILITY

Following a successful test run, the first facility in the Páty Industrial Park, Inpark, located just west of Budapest was officially inaugurated this October. The 23,000 sqm logistics center in Hungary’s latest international logistics hub was developed as a greenfield project by the Hungarian state-owned industrial property group NIPÜF (National Industrial Park Management and Development Company) under the brand name Inpark and serves as a regional car parts distribution hub operated by logistics service provider Kühne + Nagel. The HUF five billion project created 160 new jobs. The ceremony was attended

by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. A statement by Inpark states that construction began last November and the building was delivered in August. The building exceeds industry standards with its unique façade design and large glass surfaces. The two units of the facility offer different storage types: wide-aisle and narrow-aisle. This latter required the construction of a superflat floor. The 42-hectare Páty Industrial Park offers 188,000 sqm of development opportunity in total. The complex is leased to Hungary’s leading logistics service provider, Kühne + Nagel Kft. They will provide contract logistics services, such as warehouse services, receipt of goods and pick & pack operations, plus value-added services including labeling and kitting in customer-specific product configurations. The built-to-suit warehouse will employ more than 160 people. This number has the potential to grow by at least 33 percent to support increasing volume or changing trading profiles. According to the Managing Director of Kühne + Nagel Kft. Márton Lányi, “we are living proof that Hungarian companies can achieve success in a tough market environment based on their expertise, innovation and prime location. The development of the logistics sector is beneficial for everyone, as it represents competitive advantage for the entire national economy.”

Inpark’s project in Páty is part of the largest industrial park development program in Central Europe to date, which will include the construction of several modern production and logistics facilities all over the country, with investments totaling hundreds of billions of forints.

KRONES AG INVESTMENT IN DEBRECEN The German family venture Krones AG has announced the establishment of a plant that will manufacture food industry equipment parts in Debrecen, E Hungary, with an investment of close to HUF 15 billion (some EUR 49 million), close to 40% of which is covered by the Hungarian government. Once completed in 2018, the plant is forecast to employ – by 2020 – 500 people, including highly skilled workers and engineers.

Founded in 1951, Germany-based Krones Group designs, develops and manufactures machines and complete systems for process, filling and packaging technology. Their equipment processes millions of bottles, cans and shaped containers daily, mainly in breweries, soft drinks factories, as well as in the chemical, pharmaceutical and the cosmetic products industries. The dynamic growth of the company is due to the fact that it very early turned towards production for export, which accounts for 90% of its turnover. Today, the Group has more than 90 subsidiaries and sites worldwide, employing a total of 14,500 people. The company, which has over 5,000 patents, spent EUR 171 million on research and development in 2016.

As the latest step in expanding the scope of its foreign affiliates, the company opted for the location in Hungary. Debrecen was favored primarily due to its good logistics connection, its great infrastructure, highly qualified professionals and training opportunities provided by the university through dual vocational training. The plant in Debrecen will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and, just as in Germany, it will employ highly trained skilled workers and engineers in the manufacturing and assembly, according to a statement by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) says.

Krones considers the Debrecen plant to be its second European pillar in terms of the manufacture of machine parts and the assembly of the components of the equipment. The company is also planning to bring engineering design processes to Hungary. The total volume of production planned for the period between 2018 and 2020 is EUR 49.2 million.

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MINISTRY FOR NATIONAL ECONOMY, ZSOLT SZIGETVÁRY/MTI, LAJOS SOÓS/MTI

SIEMENS JOINS GOVERNMENT SUPPLIER PROGRAM Siemens Ltd, the Hungarian subsidiary of Europe's largest industrial manufacturing company, has joined the working group of the National Supplier Program, the Hungarian Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said at the signing of a letter of intent. "We must work to enable every economic stakeholder in Hungary to adopt and use future technologies," the Minister stressed.

The Siemens Group is one of the largest German investors in Hungary, present in Hungary for 130 years, since 1887. The Minister pointed out that Hungary highly appreciates the fact that the company has been contributing to efforts aimed at raising the Hungarian economy’s competitiveness in almost every sector. This process is aptly reflected in the increasing number of completed development and R&D projects, university partnerships as well as in the high number of Hungarian suppliers.

A press release by the Ministry of National Economy quotes the Minister as saying that the program (which Siemens is joining) is designed to assist domestic enterprises obtain knowledge that enables them to join international value chains as suppliers. On the other hand, he added, enterprises already operating as suppliers are helped to do better quality work. The economy’s rapid transformation requires cooperation between the Government and enterprises, and, in these efforts, the Siemens Group has been a key partner.

Hungary can only be successful during the ongoing industrial revolution if the entire economy becomes capable of addressing new challenges, Minister Varga said.

As Siemens Hungary President-CEO Dale A. Martin said, Siemens has not only been a long-time investor in Hungary: the company has also contributed to Hungary’s economic and social progress. The Group also aims to be a predictable, reliable business partner for Hungarian partner companies, and that includes providing assistance in bolstering the regional positions of Hungarian SMEs, he added. w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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NEW LOGISTICS CENTER IN NYÍREGYHÁZA The latest project of Révész-Nyírlog Logistics, Trade and Service Ltd., owned by Révész Logisztikai Holding Zrt. has been completed. As a result of the development implemented from EUR 28 million, a more than 52,000-sqm logistics center – the largest of its kind in Eastern Hungary – has been established, supplemented with a warehouse hall, an office building and accessory rooms.

According to a communiqué by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), due to the expansion, a total of more than 260,000 square meters of warehouse capacity is now available to the Group and 85 new jobs have also been created.

The Révész Group is one of the important transportation, forwarding and logistics providers in all Europe. The company, which has been operating as a family business to date, started its activities as a forwarding business. As a response to market challenges, it began to also engage in the construction of warehouses. Today, the Révész Group focuses on three areas: transport of goods by road and forwarding, logistics, and financial and other services. The company’s most important partners include BorsodChem, Messer, Gefco, Unilever and Slovnaft. In addition, the Group's main warehousing partners include, among others, Michelin, Lego, Electrolux Lehel, Alfi-Ker (Real Network) and Sematic.

Révész-Nyírlog Kft., which implements the Nyíregyháza development, belongs to the logistics profile of the Group.

Together with the more than 52,000 square meters of space established in the just delivered center, the Révész Group's own warehouse capacity exceeds 260,000 square meters. With 500 heavy goods lorries and 600 employees, the Hungarian-owned and managed group is Hungary's market-leading logistics and forwarding company, and is within the top 10 in Europe.

At the opening ceremony, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated the company’s owners on the investment, which the Hungarian-owned family business realized over a period of 10 months. The Hungarian government – in cooperation with HIPA – provided subsidy to the project based on individual government decision.

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FOR MORE POLITICAL DIALOG INTERVIEW WITH MASSIMO RUSTICO, ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY

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The future of the EU

“I would therefore venture into recalling only what is an all-inclusive topic, such as the vision, the debate and the concrete steps to be taken for the ‘future of the European Union’. No question that it will have an impact on each of us and especially on the

Both Italy and Hungary are members of the European Union and NATO. Ambassador Rustico says he could talk hours about the main issues/platforms of the two countries’ cooperation within these organizations.

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

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HUNGARY

ITALY

93,028 sq km 110 9,874,784 (July 2016 est.)

91 -0.24% (2016 est.)

216 9.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

207 75.9 years 92 1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

57 USD 26,200 (2015 est.)

70 6.8% (2015 est.)

79 11.786 million 76 41 (2013) 104

301,340 sq km 73 62,137,802 (July 2017 est.)

23 0.19% (2017 est.)

185 8.6 births/1,000 population 215 82.2 years 14 3.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population 32 USD 36,800 (2016 est.)

51 11.7% (2016 est.)

147 85,955,905 18 129 45

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Ambassador Rustico has been in office in Hungary for almost a year now. As to what objectives he set for himself when taking up this post in Budapest, he points out that every ambassador has the mission to do his or her utmost to foster the bilateral relations. “This implies a great deal of efforts to contribute substantially to that aim, in terms of strengthening the general political relations, the business dimension, the cultural message.

Overall, Italy and Hungary have been sharing a deep friendship that even temporary ups and downs cannot jeopardize. Ever since I took up this position in Hungary, I have been working relentlessly to achieve a much better and intense political dialogue between our two countries after a period of calm. We are very satisfied with the results achieved so far! Moreover we look at the future with a great deal of optimism!”

There has not been an extensive bilateral

discussion between the Hungarian and Italian Prime Ministers for years. “Although, our Prime Ministers see each other on a regular basis on the occasion of the European Council meetings and on several other occasions, it is true that there has been a period without the direct, intense political dialogue that we are used to see between two partners – the differing approach on specific points on the migration issue has been a factor. However, in the past eight months, there have been high level, bilateral political meetings involving our Foreign Ministers in Rome in March 2017 and in Milan this October, besides the most recent official bilateral visit to Budapest by the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister in early October.

Besides the bilateral meeting in Milan, the two Foreign Ministers opened together the First Italian-Hungarian Business Forum in the presence of more than 130 entrepreneurs. I am confident that we will have even more interaction between the two countries at the highest political level, once the electoral phase in Italy and Hungary is over next spring,” the Ambassador stresses.

photo by

BY SÁNDOR LACZKÓ

italian focus future generations. No matter what, it will require a tremendous effort from each and every side to gain momentum towards a better functioning system which shall be inclusive. We shall never forget the economic dimension if compared to global players such as the US with an economy of no less than USD 15 trillion or China in excess of USD 10 trillion. The EU is a powerful player with its USD 15 trillion. Even the great German economy, if taken alone, would get in the ring with around USD 3.5 trillion. It is clear that if united, we are a very relevant factor in the equation of the global economy. On the other hand, the complex and lengthy process of the European integration and the fostering of its economy are facing today the heavy burdens of dealing with the massive migration and the terror threat. While we have to ensure the security of our external borders, we shall refrain from enforcing any possible action jeopardizing the free flow of people and goods within the common European market. The whole Europe would pay a heavy toll in this respect.

Instead, every possible effort has to be made for the implementation of the needed measures in the external dimension of migration and overall security. Italy has been at the forefront in dealing with such dramatic challenges, and the action taken

by Rome in the past few months is bearing quite relevant results. The issue, though, is European and not Italian, and has to be dealt with a tremendous common effort, by supporting Libya, the Sahel countries and all the other relevant players,” he highlights.

Increasing bilateral trade and investment

photos by

PIXABAY.COM

Ambassador Rustico said earlier this year that Italy could become Hungary’s third largest trading partner after Germany and Austria in 2017. “Yes, as I precisely explained at the Italian Business Day in Debrecen, it was a forecast based on data released by the Hungarian Statistical Office for the first two quarters of 2017. In that period, the bilateral trade topped EUR 4.9 billion, turning Italy as the third largest trading partner of Hungary.

The Italian exports to Hungary reached EUR 2.2 billion, while the imports from Hungary were about EUR 2.7 billion. That said, Italy ranked eighth as supplier partner and second as customer partner.

This development was due to higher imports of agricultural products, in particular cereals (+85.8%), chemical products and plastics (+15.4%), machinery for general purposes (+42.8%), automotive

accessories (+12.1%). On the Italian export side, there were higher exports such as organic chemicals and plastics, industrial equipment, car accessories, iron, cast iron and steel. The trade between the two countries is extremely versatile and consolidated in terms of sectors and that appears to be an overall point of strengths for both sides. We will see what the figures of the last two quarters of the year will show.”

The Italian presence in Hungary is quite relevant in the service industry, with players of the size of Generali, the largest by market share in the insurance sector and – with UniCredit and CIB/ Intesa-San Paolo Group – in the banking sector.

The Ambassador highlights that overall, around 2,500 Italian companies are successfully operating in Hungary. “The Embassy, together with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (CCIU), undertakes a great deal of efforts to foster such a successful economic relationship. The first ever Italian-Hungarian Business Forum that we organized in Milan on October 12th was meant to showcase to the Italian industry the opportunities offered by Hungary as a destination of foreign direct investments. Italy’s manufacturing industry remains the second largest in Europe and among the top ten world exporters.

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The current year will be a record one in terms of exports for our economy, and may reach the EUR 450 billion value. The Italian industry continues to invest substantially worldwide.”

As to what Italian companies present incorporated and or operating in Hungary say about the current investment environment in this country, the Ambassador voices his view that the overall business climate is considered quite positive and favorable to further investing in existing or new activities. “We are quite confident about the future of the Hungarian economy and in its evolution towards the highest standards. There is, however, a growing concern for the lack of sufficient access to labor capacities. I believe this being a general concern for every operator and a potential problem that not only Hungary is confronted with.”

