Diplomacy & Trade 2019 June

JUNE 2019 HUF 1710

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PARTNERS HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBÁN PAID A VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE THIS MAY TO MEET PRESIDENT TRUMP. OUR ANALYST SAYS THE TRIP WAS LONG OVERDUE AND FOCUSED ON INTERESTBASED ISSUES. SEE MORE on page 8

Italy

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FOCUS

“Rome and Budapest belong to the Euro-Atlantic family, where they share the need for regional stability,” according to the Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Hungary, Massimo Rustico who tells Diplomacy&Trade how ‘like-minded’ the two countries are. He talks about bilateral trade reaching an all-time high of over EUR ten billion in volume, the popularity of Hungary in the eyes of Italian investors, flourishing cultural ties as well as his country’s efforts to tackle migration. see articles on pages 10-20

The Best Thing is Driving

Aged 17 years and 166 days, Dutch driver Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to compete in the Formula One car race series when he debuted at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. He was in Budapest this May to take part in a race car show in the heart of the city. During his visit, he had some time to elaborate on his F1 career to Diplomacy&Trade.

see interview on page 21

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STAN AHUJA IS THE YOUNG VOICE OF MASTERFUL TAILORING AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.

STAN AHUJA PASSION FOR TAILORING

+36 1 354 0195 w w w. s t a n a h u j a . c o m info@stanahuja.com 1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 38.

H – P: 10:00 – 19:00 SZO: 11:00 – 16:00

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MÁTÉ HAUMANN FOR STAN AHUJA AT THE RITZ-CARL TON, BUDAPEST

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­­ contents Annual reunion of Harvard Law School Association in Budapest

05 ON THE RECORD 06-07 COMPANY BRIEFS 08 ANALYSIS

Hungarian PM at the White House

PUBLISHER

AND DON’T FORGET

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Harvard Law School Association reunion in Budapest 10-20 ITALIAN FOCUS Interview with Ambassador Massimo Rustico; ICE; Chamber; Alfa Romeo; Cultural institute; ITL; Eros Ramazotti; Vespa 21 FORMULA ONE Interview with Max Verstappen 22 DIPLOMACY Japan tea ceremony; Visit by China’s People’s Congress Chairman

PUBLISHER: Peter Freed EDITOR: Sándor Laczkó COPY EDITOR: Joyce Freed PHOTO EDITOR: Dávid Harangozó SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Tamás Varga DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Tibor Ocsenás ADMINISTRATION: Judit Ludányi ASSISTANT: Ágnes Rapaport

Next month, Diplomacy&Trade will present a special Focus section on US-Hungarian relations in recognition of American independence day, the 4th of July, and in cooperation with the US Embassy in Budapest and the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary. This Focus section, in which American companies doing business in Hungary present their activities and their contributions to the community, will include an analysis of US-Hungarian bilateral relations and the recent prime ministerial visit to the White House. A visit that will certainly be one of the topics discussed with the American Ambassador to Hungary, David B. Cornstein. The United States is the second largest investor in Hungary and Hungary’s second most important trade partner outside the EU. American enterprises realize 15% of the foreign investments in Hungary. The 1,700 U.S. companies operating in Hungary provide a living for 105,000 Hungarians.

Draskovics/Photon, ITL Group, Chirsna Vermeulen, Miklós Acsai, Riso, Embassy of India, Adrie Mouthaan, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Andrew Stuart, Sándor Csudai, Jen Maler, szabadter.hu, Live Nation, Busakattilafoto, Wineglass Communication, László Balkányi, www. tamaspal.hu, DNB Budapest, MTI Photos: Tibor Rosta, Péter Komka, Tamás Kovács, János Mészáros, Zsolt Szigetváry, Szilárd Koszticsák, Attila Balázs, Balázs Mohai

Copyright 2004-2018 DUAX Kft., all rights reserved | ISSN 1589-8075 This magazine is produced by DUAX Kft. The opinions published in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DUAX Kft.

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South Africa 24 HEALTH Helvetic Dental 25 CULTURE International Yoga Day and cultural event 26-27 SOCIETY 28-29 WHAT’S ON Concerts, festivals, events and exhibitions in and out of Budapest 30 GASTRONOMY Liszt restaurant at Aria Hotel Budapest 31 WINE The Star of Eger

AMERICAN FOCUS – COMING SOON

CONTRIBUTORS: Sándor Laczkó, Tamás Magyarics, Réka A. Francisck, Pieter Vermeulen PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS: Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI (Cover), Depositphotos.com, Patrícia Verbőci, honvedelem.hu, Tamás Szigeti, HIPA, koncertpromo.hu, Ádám

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

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23 WITTYLEAKS by the Ambassador of

09 REUNION

Peter Freed

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“A breakthrough of sorts” – that is how our international analyst describes the Hungarian Prime Minister’s visit to the White House.