Civilian and cultural relations As the Ambassador highlights, NGOs and civilian organizations are important players in both the Italian and Hungarian societies and provide a great deal of services. “They support the establishment of solidarity-based actions, exchange of experiences, dialogue and cooperation on quite relevant issues, they remain a key driver for the social inclusion. An interesting aspect is offered by the large number of twin projects uniting our respective cities such as the one between Florence and Budapest, Parma and Szeged, Sarzana and Eger, Montebelluna and Tata, without mentioning the many others.”

Regarding cultural relations between Hungary and Italy, Ambassador Rustico stresses that they are based primarily on cooperation between cultural and academic institutions of both countries within the framework of a specific Italian-Hungarian Cultural Cooperation Agreement and its Executive Program, signed in 1999 and currently in force.

Cooperation covers areas such as university and scholastic education, scholarships, art and culture, cultural heritage protection, archaeology, archives and libraries, publishing, communication, sport and tourism. Private sector cooperation between foundations, associations, festivals, prizes and contests is also encouraged.

Cultural relations between the two countries are, in fact, very ancient, and “we can practically date them back to the time of the birth of the Kingdom of Hungary. They then greatly intensified during the Renaissance when Hungarian scholars travelled and resided repeatedly in Italy. That was the case with Giano Pannonio (poet and humanist, bishop of Pécs) but many other Italians travelled or lived in Hungary, such as Ippolito d'Este (Archbishop of Eger) and great protector of our poet Ludovico Ariosto. At the court of Mattia Corvino (Hungary’s King Matthias), the Italian Renaissance flourished in particular thanks to the wife of the King, Beatrice d'Aragona, Princess of the dynasty that ruled then in Naples.

Intelligent, educated, politically aware, patron of the arts, Beatrice contributed greatly to the creation of the Library then known by the name of Corviniana, Europe's largest library of the time to the north of the Alps,” the Ambassador explains.

Another important moment in the political and cultural relations between Hungary and Italy he mentions was the Risorgimento, especially during the revolutions of 1848-49, when in the common attempt to free themselves from the Hapsburg’s rule, Hungarians were flanked by the Italian Legion led by Colonel Alessandro Monti, while the Hungarian Legion of Colonel István Türr fought in support of the Piedmont’s army. Budapest and Venice were the last cities to surrender under the bombardment of the reactionary forces, and fell about the same time in August 1849. “In the past century, literature also created a bridge between our two countries with authors like Luigi Pirandello, well known in Hungary, and Sándor Márai, much loved in Italy. These and other historical-cultural backgrounds partly explain why Italian culture and language are well known and loved also in today Hungary, where Italian as a foreign language has the fourth place by number of students. It is chosen not only for its cultural prestige, but also for the lifestyle and the working sectors to which it is associated, such as gastronomy, tourism, heritage restoration, cinema, fashion and design, and industry more than ever. We can only rejoice in this choice and we are committed to supporting it with our cultural and educational offer in Hungary.”

Massimo Rustico has been in Hungary for about a year now. When asked about his impression of the country, the people, he points out that “Hungary has been a magnificent choice in terms of professional and personal life for me and my family. It has been a very intense a positive period and I rejoice having still a few years ahead as Ambassador in this beautiful country. People are very welcoming and I have the feeling of a great admiration towards Italy in the overall dimension it is perceived. As the cultural interest towards Italy appears very important, the sentiment of friendship between the two peoples blends our relations in all aspects.”

The second edition of the Italian Cuisine in the World will take place from 20 to 26, November, 2017. Many events on schedule: films screening, conference, pizza tasting, wine tasting, special menu and much more.

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BUSINESS INITIATORS

For a month, we will draw attention to the ‘Made in Italy’ initiative in Hungary in all its forms, both to the commercial and to the cultural aspects, thanks to the cooperation of the Italian Institute of Culture. Furthermore, we continue to invite Hungarian buyers, importers and distributors to the main business fairs in Italy in the sectors to which we attribute priority. With our trade analysts, we have been in Hungary for about 50 years, which shows that this market is considered really important by the Italian government.

We give concrete support to the Italian SMEs also through our Structural Funds Desk, aiming to monitor and provide basic information about the operative programs and tenders.”

ITALIAN-HUNGARIAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS IN UPWARD TREND The Italian Trade Agency (ICE) is the government agency that promotes the internationalization of Italian companies. In addition to its Rome headquarters, ICE operates worldwide from a large network of trade promotion offices linked to Italian embassies and consulates and works closely with local authorities and businesses. The office in the Hungarian capital was set up in 1969 and functions as the trade development section of the Italian Embassy. The Director of the Budapest office, Marco Bulf tells Diplomacy&Trade that “economic relations between Italy and Hungary are traditionally excellent and poised for continued growth.” Overall trade levels have been trending upwards: the main Italian exports to Hungary, in the first half of the year, were in machinery & equipment (+5.8%), motor vehicles (+1.8%) and food & beverages (+12.3%). Italy’s main imports from Hungary were in agricultural products (+85.8%), vehicles (+1.3%) and chemical products (+15.4%).

“In terms of investments, Hungary remains a good destination for Italian companies, with more than EUR 2.5 billion invested, and Italy ranks as the 9th largest investor in the country. The finance & insurance sectors, with top investors like Unicredit, IntesaSanpaolo and Generali, play a key role in Hungary, but the most recent investment has been in the expansion of existing facilities in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors,” he adds.

Italy-Hungary Business Forum On October 12, the Italian city of Milan hosted the first Italy-Hungary Business Forum, attended by the foreign ministers of the two countries as well as the representatives of major Italian and Hungarian public and private institutions. The event was realized as a cooperation between the Italian Embassy and the Budapest, Rome and Milan offices of the Italian Trade Agency. According to the ICE Director, it was the first important step to explain to Italian companies the attractiveness of the Hungarian market in terms of investments and opportunities provided by a stable growth of the Hungarian economy.

The event was attended by about 200 participants, including Italian and Hungarian companies interested in developing business relationships. In the morning plenary session, Hungary was presented in all its aspects, while the afternoon session was focused on specific areas (food industry, medical and environment sectors) where important investment projects were structured.

3rd largest trading partner

ICE’s role When asked how much of a role ICE has played in achieving this favorable position and through what means, Marco Bulf says “it

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is difficult to assess how much of our efforts have turned to concrete business results.

However, I can say that our contribution, in line with our institutional mission, is certainly essential for the SMEs interested in internationalization. We provide assistance in all initial phases of their activity, which are particularly important for developing serious and concrete business relationships.

Over the past years, our supporting activity, either in the form of personalized assistance or promotional activity, has increased significantly. Moreover, the financial commitment of the Italian government has also increased, allowing us to carry out promotional events of a certain level.

For instance, within the framework of the ‘Export Sud Program’, we will organize, in February 2018, a collective of Italian companies to the SIRHA Fair, the most important Hungarian fair of the agricultural, food and horeca sectors. In May, together with the associations ANCE (the National Association of Builders) and OICE (of engineering, architecture and technicaleconomic consultancy), we will organize a

SMEs have an outstanding role in bilateral economic relations. As Marco Bulf explains, “statistics show that SMEs are predominant in the Italian economy, having a big influence on obtaining the gross domestic product and the supply of jobs. In Hungary, as well, SMEs play an important role in the industrial development of the country. Both Italian and Hungarian governments support SMEs with preferential access to credit and preferential policy support. Thanks to their entrepreneurial spirit, their flexibility and their potential to react to challenges, Italian and Hungarian SMEs contribute to sustainable growth and employment generation in a significant manner.”

Regarding the view of the current investment environment in Hungary, the ICE Director points out that Italian companies continue to consider Hungary a place that encourages foreign direct investment. “The good location in the center of Central Europe and only few hours from the Italian border, with corporate income tax lowered now to a 9% flat rate and new forms of incentive measures, investors are encouraged to consider this country, looking at Hungary not as an ‘end point’ but rather a jumping board to the neighboring countries.”

delegation of Italian companies from the construction sector, following the initiative realized in 2015. Another event we will organizewill be the Italian Festival, aiming to consolidate the Italian presence in Hungary.

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SMEs, investment environment

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Italian Ambassador Massimo Rustico has recently said that Italy could become Hungary’s third largest trading partner after Germany and Austria in 2017. As to what he attributes this development, the ICE Director highlights that “the latest data for the first semester of 2017 are very encouraging, even though they are temporary. If the estimations are confirmed, the final value of the ItalianHungarian trade could reach approximately EUR 10 billion at the end of the year, compared to 8.4 billion achieved in 2016, which is due to the concomitant growth: on the one hand, Hungarian export to Italy increased by 20% – if this picture is confirmed Italy will become the 2nd country of destination for Hungary.

On the other hand, Italian exports to Hungary increased by 8.2%.”

He believes it is too early to have a detailed analysis of the data, but the results of an initial analysis show that the biggest growth was reached by the machinery & equipment and motor vehicles sectors. “I would like also to emphasize that Italian-Hungarian trade increased by 22% in the last 5 years, showing a constant upwards trend.”

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italian focus

A CHAMBER BOOSTED

Italian Business Day CCIU has organized the very first Italian Business Day in Hungary. It took place in Debrecen, eastern Hungary this September.

The diplomatic/institutional event of the day involved meeting with the Mayor of Debrecen, the governor of Hajdú-Bihar County and the rector of the University of Debrecen. “At this meeting, we talked about the possibilities of cooperation with the county and the surrounding areas. As far as the practical results are concerned, at least 15 Hungarian firms from the region have already shown interest in establishing business contacts with Italian companies. In Debrecen, we also organized a business meeting entitled ‘Made WITH Italy’, stressing cooperation between the two countries,” Francesco Mari highlights.

ANNIVERSARY PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR INITIATING BIG CHANGES

Expanding CCIU presence

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Synergy The Italian Ambassador to Hungary, Massimo Rustico has recently said that Italy could become Hungary’s third largest trading partner after Germany and Austria in 2017.

As to what he attributes this development to, the CCIU President points out that “yes, that is the forecast we have – we’ll reach that position in 2018, the latest. Ambassador Rustico gave an impetus, a turbo boost for us to work on enhancing the bilateral economic relations. He is a diplomat who focuses on the economy part of his job, based on his personal experience in the economic field.

Also, I believe that the CCIU has a key role in this development. I am very proud to tell that other Italian representatives in Hungary – the Ambassador, ICE (trade agency) Director Marco Bulf and the Director of the Italian Institute, Gian Luca Borghese – all agree with this and appreciate our job, especially what we do outside Budapest. I believe this growth in trade figures is due in part to this synergy among these Italian players in Hungary.

There has never been such cooperation. We have a monthly meeting where we talk about our plans and we organize several things together.”

THE NEW PRESIDENT

At its general assembly meeting on September 26 this year, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary elected a new President, Francesco Maria Mari as the mandate of the previous President, Ferdinando Martignago, expired. The new President acknowledges that his election confirms the credits of an entrepreneur who believes firmly in the mission of the Chamber of Commerce, that is to say, to contribute in a concrete way to the development of the Italian businesses on Hungarian territory.

Born in 1955, Francesco Maria Mari graduated in Law and has a Master in Business Administration from the Bocconi University. He has more than 20 years of experience in management which led him to occupying important positions at Italian and international firms such as ‘Saatchi & Saatchi’, ‘RAS Allianz’, ‘Banca Popolare Commercio & Industria’ and ‘Gruppo Mediobanca’. Furthermore, he has a 15-year experience in business activity where he has specialized in corporate start-ups in the sectors of services, web and telecommunications.

Currently an entrepreneur in the real estate sector operating in Hungary, Italy and Spain, he has chosen Budapest as the headquarters of his head office after recognizing the great growth possibilities and the life quality this nation offers.

Cooperation areas According to Francesco Mari, bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector has great prospects. “Hungarian soil is wonderful, probably the best in Europe. However, the agricultural infrastructure is quite outdated in many areas and that is where Italy comes into the picture with its fairly developed production of agricultural machinery.” The CCIU President also sees great opportunities of cooperation in the automotive industry. “Hungary is home to several car assembly plants while Italy is strong – if not the leading country on the continent – in supplying all sorts of parts and components to these cars.”

Networking As for the most important and most popular services offered by CCIU, Francesco Mari first mentions networking. “This makes it much easier for our members to establish contacts with regional economic communities at the different Business Days and through the info points. In Italy, we’ll be very much present with conferences and workshops. We have made an agreement with an SME association there and now, we have daily collaboration with them in order to put Hungarian and Italian companies in contact with each other,” he concludes.

While the Italian dialogue in Budapest was boosted by the Ambassador, a similar boost was made in the Chamber with the new President taking office earlier this year. It is due in part to the fact that in the past three years, Francesco Maria Mari has filled every executive position of this prestigious association: Administration Councilor, Treasurer, Vice President and General Secretary.

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a very short period of time, we have managed to expand our presence in the Hungarian countryside as well as in Italy and we can already see the positive effects.”

photo by DÁVID

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l'Ungheria – CCIU) celebrates the 25th anniversary of its establishment this year. As the President of the organization, Francesco Maria Mari explains to Diplomacy&Trade, 2017 is very important for us not just because of the anniversary, this is also a year of substantial changes in the life of the chamber. “There is a new approach in the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary, which is primarily manifested in the fact that the Chamber has begun to make its presence felt in several Hungarian cities outside Budapest. We wish to explore the countryside and get close to businesses there. This is something that is particular to our chamber of commerce.

The other new approach is our presence in Italy. We have opened seven representative offices (points of assistance) there. This way, we can provide information for Italian companies about investment and trade opportunities in and/or with Hungary. The most difficult issue that must be overcome is the flow of information. People in Italy don’t really know Hungary. They don’t know the Hungarian economic environment, they have misconceptions about the situation here.

So, these newly established offices help us make contacts with the local industrial and SME associations in Italy and with the Italian Chamber of Commerce. We can say that over

He adds that “this October, again for the first time in history, an Italian-Hungarian Business Forum took place. The meeting in the city of Milan was attended by high-ranking Italian and Hungarian state and business officials, including the two ministers in charge of foreign trade. It was organized by the Italian Embassy in Budapest and ICE/ITA. There was such great interest that several Italian companies had to be turned away because of overbooking.”

As a continuation of expanding the Italian Chamber’s presence throughout Hungary, “CCIU is going to open four Italian Desks in cooperation with the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce with which we have a very good relationship. These desks have Italian speaking personnel through whom business contacts can be established with Italian companies.

In the future, the Italian Business Day will be repeated every year in at least four Hungarian cities,” the President points out.

italian focus itself. According to the Deputy CEO, the ‘Leave your mark’ program showcases the premium banking business concept, which is about the bank’s permanent striving for excellence in serving its individual, private, small business and corporate clients – just as talented people, who truly and continuously strive for constant improvement, do in their own fields. “With the program, by giving an example, our ultimate goal is to extend the culture and attitude of talent fostering to the society at large.”

Helping Italian and international firms

UniCredit Bank Hungary had a very successful year in 2016. As the Deputy CEO of the bank and Member of the Management Board, Marco Iannaccone highlights to Diplomacy&Trade, “indeed, we worked a lot last year but this is the deserved result of our work that began many years ago. Of course, we are proud that by this excellent results and strong business performance especially in dynamically increasing corporate lending as well as leveraging on our local expertise and also the international knowledge through our Group, we were able to contribute to not only to the development, expansion and success of our corporate clients but also to the growth of the Hungarian economy.”

As to what the main direction for UniCredit Bank Hungary is, the Deputy CEO points out that being a subsidiary of a simple successful Pan-European Bank as well as doing successful business in

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Hungary for 27 years now are very big asset. “We have already been a premium bank in many business segments, but we are expanding this concept to all business and functional areas of our bank. All the initiatives we have defined from employer branding to digitalization will help us further develop our market position and our leading role among profitable businesses – all this at a very competitive Hungarian banking market – both in the corporate and retail sectors.”

Leave your mark This profitable result has made it possible for the bank to extend its support activities to new areas, like creating the ‘Leave your mark’ program. “Our bank has been supporting the community throughout its history. We are a bank our customers can trust, we play a tangible positive role in their everyday lives with relevant business solutions to the real needs and wants of our customers.

But also beyond that, we wish to

give back to the society in which we operate through supporting excellence in Hungary. We have been supporting talents for almost 20 years on the one hand, and on the other, this program is part of our premium banking concept also started last year. We started to elaborate the campaign more than a year ago. Indeed, our successful year 2016 and excellent results gave us the opportunity and means to realize our new program,” Marco Iannaccone explains.

He adds that the ‘Leave your mark’ initiative is in line with the values, image and fundamentals of UniCredit Group. “Other talent programs usually strive to foster newcomer talents who are beginners, who haven’t yet proved their talent and are not known yet. They support starting-out of talents. The approach of our ‘Leave your mark’ program is different: it strives to foster the talents’ step further in their career, to have the chance and means to go on a road where they have already N O V E M B E R

achieved considerable results.

They are not beginners, they have proven their talents, skills and excellence but are not that widely acknowledged yet. A jury asked by – but completely independent of – UniCredit Bank Hungary has shortlisted 3-3 talented individuals out of 100 nominees in three areas: visual arts, music and taste. Both UniCredit clients and the public at large are invited to participate in the program by sharing the stories of the talents and voting for their favourite ones. The goal is to find the most talented person in each category who are the most committed towards excellence. The winner of each category, who will be chosen solely by public vote, will be awarded a prize of HUF 3 million (close to EUR 10,000) each with which they can further their career.”

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UNICREDIT BANK SUPPORTS HUNGARIAN TALENTS

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LEAVE YOUR MARK!

UniCredit is headquartered in Italy, therefore, has specialised knowledge and extensive experience regarding serving business needs of Italian firms of which there is a large number present in Hungary, too. As regards offering and providing special services to Italian companies to facilitate their operation in Hungary, the Deputy CEO stresses that “we are here to serve our clients and offer the best knowledge and customized products in line with their plans.

We have a special focus on serving all international corporates, with dedicated relationship managers speaking their languages, knowing their culture and needs. Being a Hungarian subsidiary of a strong Pan-European Group, we benefit from the ability of mixing the group support and knowledge with the local specific products and services.”

In the past few weeks and months, there have been several bilateral economic meetings and talks between Hungarian and Italian officials, including a business forum in Milan this October. As to how much these efforts can help enhancing business links between the two countries and what role UniCredit can play in all this in the future, Marco Iannaccone points out that “as a subsidiary of UniCredit, we feel responsible and therefore, we are fully involved in these bilateral economic events.

As we have strong long-standing experience in Hungary as a financial group, sharing business experience and presenting the resulting opportunities of the country for a potential new investor are very important.”

italian focus

STELVIO - A PASS TO SUV

the first SUV in the brand's history that achieves excellent overall performance and tops its category for the protection of adult occupants (97% score) of any height and weight. This major award highlights the special attention that Alfa Romeo pays to the safety of all road users and the excellence of the platform on which the Stelvio and Giulia are built.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio features a large number of sophisticated safety systems, available as standard or as option – depending on the version.

Key amongst them is the Integrated Brake System (IBS), the innovative electromechanical system that combines stability control with a traditional servo brake to deliver instantaneous brake response and hence record-breaking stopping distances, not to mention the Forward Collision Warning and the Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian detection, which give the driver an audible alert of a potential front collision and then activates the braking system, and Lane Departure Warning, which warns the driver if he strays across the boundaries of his lane. Also included is the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) with Rear Cross-Path Detection, for continual monitoring of rear blind spots on both sides of the vehicle, alerting the driver in the event of potential hazards. Last but not least, Active Cruise Control automatically adjusts the speed to traffic conditions.

THE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE FOR ALFA ROMEO IN ITS HISTORY

Quadrifoglio The next year will see the debut of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio (Q4), the 510-horsepower, six-cylinder, 2.9-liter petrol turbo engine introduces Ferrari's technology and expertise, which boasts the best horsepower/liter ratio in its category. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio extensively integrates lightweight, stateof-the-art materials that enable and deliver perfect 50/50 weight distribution, segment-leading torsional rigidity, class-exclusive carbon fiber driveshaft and the most direct steering available. Its QV version has claimed the title of world's fastest SUV, setting a new benchmark lap time (7 minutes and 51.7 seconds) at Germany's legendary Nürburgring race circuit. The Q4 combines all the benefits of all-wheel drive (stability, drive, safety) with the driving experience provided by the rear wheel drive.

Safety first The Alfa Romeo Stelvio also excels in its category in the area of safety as it has achieved the coveted Euro NCAP five-star rating in crash tests. It is technology, Integrated Brake System (IBS) AlfaTM DNA and an automatic 8-speed transmission – all these for comfortable, sporty driving.

The outstanding and high performance engine line-up is accompanied by low fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Alfa Romeo engines, with state-of-the-art processes and methods that put them at the top of their class in terms

of performance and fuel economy. The Stelvio is available with five different engine versions, the 2.2 diesel from 150 HP to 210 HP and two 2.0 turbocharged petrol-fuelled with 200 HP and the powerful 280 HP. All combined with an automatic 8-speed transmission and Q4 all-wheel drive. The 150 and 180 HP 2.2 Diesel is also available with real wheel drive.

photos by FCA

The Stelvio is Italy's highest mountain pass and Highway 38, which crosses it, over 20 kilometers in length and with more than 75 hairpin bends, has iconic status. To enjoy it as it is meant to be enjoyed, alone or in the company of friends and family, there is now an SUV capable of offering an unrivalled combination of driving pleasure, Italian styling and versatility: the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. So, no wonder Alfa Romeo’s first sport utility vehicle was named after this wonder of nature. Distinctive features of the genuine ‘Alfa spirit’ have now come together in a sport utility vehicle, delivering a thrilling driving experience, outstanding performance and sporty style.

The Stelvio's proportions, with a length of 468 cm, a height of 167 cm and a width of 216 cm, express strength, dynamism and compactness.

Externally, its attractive line is the perfect blend of tradition, design and performance, an integral part of the brand's history, dating back over a century. Its interior is exclusive and elegant, offering plenty of space, providing the highest comfort and convenience.

In the vehicle, innovative engineering provides the possibility of a unique driving experience: direct steering, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, lightweight (1,660 Kg) materials, state-of-theart suspension with the exclusive AlfalinkTM

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analysis

AFTER SANDY HOOK, ORLANDO AND LAS VEGAS – AND BEFORE …?

GUN CONTROL ATTEMPTS FLARE UP FROM TIME TO TIME IN THE UNITED STATES

illustration by DREAMSTIME.COM

BY TAMÁS MAGYARICS

”A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The right interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States has been a matter of dispute since it was enacted in 1791. The debate usually flares up after such horrific events as the one at the Sandy Hook Elementary School Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, another one in an Orlando nightclub in 2016, and recently, one in Las Vegas in which 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured. The matter of the dispute is whether Congress intended to enable each citizen with the right to bear arms, or it actually wanted to make it possible for only the members of w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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the militia. In fact, the majority of the constitutional scholars and the public accept the former interpretation of the amendment, and there is practically no chance that this situation will change any time in the future despite the tragic events mentioned above. As for the repeal of the Second Amendment, it is practically out of question because of its popular support.

General support The adherence to the Second Amendment provisions can as well be explained in historical and cultural context. Going to extremes, the U.S. was created by firearms; or, to put it in another way, the link between the freedom of the country and free possession of arms became entrenched in the minds of the great majority of Americans from generation to generation. The settlers from Europe took advantage of their superior weapons in their clashes D I P L O M A C Y

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with the Native Americans when they were pushing westward on the North American continent. And it was their expertise with weapons, especially firearms, that enabled the patriots, organized into militias in the original 13 states, to challenge the British ’redcoats’ in the War of Independence in the first place (although ultimately the troops of the Continental Congress under the leadership of George Washington forced the British to give up their efforts to keep the 13 colonies inside the empire). These historical and cultural realities explain that the majority of Americans even today, regardless of their party affiliations or ideological beliefs, support in general “right of the people to keep and bear arms.” Overall, some 74% of the people in America claim that the gun is essential to their freedom. The real debate nowadays is about what types of ‘arms’ can be kept and by whom?

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Gun-right groups

Regional differences

Regulation of the possession of firearms in recent times can be traced back to the Gun Control Act of 1968, which denied the right to bear arms for individuals with criminal records, drug addicts, the mentally challenged, and people sentenced in court, for instance, on charges of domestic violence, among others. Things came to head after the assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. The President’s Press Secretary, James S. Brady got shot in the head and became paralyzed for the rest of his life. The gun-lobby, especially the National Rifle Association and the gun control interest groups, such as, for example, the Handgun Control, Inc. or the Center to Prevent Handgun Violation repeatedly clashed over the next few years concerning the new regulations (read, restrictions on gun ownership). (It should be noted that while the NRA is the favorite ’bogeyman’ of those for stricter gun control, its power is exaggerated at times. For instance, gun-right groups spent some USD 10 million on lobbying in 2016, while even the environmental advocacy groups outspent them by some USD 3 million.