Officially, mainly defense and energy security issues were on the agenda but speculation centered on the timing of the meeting (before the European elections), as PM Orbán is well-known for his resistance to the centralizing tendencies within the EU. The special Focus section this month is on Italian-Hungarian relations in recognition that 55 years, ago the Italian representation office was elevated to the status of an Embassy and that Italy’s main national holiday, Republic Day, is on June 2. In Europe, Hungary is Italy’s second largest trading partner, and an ideal location for Italian companies to reach destinations in East Central Europe. Business relations are just one of the topics we discuss with Italian Ambassador Massimo Rustico, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Institute and Italian companies.

Hungarian diplomacy is celebrating multiple decade anniversaries with several countries: 150 years of diplomatic ties with Japan, 70 years with India and China and 30 years with Korea and Israel. We look at two of these long standing relations ahead of commemorative of events in Budapest: a Japanese tea ceremony and the visit of the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Congress.

The WittyLeaks column is authored by the Ambassador of South Africa about exploring Hungarian wine and history.

Speaking of history, we also report on a recent visit to Hungary by one of today's most influential thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari.

The wine and gastronomy section presents the ‘Star of Eger’, white wine counterpart of the famous Eger Bull’s Blood, as well as a new restaurant offering Hungarian and contemporary cuisine located in the beautiful Aria Hotel Budapest.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt condolences to the Korean community following the tragic accident on the Danube last month.

Helvetic Dental Clinics expand internationally

Tea ceremony celebrates 150 years of JapaneseHungarian diplomatic ties page 22

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BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN AND COUNCIL

The British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (BCCH) held its Annual General Meeting this May, where the members elected Duncan Graham Chairman and Oliver Strommer Executive Director, together with seven new council members who will serve for the next two years.

Duncan Graham (pictured on the left), is the founding Managing Director of G&G Wealth Limited, a financial and investment advisory company. Before establishing that firm in 2012, he worked for Newton Barr, a financial advisory company, and Alliance as Senior Adviser in the United Kingdom. Duncan Graham is the Chairman of St Andrew’s Association in Hungary, which promotes Scottish culture and manages charity programs to support underprivileged and sick children. Duncan Graham takes over the position of Chairman of the BCCH from June 2019. He replaces Vazul Tóth who leaves the position after six years.

GOVERNING PARTY WINS EUROPEAN ELECTIONS IN HUNGARY Hungary’s ruling political party, Fidesz (in alliance with the small satellite party Christian Democrats) won 13 of the 21 seats allocated for Hungary at the European Parliamentary elections on May 26.

Fidesz (with 52.56% of the valid votes) came in well ahead of the leftist Democratic Coalition, which was second with 16.05% (four seats), according to national election office data.

The centrist Momentum Movement was third with 9.93% (two seats) while the Socialists (6.65%) and the nationalist Jobbik (6.34%) both weakened significantly, winning one seat each.

It remains to be seen whether Fidesz will continue as part of the center-right European People's Party (EPP), which suspended the Hungarian party's membership prior to the European Parliamentary elections, pending inquiries by three senior EPP officials.

As the newly elected Chairman said, his aim is “to guide, with the help of the elected Council and our Managing Director, the Chamber through the uncertain times ahead. We have a unique opportunity to show our commitment to the BCCH, demonstrating our ability to showcase the strengths of British Business and Community whilst developing our bonds and connections still further.”

Csilla Csurgai left the post of Executive Director after 13 years.

Her successor is Oliver Strommer, the former Manager of the British Business Centre.

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SZILÁRD KOSZTICSÁK/MTI, HONVEDELEM.HU, PATRÍCIA VERBŐCI, TAMÁS SZIGETI, DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM

HUNGARIAN GRIPENS GUARD BALTIC AIRSPACE

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HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIST WINS BOLYAI PRIZE

May 1, once again, began the tenure of the Hungarian Air Force to ensure the protection of the Baltic airspace for four months – taking over this task from the Spanish contingent. As the Hungarian defense website honvedelem. hu reports, the airspace of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia is guarded by four Gripen fighter planes and about one hundred aircrew. Under the NATO agreement ensuring the protection of the three Baltic states, the Hungarian soldiers first carried out this task in 2015.

The Alliance takes part in the control of the airspace protection of those Member States that do not have fighter aircraft. The Baltic Air Policing (BAP) Hungarian Detachment QRA performs their duties until the end of August based at Lithuania’s Šiauliai airport.

At the takeover ceremony, Vytautas Umbrasas, the ViceMinister of National Defense of Lithuania, called the day a milestone, and noted that the protection of the Baltic airspace is a shining example of the co-operation of NATO’s allied Member States. The Vice-Minister gave a token of appreciation on the occasion of the commencement of service to Hungarian Brigadier-General Csaba Ugrik. The Hungarian Baltic Air Patrol Commander said that it was great honor for the airmen serving at the Hungarian Defense Forces 59th ‘Szentgyörgyi Dezső’ Air Base in Kecskemét, East Central Hungary, to assume service over the Baltics. w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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Professor Albert-László Barabási of the Department of Network and Data Science at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest won the Bolyai Prize from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. It was handed over to him by Hungarian President János Áder on May 29. He is best known for his work in the research of network theory, which led to his discovery of the concept of scale-free networks.