On the other hand, it is also true that the NRA’s influence over federal and state legislatures is stronger than the amount of money it spends suggests.)

There is a pattern in the rise and fall of the support for stricter gun control in the U.S. After each of the mass murders, the number of those who demand stricter regulations, for instance, universal background check (that is, not only for the people who purchase guns at a licensed gun dealer, but also for those who acquire such a weapon in a private transaction) tends to increase only to drop after the elapse of a few weeks or months.

A case in point is the Obama Administration’s attempt to expand the background checks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which was ultimately blocked by Congress in 2013. It should also be noted that gun control is a matter of partisan dispute. In a recent opinion poll in December 2016, out of the 48% of the respondents who wanted stricter gun control, 74% were Democrats and only 23% Republicans. Besides the partisan division, people – and legislators in general no matter which major party they belong to – in the South, parts of the Midwest and the West are more in favor of ‘liberal’ gun laws than inhabitants in the Northeast or the big cities.

Background checks The Brady Handgun Violation Prevention Act of 1993 made it possible, among other things, to create a National Instant Background Check System, which is operated by the FBI. In practice, a licensed gun dealer can check within minutes whether the prospective buyer can be served or not. Since the introduction of the legislation, some 1.3 million purchases have been rejected out of about 230 million requests. The Brady Law, as almost all other laws, does have loopholes: it does not apply to selling and buying firearms by private individuals. Therefore, anyone is able to buy guns at the so-called gun-shows. Another question is the type of guns individuals are allowed to buy and possess. The general rule is that no automatic weapons can be marketed. However, legally marketable guns can be converted into automatic rifles as the example of Stephen Paddock proves; he attached the so-called bump stock to a dozen or so of his weapons used at the Las Vegas bloodbath.

No substantial changes expected

Another debate is centered on the number of casualties gunned down each year. The estimate is around 30,000 people each year, but roughly 20,000 suicides committed with guns are counted in this figure. Moreover, fewer people think that guns make it easier to commit a crime than those who believe that gun ownership contributes to the high crime rate in the country (44% versus 56%). The former group’s favorite argument is that it is not the guns that kill but the people who pull the triggers. As for the immediate consequences of the Las Vegas massacre, no substantial changes can be expected in the gun control legislation, especially given a Republican President in the White House and a Republican majority in both Houses of Congress. One disturbing fact is the acceleration of the frequency of these atrocities.

The sad reality is that the real question is where and when the next massacre will take place in the U.S. and not whether a similar bloodbath on the scale of either Sandy Hook or Orlando or Las Vegas will happen.

Tamás Magyarics is a foreign policy analyst

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business

NO TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT HUMANITY

important than the question of HOW or IF we can do something, is the question of WHY and WHO, that is, we are applying technical feasibility to the question of purpose and meaning. Human values are not technology, happiness is not an app, and the world isn't just data (I believe). Human values are not zeros and ones, and they are not code.

In that sense we will need to 'protect' humanity from too many algorithms, too much machinethinking and over-efficiency. What matters is not the hammer that builds the house but what the HOUSE is!”

To those in the audience, the title of his lecture ‘Technology vs. humanity’, may carry the notion that technology will – or is likely to – compete with humanity in the future. The futurist says the title is a provocation “but clearly, if we just go forward and do everything that technology could possibly do, we will end up becoming machines ourselves. Balancing the two will be the grand challenge, that is, to NOT use technology when it is dehumanizing to us.”

GERMAN FUTURIST SPEAKS AT BCSDH JUBILEE BUSINESS LUNCH

Faustian pact

On this occasion, Gerd Leonhard also shared his views with Diplomacy&Trade. On his website, he describes himself as a futurist and humanist. As to whether that carries the meaning that human values play an important role in mankind’s future in your view, the futurist pointed out that “anyone can look at the future based on technology; after all, it is the driving force of change! What is more

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The business lunch with Gerd Leonhard was organized by BCSDH, an organization aimed at propagating sustainability in the corporate world in Hungary. As to how important sustainability is likely to be in the future for business and for private individuals, the futurist highlights that “sustainability is being redefined because it must include the key question on how sustainable TECHNOLOGY will be for humans, that is, is the coming convergence of man and machine actually a good thing? How will we sustain ourselves as non-machines, that is, as humans, and not squash human attributes because they are a nuisance and inefficient? This question is equally important as how will we sustain our environment.” The world is constantly changing, developing, so, an obvious final question to a futurist is whether we can envision how different life and people’s circumstances are going to be in 20 or 50 years? How far can a futurist “see” into the future, anyway? Gerd Leonhard’s answer is quite short: “Alvin Toffler did that, Arthur C. Clarke did that, Marshall McLuhan did that, but... my range is 5-10 years, right now. Mostly because the speed of change is exponential!”

CARBON-FREE JUBILEE

Speaking at the jubilee business lunch of the BCSDH, the Chairman of the organization, Attila Chikán Jr. stressed that “the labor market has been changing at an accelerating pace and there is no company in Hungary which is not affected by these changes. Ever-greater labor shortages can threaten market positions, and may become serious impediments to development.”

His speech introduced the recommendation of three points developed in cooperation with the leaders of BCSDH member companies that are designed to help the business sector achieve employment targets – recommendations that pave the way for the business sector to move towards a more sustainable labor market.

Over 70 senior executives, civil and scientific experts took part in the preparation and wording of the recommendations.

As a result, solutions for both the business sector and its stakeholders were identified that might can positively impact the employment situation.

These recommendations include (1) creating employment systems which fit the life status of individuals, (2) promoting lifelong development, and (3) supporting the career paths of women.

As part of the jubilee business lunch of BCSDH, an award ceremony was also held for the newly founded ‘For a Sustainable Future Prize’. This is the first year that the organization, which embraces 80 member companies that contribute approximately 30% of Hungary’s GDP, has presented this prize, which has three categories: ‘Change Leader’, ‘Leading Women’ and ‘Business Solutions’.

As BCSDH Managing Director and member of the jury, Irén Márta, explained, “we have established this complex prize with the purpose of recognizing and disseminating to a wide audience the activities of leaders and companies in the field of sustainability. The goal of the prize is to promote and increase the contribution of business to meeting Sustainable Development Goals.”

The jury (made up of Dr. Gábor Bartus, Szilvia Krizsó, Irén Márta and István Salgó) selected the laureates from 26 applicants.

The recipients of the Change Leader prize were László Károlyi (Legrand) and Károly Kovács (BDL). The winners of the Leading Woman Prize were Kamilla Csomai (MAVIR), Andrea Istenesné Solti (Shell), Márta Pálfalvi (Heineken) and Mónika Vörös (Unilever). The best Business Solution prize was awarded to TESCO Globál Áruházak Zrt. for its ‘Not a single bite of food can be wasted’ program that is designed to reduce the amount of food waste.

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LÁSZLÓ NAGY

Technology, purpose and meaning

Corporate sustainability

photos by Z.

“Efficiency should never become more important than humanity, because not everything that can be automated should be – and happiness cannot be automated.” That is according to futurist Gerd Leonhard, one of the top influencers in Europe (Wired magazine, 2015) and Future Agency CEO speaking at the business lunch of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH) on the 10th anniversary of the organization’s establishment this October. The role of mankind in a digitalized society was the emphasis of his live video speech.

“The future is already here - but most of us haven't noticed. We are facing exponential technological change and it’s only just the beginning. Humanity will change more in the next 20 years than in the previous 300 years. 50% of our jobs will be automated within the next 10 to 15 years. This could be heaven – or it could be hell; it all depends on how we collaborate going forward,” he pointed out.

He stated that “therefore, we should invest at least as much energy in people, in ourselves, as we do in technology. It will make us successful both in terms of personal and economic factors.”

He also highlighted how digitalization, one of the key factors of this change, influences the labor market, and stressed that human skills such as emotions, emotional intelligence, intuition, imagination and creativity are essential for a deep understanding of technology.

As Gerd Leonhard says on his website, “we enter a Faustian pact with the computing entities now serving us.” In reply to the question of how much of humanity is exposed to the digital age, how it will change the future and what humanity has to offer in exchange for knowledge in this Faustian deal, he points out that “we need to make those companies responsible that have become the world's de-facto ruling powers because they use OUR data. It is time for them to deliver safeguards, warrant our privacy and protect us, and to act responsibly with what they invent. Facebook is the best example right now: the biggest media company in the world does not want to be responsible for anything!”

He also says businesses ”need a dedicated, passionate long-term understanding of the future.”

Of course, that is essential to make decisions but the question is how the futurist can help them ‘see’ the future – or perhaps shape it. “Everyone can learn how to 'see the future' by unlocking their imagination and traveling into it. The key is to free up time for that, to stop obsessing with today's revenue streams, and to think hybrid: what IS today, and what MIGHT BE tomorrow. Every good leader can and will do that – the future is a mindset not a timeframe.”

business

SWISS BUSINESS DAY 2017

THIS YEAR’S THEMES ARE ‘INNOVATION AND TALENT’

The Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce (Swisscham Hungary) organizes the 4th Swiss Business Day in Budapest this November. The event is primarily aimed at two target groups: economic actors and management personalities are who primarily interested in the exhibition and conference, and job seekers and students who are more likely lured by the job market portion of the event.

The Swiss Business Day was organized by Swisscham for the first time in 2010 with the aim of bringing Swiss or Swiss-related companies based in Hungary closer together. As Swisscham Director Júlia Lipovecz explains to Diplomacy&Trade, “it was a successful event, popular with the participating firms. So, in 2012, another Swiss Business Day took place, this time popularized by the exhibiting firms, with the main focus still being on the Swiss brand, Swiss quality presented to the Hungarian public. We already had a couple of lectures and roundtable discussions about the experiences of the managers of Swiss companies here in Hungary, which served the purpose of sharing these experiences. We hosted the third Business Day in 2014, this time with a wider range of programs and more open to the public.

We also drew up a main theme ‘Innovation and Creativity’. By this, we meant to show how Swiss companies managed to fit in with the Hungarian business environment. Also, we widened the spectrum of participants by including Hungarian firms who are in business relations with Swiss companies.

With this, we had about 60 exhibitors. The 2014 event also featured a world premiere, the latest development by Roche, a diagnostic tool developed by the Hungarian firm ‘77 Elektronika’.”

sector and region but generally, it is an increasing problem. For the same reason, we are also hosting – in the framework of the Business Day – a job market where the participating companies can present their open positions. Prior to the event, we will have publicized these job offers so that those interested can come to the event.

The job market is great challenge for us, since we are doing it for the first time this November.

Of course, the Innovation part of the theme is a given, as it is an essential part of doing business in Switzerland.”

The event will be organized and supported by the Swiss Embassy in Budapest and the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA). Swisscham’s relationship with the Swiss Embassy in Budapest is excellent, the Director points out. “They have always been excellent and now, we are coming up with ideas for new projects together. We have regular working meetings with them, they help us in recruiting participants and suggesting program elements, for example. As for HIPA, they are a new partner for us. As a government organ, they can also help with connections to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”

The program

Three years later This year, the Swiss Business Day will take place at the Castle Garden Bazaar on November 22. The framework of the event is the same as before, that is, an exhibition with Swiss and Swissrelated firms as well as firms that have some sort of ties with Swiss businesses – altogether, this a pool of hundreds of companies.

According to Júlia Lipovecz, Swiss companies are fairly active in Hungary. She highlights that “this

year, there have been and will be several new Swiss investments in this country. Swisscham has one hundred members and they have a lot of opportunities to state what topics they are interested in raising in various fora. In response to their requests, we set this year’s theme of the Business Day as ‘Innovation and Talent’, the latter referring to a HR issue, as quite a few firms face the fact that it is not easy to find – and/or retain - the desired workforce. The case is different by

Swiss Business Day 2017 is scheduled to open with speeches and lectures. “We will have a guest coming from Switzerland as well: Dr. Nicolas Brühl, Deputy State Secretary, Department Europe, Central Asia, Council of Europe, OSCE, Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The afternoon will feature the thematic programs including a panel discussion on applied innovation with the participation of the representatives of the management of Swiss companies in Hungary, those of advisory firms and perhaps of innovation organizations. In relation to the HR theme, participants of another panel will discuss how to retain the workforce, what we should know about employers and employees of the future,” the Swisscham Director concludes.

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FORGING STRONGER LINKS WITH HUNGARY BRITISH MINISTER OF STATE VISITS HUNGARIAN CAPITAL ”It is a privilege to be able to celebrate with you the perfect metaphor for our renewed commitment to Hungary.

While the UK’s relationship with Europe is changing, we are not turning our back on the European Union, and we are certainly not turning our back on Hungary. The British Embassy has moved from a building we leased to one we have renovated and own. This is a visible demonstration that we are strengthening our roots here.” These were the words of the British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan, at the opening of the new embassy building in Budapest in October.

Following the opening ceremony, Minister Duncan gave a speech at the Corvinus University on the strengthening bilateral relationship between the UK and Hungary. “My main message today is really that, as we leave the European Union, we actually want to strengthen our partnership with Hungary and many other countries, as well,” he pointed out. He stressed that the UK wants to remain a global player in her own right. He said that when the people voted last year, they expressed that they wanted more direct democratic control but they were not questioning the UK’s global role. “In this very interconnected world, no one believes it makes sense to turn inwards. We’ll be promoting trade, we’ll be protecting the rules that govern international relations and we’ll be advancing global development everywhere – all these are in our national interest. For instance, you take terrorism, crime, climate change – these issues don’t respect borders. So, we’re going to continue to work closely on these with EU member countries, and we also want to deepen social partnerships so that we can continue to take a leading role in advancing European prosperity.”

He added that the United Kingdom wants to work internationally to protect many shared values, stressing that “the UK is a permanent member of

the UN Security Council, a leading member of NATO, the G7 group and the Commonwealth; we have the largest defense budget in Europe. In short, we are not turning our back on the European Union, we want to remain a close ally and a trusted friend – we want to be good European neighbors.”

Strong foundations In the case of Hungary, the effort to strengthen ties has already taken a number of practical steps – the most visible step is the new embassy building; “it is a statement of our wish to remain

here and work with you in perpetuity,” Sir Alan Duncan said, highlighting that his country wants to forge stronger links with Hungary at every level, right across the whole spectrum, not just between individuals, businesses and civil society.

“I’m pleased to say that we are building on strong foundations, as we have a very long history of mutual affection,” he said. He recalled that the great Hungarian statesman, István Széchenyi sought inspiration, in the United Kingdom, in the 1800s. It was his initiative that Budapest’s famous chain Bridge was designed by an Englishman and

engineered by a Scotsman. "The Chain Bridge is a testament of what our countries can achieve when we work together,” he stated. He added that in recent decades, “more and more Hungarians have found home in the UK and forged personal relations that bind us together for a long time.

They have also made an incredible contribution to Britain’s diverse society, which we value and that’s why we want them to stay and that is why one of first negotiating goals with the EU is to ensure that Hungarians living in the UK carry on as they did before.”

KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT: INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

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event. The increased presence and supporting infrastructure in the region clearly indicates that Hungary is a potential new European partner for Latin American countries.

According to the standpoint of the Hungarian government, only innovative nations can be successful. It is essential that local companies do not only focus on toll manufacturing but they shall be able to create high value added products and services through research and technological development too. Economic integration and promoting foreign direct investments in various sectors fuel both sustainable economic growth and the increase of productivity. Innovation, research and development, increasing the competitiveness of start-ups and local SMEs are top priorities as these businesses – the

cornerstones of increasing GDP growth and employment – encounter several opportunities and challenges on local and international markets, and also when integrating into global supply chains.

A statement by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade it has been due to the opening policy of the Hungarian government that there have been numerous success stories: Hungarian and Latin American companies have forged reliable partnerships with each other in terms of investments and trade that offer an excellent opportunity for strengthening knowledge-based cooperation.

Building on these results, the 3rd Hungary - Latin America Forum – according to the statement – is to “bring new and successful N O V E M B E R

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forms of cooperation to the forefront, thus presenting Hungarian success stories in both traditional and modern industrial sectors, as jointly addressing challenges affecting both regions could give a new impetus to increasing productivity in our regions.”

In addition to fostering existing fields of cooperation, the Forum provides a unique occasion for participants to exchange experiences and identify new opportunities, especially in the areas of scientific, technological and underlying educational cooperation. Events connected to the Forum (study tours and a business forum) offer a genuine opportunity for networking and identifying specific opportunities for cooperation on the spot, even within a pragmatic, business framework.

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photo by COURTESY

Following 2012 and 2015, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade organizes once again a forum for exploring opportunities for cooperation between Latin America and Hungary. The event takes place between November 15 and 17 in Budapest.

The Hungarian government declared its ‘Opening to the South’ policy in spring 2015, focusing on Latin America. According to the Ministry, this policy has facilitated relations between Hungary and Latin America. Hungary has re-opened several diplomatic missions, established new trade representations, and expanded its network of trade attachés, as well as its institutional and contractual relations with that region. Bringing long-term cooperation with Latin America to a new level is one of the main goals of the

OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY BUDAPEST

THIRD HUNGARY – LATIN AMERICA FORUM IN BUDAPEST THIS NOVEMBER

diplomacy

AN EXPERIENCED AND WISE DIPLOMAT

THAI PRINCE’S ROLE IN THE 1956 HUNGARIAN ISSUE AT THE UNITED NATIONS The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Royal Thai Embassy in Budapest hosted a public lecture ‘The Role of H.R.H. Prince Wan Waithayakon and Thailand in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution’ delivered by historian and diplomat Tej Bunnag, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Diplomacy&Trade caught up with him before his lecture.

“As chairman, of course, he could not represent Thailand. He had to be impartial. In that year, by the way, Thailand had a very strong delegation to the United Nations. The deputy head of our delegation was Dr. Thanat Khoman who became our next foreign minister and later went on to found ASEAN,” Tej Bunnag added.

He pointed out that Thailand's position on the Hungarian issue was, of course, to be against the Soviet invasion of Hungary, especially the destruction of Budapest and the murder of innocent civilians and students. “Therefore, we supported all the resolutions and I think we also co-sponsored, in the UNGA, all resolutions that year against the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.”

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, U.N. PHOTO

Experienced, wise and gentle

When asked what led to his interest in the 1956 Hungarian anti-Stalinist uprising, Tej Bunnag explained that a year ago, he was invited to the panel discussion ‘Prince Wan Waithayakon and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution’, organized by the Central and Eastern European Studies Section of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, that was also attended by the Hungarian ambassador to Thailand. “Prince Wan was one of our greatest foreign ministers, he was in that position from 1952 to 1957. I always wanted an occasion to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Prince Wan’s chairmanship of the 11th session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) in 1956. I had been working on it for a long time and we had already had a seminar on it in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when – out of the blue – came this invitation from the University and the Hungarian ambassador, Péter Jakab, which I accepted straight away.

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GOOD AMBASSADORS

The former Thai foreign minister highlights that “Hungary is sending us very good ambassadors to Thailand, especially the present one, so, to reciprocate, we have also sent one of our best to Budapest. I retired from the Foreign Service 14-15 years ago but in 2003 worked very closely with Ambassador Jakkrit Srivali on the APEC Summit which Thailand chaired.”

Tej Bunnag’s discussant at his lecture at the Institute of Foreign Affairs in Budapest was Dr. András Balogh, a former Hungarian ambassador to Thailand and Prof. Emeritus of the Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest.

The Hungarian issue Tej Bunnag pointed out thatPrince Wan was elected Chairman of the 11th session of the UN General Assembly by acclamation on September 3, 1956. “The real crisis in Hungary broke out in the middle of October, a month into that session, and lasted until the middle of November. Then, the 11th session (of the UNGA) also elected Prince Wan as the special rapporteur on the Hungarian events. So, he was working on issues related to the Hungarian Revolution for months until the execution of Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy.”

Preparing the report on the Hungarian issue was a very delicate issue for Prince Wan, who worked very closely with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld.

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Tej Bunnag worked for Prince Wan Waithayakon for a long time. “By the time I joined the Foreign Ministry in 1969, he was deputy prime minister, but he was still looking after matters in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well. He was a man of great stature and of great experience. He began his career as a foreign service officer in 1917 and he was present at the Congress of Versailles that concluded World War I. So, he had been through the First World War, the Second World War, the Geneva conferences on Korea and on Indochina, and he was the rapporteur of the meeting in Bandung, which went on to found the Non-Aligned Movement. He was very highly experienced, and a very wise and gentle man. In 1956, he was already 65 years old and the entire world recognized his experience in diplomatic issues and respected him. He chaired just about every committee of the League of Nations and then of the United Nations GA. He was one of the most experienced international diplomats throughout his career until 1960. In Hungarian affairs, of course, he was very familiar with Hungary from the Congress of Versailles. The experiences of Siam, which later became Thailand, and of Hungary are somewhat similar: they both lost territory. Throughout our history, the main purpose of Thailand's policy was to safeguard our independence, which we succeeded in doing from the 19th century until today. So, we survived Western imperialism as well as communism, and we have always been an independent country, thanks to great diplomats like Prince Wan”.

What if today…

Tej Bunnag has been posted to, among others, the United States, France, China, and to various international organizations. Over this time there have been – and are – numerous conflicts in the world. To the question whether diplomacy could use the skills of a person like Prince Wan in resolving today’s conflicts, the historian firmly believes that the Prince would say exactly the same things that he said throughout his career: first of all, everything should be negotiated and settled through negotiation and diplomatic discussions in a peaceful and calm way – that is the only way to avoid conflict. “I believe that if he were alive today, he would still be working with the United Nations and he would be in the forefront of trying to resolve all these problems in the world, for instance, those on the Korean peninsula, in the South China Sea and the Middle East.”

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society

German Unification Day German Ambassador Volkmar Wenzel hosted a reception at the Pesti Vigadó event center in the Hungarian capital to celebrate the Day of German Unification.

“We Germans will never forget it was Hungary that opened the iron curtain and therefore, laid the foundation to the German unity,” he said.

India Film Week On the 70th anniversary of India’s independence, the Embassy of India – in collaboration with Puskin Cinema – organized the 3rd Indian Film Week this October, with box office hits and classic movies from Bollywood. The event was opened by the Indian Ambassador to Hungary, Rahul Chhabra.

Moldova Independence Day

HARANGOZÓ, COURTESY OF THE EMBASSY OF GERMANY

The Ambassador of Moldova, Oleg Tulea invited guests to the National Theater in Budapest for the celebration of his country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and the 25-year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moldova and Hungary.

New Ambassadors In September, four new ambassadors accredited to Hungary presented their credentials to Hungarian President János Áder at the Sándor Palace in the Buda Castle (pictured clockwise from top left): René van Hell from the Netherlands; Panayiotis Papadopoulos from Cyprus; Paulina Maria Francheschi Navarro from Panama; and Dr. Mladen Andrlić from Croatia.

photos by DÁVID

National Foundation Day On his country’s national day, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Yim Geun-hyeong welcomed guests to his residence in the Buda Hills. Also known as National Foundation Day, this holiday celebrates the legendary formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon in 2333 B.C.

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society First Ambassadors’ Table Diplomacy&Trade has organized the first Ambassadors’ Table. It is a series of special events intended to establish a communication tool for the future between the government, the diplomatic corps and leaders in the corporate sector. This first event was held in Budapest’s Gundel Restaurant on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

National Day of Austria Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Ellison-Kramer hosted a reception at her residence in the Hungarian capital to celebrate the National Day of her country held in remembrance of October 26, 1955 when the Austrian Parliament passed the constitutional law on permanent neutrality.

Spanish National Day The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, José Ángel López Jorrín invited guests to the National Gallery in the Buda Castle for the celebration of his country’s National Day (Día de la Hispanidad) and the Day of Spanish Armed Forces at the 525th anniversary of Christopher Columbus first setting foot in the Americas in 1492.

Swiss Delegation in Hungary

HARANGOZÓ

The Swiss Ambassador to Hungary, Peter Burkhard hosted a buffet dinner at his residence in honor of the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss National Council this October. The delegation, headed by Committee Chairman Roland Rino Büchel, was received in Hungarian Parliament and also met with the representatives of Swiss companies investing in Hungary.

Mother Teresa Day

photos by DÁVID

The Albanian Ambassador to Hungary, Arian Spasse welcomed guests to celebrate Mother Teresa Day in Budapest’s National Museum and visit the exhibition ‘Geraldine - The White Rose of Hungary’ about the Hungarian wife of the late King Zogu I. of Albania. The event was also attended by Geraldine’s grandson, Crown Prince Leka II.

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LE A K S

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

"BEAUTIFULLY SPARKLING DEAR STARS" CELESTIAL BODIES IN HUNGARIAN AND MONGOLIAN FOLK MYSTICISMS

"Beautifully sparkling dear stars Show the poor man the way, Show the poor man the way To the house of his sweetheart" This is my favorite Hungarian folk song. Now, I cannot remember when I heard it first nor how I learned this song, but this is the essence of a folk song. I think that people do not learn a folk song, but in life, they – like proverbs – gradually become the awareness and worth of the man.

From the lyrics of this song, the part about stars has made me think a lot. Why does the man ask for help from stars? Why does the man believe that the stars can show the way? And why do the stars glow beautifully? These questions come up from time to time when I sing this song.

Since this is a Hungarian folk song, which is one of the songs of the world-famous composer Béla Bartók's folk music collection, I think

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that this song contains elements of Hungarian folk thoughts. This is because Hungarians, like any nomadic people, habitually asked help from the sun, the moon, and stars. This was my first great discovery in this folk song.

If something happens, we Mongols, always ask for help from these three sacred things: the sun, the moon, the stars. Each Mongolian mother offers milk every morning and evening, the holiest thing on earth, to the skies holiest beings – the sun, the moon, and the stars.

To the next question why man believes that stars can show the way, I found a more interesting answer. Someone might think that because the stars are very bright, they show the right way by their light. But in practice, this is not possible and everyone knows this. However, if we think a little differently, our sun is also a star that can lighten and show every way.

There is a mystical content in this answer as much as what we do not know – the stars know and understand well because everything can be well seen from above. As of today, some nomadic people still use stars instead of the compass. Finding the direction by the help of stars’ positions, herders never get lost in the wild steppes, deserts, or the mountains. I think this song proves the uniqueness of folk knowledge and abilities.

An answer to the third question about why stars should glow beautifully, for me, is very simple.

Hungarians continue to desire coexistence with natural harmony. A sign of this is that stars should always shine brilliantly. Probably, the stars were glowing more beautifully at the N O V E M B E R

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time of the song’s birth, now, unfortunately, only a little. Here too, it should be also considered what people of the modern age are singing about, consider what we can do if we want the stars to shine more brightly.

In this way, we can make many logical considerations from the lyrics of the folk song. I wanted to share my thoughts with you because of the Mongol proverb. It is said that the simplest thing to believe has the greatest secrets. In a simple folk song, Hungarian people can demonstrate their beliefs on their coexistence with nature, their habits, and even their origins. Of course, no one is obliged to agree with me, but if someone starts thinking about scrutinizing this article, I will think that I have reached my goal.

LISTEN TO THE MONGOLIAN AMBASSADOR SINGING ‘CSILLAGOK, CSILLAGOK’

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As for every person, the place where you were born is important: for me, it is in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and the spring whose water I was washed off with at birth (according to Mongolian traditions) are very precious. Also, the places where I grew up, are most valuable to me keeping the memories of childhood, where every corner of the neighborhood reminds me of football and other games.

But like these wonderful places, there are places in Budapest – where I first arrived in 1993 – where I have gotten so many memories: for instance, my dormitory at the Nándorfehérvári street or my university at the Egyetem square.

The dormitory was the first place where I learned the understanding of unknown objects, places, and customs and to overcome language difficulties and cultural differences. My university gave me a lot of things, and I have become a lawyer, and, more precisely, an individual.

Why am I writing all of this here? Because I'm looking for an answer to the question of what Budapest, Hungary means to me. After 20 years, anyone who returns to the place where he lived when he was very young, unconsciously compares everything. Of course, many things have changed, but the essential spirit, love, and pride have not. I am not going to talk about the city but about folk songs instead.

Because, I think folk songs tell us everything about the people, if we can only understand their meanings. I love folk songs. As I am not a music professional; I like lyrics, not music.

I recommend that everyone to listen more closely to the texts of folk songs, in order to discover a lot of new things. For example,

COURTESY OF THE EMBASSY OF MONGOLIA

BY ZENEEMYADAR BATBAYAR, THE AMBASSADOR OF MONGOLIA

business There are very few venues in Budapest suitable for holding events for 2,0003,000 people and equipped with the latest technology. The MOM Sport facility is one. As its Director, Ildikó Buranits explains to Diplomacy&Trade, “our event hall can accommodate up to 2,400 people for a concert, but a 1,000-person gala dinner is also possible with space left for a dance floor and a stage. For an event that includes outdoor or water activities, MOM Sports is able to accommodate thousands of participants. Our lawn garden, in itself, is capable of holding an event for two thousand people.

So, the Center is suitable for organizing corporate events, concerts and other large performances.”

As for the technology that makes it possible to hold such events, the Director mentions that “our contracted technical partners are able to serve any high quality demand. The L'Oreal Professionnel Congress/Show was a good example of how we work smoothly with foreign professionals, but the high tech that Magyar Telekom brought in for their year-launch party, also looked good in the event hall.”

Improving infrastructure

PROFESSIONAL EVENT PARTNER

MOM SPORT READY TO HOST LARGE CORPORATE EVENTS

The infrastructure of the MOM event center has been continuously improved, this includes the parking facilities. Regarding their expansion plans in the near future, Ildikó Buranits points out that “we are going to automated parking.

Our inner car park has space for 50 cars while the one on Jagelló road holds 200. We are installing a modern parking system like the one at Budapest Airport. We are also focusing on developments that serve our guests' comfort. Our VIP room has been completed, and currently we are renovating the children's dressing room and the children's pool, and we have a new painting exhibition every six weeks.

At the latter, we not only have art on display but also on sale to our guests.”

Recognitions In the past few years, MOM Sport has received a number of prizes and recognitions. “We received a Triple Diamond Award from the Hungarian Marketing Association, a Dolphin Award from Magyar Telekom, a Greenovation Award for our environmentally friendly aspirations when we protected the 5-star national trademark of the swimming pool. MOM Sport is the recipient of the Superbrands and Magyar Brands awards.

The Best of Budapest prize was awarded to us in the event venue category, which positions our standing in the profession. We consider all of these recognitions very important. We are constantly applying for them, looking forward to the challenges they pose and we are happy when we receive a new high level professional award. We are motivated when our work is acknowledged,” she says.

Dinner that is required, then, our partners are able to provide a luxurious seated dinner, at the request of the organizers. Our subcontractors are constantly informing us about their developments and new equipment purchases so we can offer those to our customers. Nowadays, customers do not only see us as simply an event venue, they know that we can attend to all the details of the event - when asked. However, we also respect their decision if they rent a venue for an event through an agency. Every year, we organize a thematic party involving our subcontractors. The goal of this sales event is to present new ideas that can be incorporated into our events – things that may be of interest to our customers. On that evening, our customers are our guests. We make it a complete dinner party, with music and dancing, in order to give theme ideas to our partners. For instance, this year, we presented the Great Gatsby, Studio 54 and Hollywood style themes, which were very successful and we receive several orders after the event.”

Other services Apart from being an event center, the complex provides different services for the larger public, especially those living in the 12th district. “Our facility, of more than 70,000 square meters, is located in the heart of the Buda hills, in the triangle of the MOM Park shopping center, the Novotel hotel and congress center and the MOM Cultural Center. MOM Sport has Budapest’s first and only five-star swimming pool, which uses less than half of the amount of chemicals than traditional swimming pools. UV light is used to antibacterialize and pre-clean the water.

Therefore, our guests love to swim in our facility because there is no strong chlorine odor on the skin and swimsuits will wear much longer. In the event hall, the main activity on weekdays is sports. Team sports alternate with hourly rentals. In winter, it is mainly local companies that rent our indoor 3rd generation artificial grass football fields. The sports and recreation services of ‘Fitness & More’, medical services by ‘Pain Ambulance’ and ‘Sports Control’, the ‘Under Armour’ sportswear store, the Yonka reference beauty shop, the ‘Beauty & Go’ hairdressing and manicure salon, foamy cocoa in the Cserpes Tejivó milk bar and light and delicious pastries made with natural ingredients only at the Kiscuki confectionary shop are also attractive for those who are not only interested in sports in MOM Sport,” the Director concludes.

Professional partners

photos by MOM

SPORT

As for added value gained through cooperation with subcontractors, with which the event center can more effectively serve corporate clients, the Director highlights that “our professional partners carry out reliable quality work, comply with safety rules and develop their business. They are flexible and – just like us – possess customer-centered thinking. There is competition in the market; it is a basic requirement that we provide a high price/ value service to our customers. If it is a Gala w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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HOW TO FIND AND CONTACT US? MOM Sport event venue H-1123 Budapest, Csörsz u. 14-16.

PHONE: +36-70-390-0779 E-MAIL: info@momsport.hu WEB: www.momsport.hu facebook.com/momsport

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­­cinema Wild Mouse His first movie as a director is Wilde Maus (2017).

The story is about Georg who has lost his job as a newspaper music critic but he conceals this from his much younger wife, Johanna.

Instead, he embarks on a campaign of revenge against his former boss and begins to renovate a roller-coaster with an old school friend. Josef Hader is the writer of the script and plays the main character, as well. One might think that is because he cannot imagine anyone else playing the part better than himself but he disagrees.

“I did films before, there were examples when I was the main actor and the co-writer, so I wrote the screenplay myself. I used an original idea and used a book from an Austrian author called Rolf Haas who wrote crime stories. I had this idea for years: what story I would write if I wrote an original story and did it alone? I had too much collaboration, I was fed up with collaboration.

After two years, finally, I found a very good company that I could give the screenplay to and they insisted I direct it. I was thinking maybe they are right because I was so much involved in that stuff I was working on for two years and if it was someone else directing it, he or she would have a problem directing me. I was at the beginning of my 50s. I liked this idea of being a beginner as a director and it was a big change in my life. First, I thought about another actor for the film. The problem was that the actors I had in mind were not Austrians. The story needed a typical Austrian. This character is very passive, not friendly, he takes revenge, he does not talk to his wife and he is not sympathetic, at all. I know myself, so I know I can do this. I used to do this kind of character, so, I thought that I was the best solution I could find for the role.”

One might suspect that some of Hader’s ideas have autobiographical elements. However, he says these are ideas of what he would do in a certain situation in life and not what he actually did. “It is very ridiculous what this guy does.

These are the things that I believe I would do in that situation – it is like living out my imagination.

In this case, acting out my imagination without the risk of doing it in real life.”

WRITING IS WONDERFUL! AUSTRIAN COMEDIAN TALKS ABOUT SCRIPT WRITING, ACTING AND DIRECTING

This year’s Szemrevaló /Sehenswert/Eyeful Film Festival took place in late September. The event was sponsored by the Goethe Institute, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Embassy of Switzerland. One of the guests of the festival was Austrian comedian and screenwriter Josef Hader. Diplomacy&Trade caught up with him during the festival.

When asked whether it is acting or writing that he prefers, he points out that “my real profession is writing. It is because it is very interesting and

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Comedian in a serious role

and screenwriters. So, from then on, we were screenwriters without any education of that sort, that is, we did not learn it in school.”

Last year, Josef Hader played the famous Jewish Austrian writer, Stefan Zweig in the movie ‘Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe’ – a serious character very well played by the comedian. He says that “in that screenplay, Stefan Zweig was a very critical character but also in a way, he very much moved me. I wanted to play this movie character because I was moved by the screenplay. I think the technique of playing a comedy is not so different from that of playing a serious character in a drama. When I was a student, I saw the movie ‘Missing’ by Costa Gavras about an American journalist who disappeared during the 1973 coup d’état by General Pinochet. I saw Jack Lemmon in a wonderfully serious, dramatic part. I was something like 22 or 25 years old at that time.

I could see that comedy and drama are basically the same.”

As for the future, he stresses that “acting is something that I cannot do myself I can only do it if I get offers. Comedy is something I want to do now because the times, I think, are very good for comedy. After that, I would like to find a little story that I can again writethe screenplay of – and maybe act as a director, as well.”

Imagination of a child In the previous issue of Diplomacy&Trade, German director Gordian Maugg said he mixes facts with fiction. In reaction to that, Josef Hader stresses that the basic initial idea of a story is usually not from real life, it is usually the imagination of a child who plays. “One idea I had for a comedy show was that I imagined myself to be 20 years older, dressed like a very bad comedian making very bad jokes not just for five minutes but like 15 minutes – like a very bad stand-up comedian. So, I was kind of dressed as Robert De Niro in the movie ‘The King of comedy’.

Of course, this does not work because this is a very bad show and the character drinks more and more and he's talking about his bad life and he's yelling at people – that was the idea. I like that idea because it is something very difficult to write, it is very difficult to make this idea successful. I take the smaller, additional ideas from real life. It is like having a skeleton and having some of the meat to put on.”

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Writing is wonderful!

you don't need other people to do it. Before noon, I am always sitting in a coffee shop in Vienna and writing by hand, in a book, drawing up a concept.

Then, in the afternoon, I sit at the computer write it down into a file and it is in the evening when I finish my work. It is wonderful, better than any other work!”

He also started doing comedy impersonating a bad actor, somebody who is very bad in reading texts he himself has written. However, the audience liked it because it is so bad that it is funny. “When I did this, I was 20-22 years old and I thought to myself: how can I do this thing when I will be 50?’ – nobody would believe that, it would seem so unprofessional! So, I started to take lessons in acting. There was a very good actor who was teaching me, that is how I got to be a better and better actor. However, I never got any parts in film because at that time in the 1980s, nobody would give a movie role to a comedian – you had to be a real actor to get parts in film. I was lucky, though, because a friend of mine was a comedian and he wrote a theater piece entitled ‘India’. I got a part in the movie version that came to be very successful in the following year with the two of us as actors

photo by DÁVID

“When in school, I did comedy about teachers. I think this was the most successful period of my career because you are the star of your class when you do this. Later, I continued to do it but not as a professional – just for fun. I did my studies and then I began to be more and more successful in Vienna. My colleagues, the other comedians said ‘Josef, you should try this as a profession!’ I made a decision, interrupting my studies, to give myself one year of comedy to see what I could do.

I turned out to be so successful that I quit my job. The advantage of being a comedian is that people pay to see and hear you. So, they are much more concentrated than pupils in the school because they want something for their money while pupils do not pay entrance fees. You have a better audience,” Josef Hader says looking back at the start of career.

business

FESTIVAL-GOERS DEMAND MORE CHOICE

MUSIC FESTIVALS – A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE

More visual experiences and more surprises are needed at Hungarian music festivals to compete at the international level. That was the view shared by the participants of the recent Festival Season Valuation Roundtable organized by HEINEKEN Hungária at the closing of the 2017 festival season. They also agreed that there is a need for continuous renewal in programs and gastronomy, including festival beverage supply offerings.

Norbert Löbenwein, the main organizer of the Sziget, VOLT and Balaton Sound festivals said that "although, festivals attract more and more people and are increasingly popular, we are aware that we cannot let ourselves become comfortable, we have to renew our efforts year after year. Today's festival goers want a complete experience, so, nowadays festivals are not just about music. For example, the visual experience is a more and more decisive element of the entertainment." He added that this visual experience can cost HUF tens of millions, but it is apparent from visitors' satisfaction that it can prove to be a good return on investment.

"Sponsors of festivals are the organizers’ partners in innovation," added Ádám Mülhauser, head of HEINEKEN Hungária's Festival Sponsorship. "We

have a common interest to provide a memorable experience for the festival-goers. The most iconic brands, such as the ‘HEINEKEN Stage’ at Balaton

Sound and the ‘Sopron Dome’ at the VOLT festival, are great tools for this event, and are the highlights of the festivals." He said that this year's festival season was the first time a complex portfolio was offered at beer counters: "contrary to past years, festival participants demand more choice, so, it is not a question for us to appear there not only with our basic portfolio but also with our innovations at these events." The latest product development hits of this year were also hits at the festivals: the 100% Hungarian-developed Soproni ‘Cautious Gambler’ IPA, the premium products of the Beers of the Europe selection, especially the Belgian lambic beer, Mort Subite. Following the introductory success, the beer company set aside a special supply of these innovations for festivals. In addition to the beers, the ciders were also a hit this year, especially the draft

version, consumption of which had stabilized since 2015, but this year it grew by two-digit figures.

Speaking at the event, CEO of HEINEKEN Hungária, José Matthijsse, said that the biggest success of the last festival season was the ‘Cautious Gambler’ IPA Sopron that was launched this year and surpassed all expectations. "We have plans. We are convinced that with continuous innovation, we will continue to have memorable moments for Hungarians at festivals and at all other stages of the year," she added.

Although, the festival season was successful, the experts agreed that the future cannot be imagined without product renewal. As the audience's interests change, as does media consumption with the increased use of social channels, the organizers and the programs must be renewed continuously because the high-quality concert experience guaranteed year after year is no longer independently sufficient to increase the number of visitors.

At the end of the conversation, the HEINEKEN Hungária's CEO handed out the prizes to the winners of this year's ‘Festival Moments’ photo contest in both the professional and the amateur categories where a total of 186 amateur photographs and nearly one hundred press photographs were submitted.

Névtelen 1.pdf 1 2017.10.30. 14:25:50

Magic Lamp Charity Evening The Magic Lamp (Csodalámpa) Foundation, which has been granting wishes for kids with life-threatening illnesses for the past 14 years, is organizing a charity dinner on November 27th at 18.30 at the Hilton Budapest (1014 Budapest, Hess András square 3. Castle District) with the help of its friends and supporters, among them Danubius Hotels and its charity ambassadors.

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Zorán – one of Hungary’s most famous rock singers and long-time sponsor of Csodalámpa – will perform with his band.

Music will also be provided by Ms. Kata Csondor and the Soul Family.

The evening’s host is Mr. Gabor Herendi.

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Located on the new promenade of Budapest, within walking distance from Andrássy Road, a Word Heritage Site, is an exclusive jeweller’s shop. Offering exquisite, unique designs on two floors, the store awaits customers of discerning taste right in the middle of the bustling cultural atmosphere around St. Stephen’s Basilica, where the historical inner city meets the modern bank district.

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100% of the event’s net income will serve the mission of the Foundation: We provide emotional and psychological support to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Csodalámpa grants about 300 wishes of sick children yearly, even those that are seemingly impossible, to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. You can read reports about all the 3200 fulfilled dreams on our website.

Tickets are available for 19.000 HUF pp; tables for 10 are also available.

Additional donations are welcome, to make even more wishes come true and bring even more joy to sick children.

Space is limited, there are only 300 seats available for this fabulous evening, so don’t hesitate - purchase your tickest as soon as possible.

REGISTRATION

photo by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ

We are looking forward to welcome you there.

Please help us honor and support the brave children in their fight against a life-threatening medical conditions.

Sincerely The Management of Magic Lamp

1051. Bp. Október 6. St. 6. www.monis.hu +36 70 427 0053 +36 70 381 8227

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FROM BACH TO THE BLUES

DECEMBER 10 PALACE OF ARTS (MÜPA), BUDAPEST Kossuth Prize and Liszt Award winner Béla Lakatos Szakcsi is MÜPA’s Artist of the 2017/18 season in recognition of his status as the leading performer on the Hungarian jazz scene, a peerless pianist and a composer, a savvy interpreter of a vast range of musical styles and as an improv player. For this concert, he will present a program spanning the most diverse imaginable range of genres, with improvisation taking on an important role in Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto for Two Pianos in C minor and in Béla Bartók's String Quartet No. 2. He is joined on stage – among others – by his son, Róbert and renowned Hungarian pop-rock pianist and composer, Gábor Presser. www.mupa.hu/en

ROAD SONGS FOR LOVERS – CHRIS REA

PASSION AND SPIRIT OF THE ANDALUSIAN HORSE

DECEMBER 2 AND 3 LÁSZLÓ PAPP BUDAPEST SPORTS ARENA Following last year’s successful performances of the Spanish Riding School from Vienna, this equestrian show, staged by the Asociación Córdoba Ecuestre, offers its audience, in 70 enthralling minutes, a perfect combination of elements from classical and Andalusian horsemanship: work in hand, doma vaquera, haute école, horsewomen, garrocha spears… linking it all with history and equestrian traditions. In addition to skillful horsemen, the spectacle will also feature two Hungarian opera stars, the internationally renowned coloratura soprano, Erika Miklósa and the icon of the Budapest Opera House, Attila Kiss B. www.budapestarena.hu/ programs

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PIAF! THE SHOW

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DECEMBER 3 MOM CULTURAL CENTER, BUDAPEST With over half a million tickets sold in more than 30 countries and acclaimed reviews worldwide, PIAF!, THE SHOW is a musical celebration of the life and music of the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf on her 100th birth anniversary. Conceived and directed by the Nicebased theatrical maverick Gil Marsalla and starring Anne Carrere, a young French performer hailed as ‘Edith Piaf’s legitimate musical heiress’, PIAF!, THE SHOW premiered in 2015 as a tribute to ‘The Swallow of Montmartre’ on the centennial of her birthday and was inspired by the award-winning movie ‘La Vie en Rose’. In two 45-minute acts, the show narrates the rags-to-riches story of the Parisian singer’s career through her unforgettable songs, complemented by a visual tapestry of previously unreleased photographs and images of famous locations of the Edith Piaf era. momkult.hu/program

LIVE NATION, WWW.CORDOBAECUESTRE.COM, MÜPA, MOM CULTURAL CENTER

NOVEMBER 6 LÁSZLÓ PAPP BUDAPEST SPORTS ARENA For Chris Rea, September, 2017 marked the release of his new album, Road Songs for Lovers, a collection of beautiful rock ballads that showcase the artist’s unique voice and writing talent.

Like all truly great artists, Chris Rea has followed his own unique artistic vision and a path that is his and his alone. Artist and painter, blues aficionado and self-confessed motoring nut, filmmaker and Italian-influenced classical music composer; eclectic and maverick are two terms that can be used to describe this man, who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide by just being himself. With his 2017 release, Rea returns to what he’s best known for: an album of gorgeous rock ballads which showcases his unique voice and songwriting skill, at the top of his game. "The ‘Road Songs for Lovers’ release proves one thing: you can add beautiful, poignant rock 'n' roll love songs to that pantheon of passions," the artist says. www.livenation.hu

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MARTIN’S DAY WINE FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 9-12 DANUBIUS HOTEL GELLÉRT, BUDAPEST All halls and rooms of the elegantly tarnished Hotel Gellért will be opened to welcome guests with exciting food, drinks and programs in the spirit of the ‘Mysterious Seven’, as this will be the 7th Martin’s Day Wine Festival. Interestingly enough, the gastro programs of this wine festival kick off with a beer festival on Day 0 with some 30 different beers from seven exhibitors. The ‘Seven Wonders of Gastronomy’ features a seven-course premium category menu, prepared by Hungary’s 2016 European Bocuse d'Or winner chef, Tamás Széll, while the halls of the hotel will be filled with excellent wineries from all around the country. Of course, traditional goose dishes will have a prominent place – it is a Martin’s Day festival, after all. www.borfesztivalgellert.hu

ROD STEWART

JANUARY 29 LÁSZLÓ PAPP BUDAPEST SPORTS ARENA With his magical, unique voice, singing such hits as ‘Sailing’, ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’, ‘Rhythm Of My Heart’, ‘Baby Jane’ and ‘Maggie May’, Rod Stewart is returning to Hungary, after eight years, with a brand new show in Budapest.

Sir Rod Stewart was selected twice as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he is one of the world's most successful singers having sold more than 200 million albums over the past five decades. His successes include six consecutive hit charts in the UK, including 62 hits, 16 of which were among the top ten in the US charts, and in 2016, he was knighted by the Queen for his musical and charitable work. www.livenation.hu

BUDAPEST CHRISTMAS FAIR AND WINTER FESTIVAL

WESTKUNST - OSTKUNST

UNTIL DECEMBER 31 LUDWIG MUSEUM BUDAPEST The Ludwig Museum in Budapest was founded in 1989. Its collection can be divided into two groups: one consists of American and Northern-European artworks (pop art, photorealism, works by Die Neue Wilden) donated by the founders; the other incorporates works that ended up in the collection as a result of collection that started in the 1990s, with a focus on the art of former Communist countries. The newly set collection display attempts to present emphatic points not only in well-organized chronological order or along stylistic features, but to examine the characteristics, consonances, differences, as well as the artistic-cultural parallels between Western and Eastern art. The collection renders it possible to show substantive parallelism within the lifeworks of artists with a dedicated and critical approach, from Western as well as Eastern countries. www.ludwigmuseum.hu

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE-DAME

THIS YEAR’S SHOWS UNTIL DECEMBER 03 THE OPERETTA THEATER, BUDAPEST Based on the Victor Hugo novel, with the music of the Disney film adaptation, the musical features the unbearably ugly Quasimodo, the irresistibly attractive and kind Esmeralda and Phoebus, the handsome youth in love. In the story, the only certainty is that the devastation of love spares nobody: neither the beautiful nor the ugly, neither the courtesan nor even the most vocally chaste priest… This stunning, witty and enchanting musical, with Alan Menken's grandiosely moving score, has scenes rich in impressive stage effects; the extreme bursts of emotion will make the audience feel that this wonderful story of perseverance and self-sacrifice doesn't only exert its cathartic power on the stage, but also in their own souls. Following the Szeged Open-Air Festival, audiences may view the play on the greater stage of the Operetta Theater. www.operett.hu

photos by

CAN STOCK PHOTO INC., DÁVID HARANGOZÓ, BUDAPEST OPERETTA-THEATER, LIVE NATION, TOM WESSELMANN - "LANDSCAPE #4" 1965

NOVEMBER 10 - DECEMBER 31 VÖRÖSMARTY SQUARE The Budapest Christmas Fair and Winter Festival on Vörösmarty Square is the perfect place to buy something unique and original during the holiday season. The lovely plaza, in the heart of the city, turns into a festive market place in November and December.

The location is ideal: the Square is in the heart of the city at the end of Váci utca (the main walking street in the downtown area), directly in front of the prestigious Gerbeaud Coffee House. Cottage-style wooden stalls and two outdoor stages take over one of Budapest’s most attractive spots during the couple of weeks preceding the end-of-the-year holidays.

The scent of traditional honey cookies, mulled wine, cinnamon and fir can be smelled from afar. The fragrant air simply lures you to the market. budapestchristmas.com

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wine

NOVEMBER’S FRESH, NEW WINES HUNGARY FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU

The world stops for a moment every year on the third Thursday in November when Beaujolais Nouveau hits the shelves in shops and restaurants. The heralded fashion for new wine began in the 1950s in France with fireworks, gastronomic programs and festivals and has continued unbroken ever since. More recently, it has become fashionable for most of the world’s wine regions to follow suit and to launch their trendy fresh wines. Today in Hungary, the new wines’ premiere is linked to Saint Martin’s day.

In Hungary, the Bock Winery in Villány introduced the fashion for bottled new wine just twenty years ago, in 1997. Since wine produced from the wine region’s characteristic variety, Portugieser emerged from the cellar at the beginning of November, around St Martin’s day, József Bock called it Saint Martin’s wine. At that time, nobody else was making anything similar in Hungary, so the light, fresh wine, reminiscent of Beaujolais Nouveau, exploded into the public consciousness and restaurants were begging for it. Nowadays, they produce about 10,000 bottles of it, nearly a fifth of which is consumed at the winery on the St Martin’s day goose and new wine celebration. The two-day celebration will be held at the winery again this year on November10-11, when they will show the 2017 St Martin’s day wine for the first time – the Portugieser and the Portugieser rosé.

“Villány’s speciality is the soft, velvety, easydrinking Portugieser, produced from the Oportó variety. This is the first new red wine which can be marketed in Hungary thanks to its early harvest, usually in the first few days of

BY ÁGNES WENINGER

September,” says Béla Jekl, Villány winemaker and chairman of the Pannon Wine Guild which consists of around forty prestigious Hungarian family wineries. “Essentially, Villány Portugieser can already be drunk from the beginning to mid-October and it is debuted every year on the new wine consecration day, St Martin’s day. New

wine has always been a tradition in Villány, and this will continue to be the case in the future, too.

I like it, it’s a style that’s capable of quenching your thirst. Whereas in terms of gastronomy, it goes extremely well with Italian pizza and pasta.

This year’s vintage has turned out very well for us; at the end of October, the Jekl Winery bottled beautifully colored, soft, velvety Portugieser.”

Since the new wine is expected to be characteristically light, fresh and fruity, many winemakers do not market a red wine first, rather a rosé en primeur. Its potential was first recognized in Beaujolais; a Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé was shown in Japan in 2006 and has since captivated many markets around the world.

The style also crops up in various places in Hungary. According to Béla Jekl, one of the greatest successes of the last twenty years has been rosé as new wine. “This is a fresh category, rosé can usually be bottled 1-1.5 months after the harvest. After that, it’s on the shelves for a year and it usually runs out during that time, and then everyone is ready for the next vintage.

At the same time, not only rosé but also light white wines, mainly Muscat and aromatic varieties, have come into fashion, for example Csabagyöngye, Irsai Olivér and Cserszegi Fűszeres. These early-ripening varieties, produced using reductive technology that make wines ready for immediate consumption, are bottled at the end of September. This is good for consumers who want to taste the wine of the new vintage as soon as possible. It’s also good for winemakers, as commercially it represents a category bringing rapid financial rewards,” adds the chairman of the Pannon Wine Guild.

LOVE AT FIRST TASTE…

Which grape variety can be used to make a new wine in a given vintage is of course also affected by the weather. Szászi Winery, which farms organically in the Badacsony and Balaton Highlands wine regions has, for example, produced a variety of new wines thanks to the hot summer and the early harvest. “We are able to produce Muscat Ottonel, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Pinot Noir rosé, Zenit and also a light, fruity Pinot Gris as new wines in the 2017 vintage,” says Endre Szászi, owner of the winery. The good thing about this style is that the fresh wines are already harmonious after just one or two months, whereas other types of wines require eight months or even a year. If the weather is favorable, we intend to market a certain proportion of the grapes we grow each year as new wine.”

For some years now, it has been a tradition for the Szászi family to organize a new wine tasting along with a goose dinner at the winery on November 11, St Martin’s day. This new wine tasting event, which concludes the harvest, also helps the winemaker predict what the vintage will look like. Endre Szászi is already optimistic: “Both the quantity and quality of this year’s harvest is good,” he says, “if you can expect 100% from your land, it has happened this year, it couldn’t be better. What makes the vintage interesting is the very early harvest, as we had already started with the first varieties – Cserszegi Fűszeres, Zenit and Muscat Ottonel – just after August 10. We haven’t harvested so early for a very long time, so we are particularly curious to see how our longer-maturing wines, such as Olaszrizling, Kéknyelű and Rózsakő will behave.

We’ll only get an answer to this in spring.

MACOK BISTRO & WINE BAR, EGER

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GYÖRGY SZÁNTÓ

There is absolutely nothing NOT to like about Macok Bistro… in fact, I would hazard to say it’s love. The minute you step foot inside you just have to smile. You are immediately transported to a colorful, playful world of bears of all kinds and in today’s ultraserious world of eating out, it is very appealing to find a restaurant so light-hearted. The overall design is varied and imaginative and there are constantly elements that grab your attention, like an entire wall with multi-colored shelves housing wine bottles on their sides. Sheer genius.

Make no mistake about it though, they are serious about their food and wines. Chef János Macsinka sources ingredients from the finest local artisanal producers close by, including trout from Szilvásvárad and cheeses from the hills of Bükk. The presentation of the plates makes you Instagram-delirious almost to the point of not wanting to disturb the exquisite composition. Almost… until the delectable aromas become too tempting.

Of the 12 or so starters/soups, we began this culinary journey with a citrusy cream of kohlrabi soup that hid a surprise crunchy ball of duck liver and was topped with dollops of sweet roasted pepper foam. Heavenly! The divine tastes hit you layer upon layer. Another starter was from the weekly offer: a masterpiece composition of duck liver with peach, ham from Monosbél and melon. Again there was a great variety of tastes and taste combinations.

The well conceived list of entrées has something for everyone from trout through duck to rabbit, pork, a steak and even the not often sited Muflon. One of the mains tried was meltingly tender Beef Cheeks braised in Egri Bikavér, served with smoked celeriac purée and porcini mushrooms. Adding smoke to the celeriac was inspired and the flavorful beef cheeks could be cut with a fork. The second was a seemingly simple dish of sautéed leg of rabbit in a creamy hunter sauce with potato croquettes. Tender rabbit, delectable sauce and croquettes as light as air. Simple perhaps, but rarely executed with such panache. Rounding off this taste extravaganza was a perfectly light and airy cottage cheese dumpling that quivered on the plate and was lifted to paradise with the addition of sour cream mousse and home-made apricot jam.

The wine list consists of wines from the Eger region only, about 40 in all, and it makes for a perfectly well-rounded selection. Macok’s own house wines are from the St. Andrea winery. Need I say more? The friendly, good-humored and super knowledgeable waiters round out an unforgetable dining experience. Make a point of going to Eger just for this amazing restaurant. You won’t be disappointed.

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gastronomy

YOUR GOOSE IS COOKED...

ST. MARTIN’S DAY AND ITS FAMOUS BIRD November 11th is St. Martin’s Day in Hungary (Márton nap), a traditional feast day celebrated by tasting the new wine and eating goose in some form or another.

The folk traditions of this day can be traced back through history to many rites including the end of the farming season and the beginning of the winter quarter (according to the old Roman calendar), the first taste of the current season’s wine and the coming of advent and hence the holiday season. It was the last day of rejoicing before the 40-day Christmas Fast, therefore was celebrated throughout Hungary with fairs, balls and bountiful feasts that heralded a successful harvest and ensured plentiful food and drink for the coming year. As luck would have it, this day falls right around the time when the geese born in the spring and early summer gain their necessary weight and are ready for slaughter. As the saying goes “One who does not eat goose on this day, remains hungry throughout the year”. In addition to all the special events, there was an added bonus to the day, because it was forbidden to do any housework as they believed that this led to the death of the livestock.

According to legend…

Other customs of the day…

Predicting the weather is another November 11 tradition (or superstition, if you prefer). In many parts of the country, it was believed that the weather on this day predicted the weather in March. “If Martin arrives on a white horse, expect a mild winter and if he arrives on a brown horse it

GRAB SOME AT YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT!

goose

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, CAN STOCK PHOTO INC., ZOLTÁN RESZEGI, COURTESY PICTURES

The story begins with Martin, the son of a Roman tribune, who was born in the city of Savaria (Szombathely), Hungary in the Roman province of Pannonia around 316-317. One cold night in

Amiens, France, as he was serving as a soldier for the Roman emperor, Martin saw a scantily dressed beggar and offered up half of his warm cloak so he would not freeze to death. That night Jesus appeared in his dreams as the beggar dressed in his cloak. This dream confirmed Martin’s faith and he eventually left the army to serve God. His good deeds, his compassion and empathy for the poor became legendary and by popular demand, he was selected to be the Bishop of Tours. Martin was so humbled by the news that he hid in a goose-pen to avoid the delegation, but the geese cackling gave him away. He was ordained in 371 and, until his death in 398, he helped the struggling poor.

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will be a harsh winter ahead.” Another old saying goes that “if on St. Martin’s Day the goose walks on ice, it will be waddling in water at Christmas.”

The weather forecast was also ascertained from the bones of the geese. If the bone was long and white, winter would be snowy and if short and brown, the season would be muddy. Some believed that if vine leaves were still green on Martin’s Day, a mild winter could be expected.

Wine and St. Martin…

Although St. Martin was not associated with wine during his lifetime, the St. Martin's Day festivities coincided with the timing of the season’s first new wines being deemed ready to drink. This is probably the reason why several wine traditions are part of the St. Martin's Day celebrations and why he has come to be known as ‘the judge of new wine’.

Today, St. Martin is considered the Patron Saint of France, soldiers, horses, livestock (including geese) and wine- makers.

Goose Delicacies…

There are plenty of events and activities held throughout Budapest and Hungary to mark the annual St. Martin’s Day celebrations.

Most restaurants in Budapest and in the countryside offer a special St. Martin’s Day menu, sometimes for several days leading up to or after November 11th. Be sure to try one of the many traditional dishes like roast goose leg with braised red cabbage, goose giblet soup, sautéed goose liver, goose cracklings, goose liver paté or smoked or stuffed goose breast. In addition to the traditional fare, there will also be plenty of upscale, reworked versions of these favorites abounding in the city’s eateries.

BUDAPEST BISZTRÓ

MACESZ BISTRO

From Nov 6-12, St. Martin’s day foods and wines along with the piano stylings of László Zsigmond.

Goose is always on the menu, but from Nov 9-12 there will be a special 5-course Goose Menu for HUF 8,900/person.

www.budapest-bistro.hu

www.maceszbistro.hu

RISO

MÚZEUM KÁVÉHÁZ

St. Martin’s Goose Week at Riso from November 9-16.

Goose delicacies and new wines!

Reservations: +36 1 224 7424 www.riso.hu

St. Martin’s Goose Days from Nov 6-11. Choose from the à la carte Goose.

Menu starting from 2,950 HUF/person.

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