CEU released a statement that the Bolyai Prize is Hungary’s most prestigious award for scientific achievement. It is awarded biannually and accompanied by a monetary prize of EUR 100,000.

A Hungarian-born native of Transylvania, Romania, Barabási is the author of ‘The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success’, ‘Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do’, and ‘Linked: The New Science of Networks’.

Barabási, together with two other researchers, was also awarded a EUR 10 million Synergy Grant from the European Research Council in 2018. The six-year project explores what mathematical rules are applicable to large networks, from cellular processes to human brain functions to Facebook networks.

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HUNGARIAN ONLINE SHOPPING ON THE INCREASE Close to 5.4 million Hungarians, or 91% of adult internet users, shop online regularly. As this number would be difficult to increase much further, e-commerce could be expanded by raising the purchase intensity. The proliferation of online shopping for food and household goods is expected to strongly contribute to that; 1.2 million people have so far used such services. That is according to the latest iteration of eNET’s regular (annual) e-commerce research that focused on online shopping trends.

Since May 2017, the number of Hungarian online shoppers has grown by 800,000.

As there is not much room for further growth, the emphasis will shift to higher purchase intensity (i.e. what products are bought for what average prices, how frequently). This could constitute the basis of further significant e-commerce growth in Hungary.

Concerning the frequency of transactions, e-shoppers are already quite active as 78% buy goods online at least once a quarter. The majority (60%) buy six or more product categories on the internet; the top 3 are the following: mobile phones and their accessories (58%); clothes and their accessories (57%); as well as toys and presents (53%). As to services, purchased by 86% of online shoppers, accommodation clearly dominates (60%).

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­company briefs PRODUCTION BY DRENIK EXPANDED IN SZOLNOK

Serbian paper production company Drenik will not only expand its production volume and product portfolio by its latest development project but will also double the employee headcount in its Szolnok plant in Eastern Hungary. As a result of the recently launched investment worth HUF 8 billion in the Hungarian plant, finished household paper products will roll off the manufacturing lines, in addition to newly enhanced basic paper production. Thanks to two decades of success, the Drenik Group has developed into a major player in hygienic basic paper and finished product manufacturing in South-eastern and Central Europe. Drenik ND employs more than 500 people and its annual turnover approximates to EUR 100 million.

Drenik Hungary has been operating in Szolnok for three years, where primarily basic paper is produced for the manufacturing of household papers such as paper handkerchiefs, hand towels, toilet papers and kitchen rolls – in a monthly quantity of about 1,800 tons, by employing more than 90 people. Basic paper manufactured here is mainly used by Drenik in its own plants but is also sold to other Hungarian and foreign paper mills.

GUARDIAN GLASS INAUGURATES NEW INVESTMENTS IN OROSHÁZA

In the framework of the development project in Szolnok, the existing manufacturing hall will be reconstructed in order to increase the basic paper manufacturing volume and another factory unit of more than 4,000 sqm will be built for the manufacturing of the ‘Perfex’ finished product. A warehouse with a surface of nearly 20,000 sqm will also be established.

In 2018, the production value of the paper industry exceeded – after an increase of more than 10% – HUF 520 billion in Hungary. An even greater increase occurred in the field of employment: in February 2019, the number of those employed in the paper industry approximated to 16,500 people, following an increase of more than 20%.

FIRST PHASE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE TEST TRACK IN ZALAEGERSZEG IS COMPLETED Just a year after the foundation stone was laid, the first module of the ZalaZone complex automotive proving ground has been completed.

The reception building, the technical building as 'headquarters' for the test track users, the dynamic surface, the maneuverability course, and the course section for the brake tests, which has eight different driving surfaces, have been complemented by the initial five hectares of smart city, which will simulate urban traffic conditions. The second phase, and thus the entire project, is expected to be finished by 2020.

The automotive test track of ZalaZone, covering

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The Cegléd site, SE of Budapest, of the semiconductor manufacturing and developing firm Infineon, which was expanded by a central building last year, will get a new factory: through an investment creating 275 new workplaces, worth HUF 31.8 billion, the German company will produce semiconductor modules mounted into inverters for electric and hybrid vehicles. The decision to build the new factory was made less than a year after the new central building of the company was inaugurated in June 2018.

With the semiconductor technology of Infineon, the entire energy supply chain of vehicles works more efficiently. Besides efficient energy management, Infineon’s semiconductor solutions enable smart mobility, and the secure capture and transfer of data, according to a report by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA).

Infineon Technologies AG, with headquarters in Munich and over 40,000 employees, is a world market leader in semiconductor applications.

The company group is present in 134 locations worldwide: in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle-East, Japan as well as in North and South America. In the business year of 2017/2018, the company realized net EUR 7.6 billion in revenues, and placed substantial emphasis on innovation through its R&D activities at 35 locations worldwide.

The role of the Infineon Group with 1,300 employees in Hungary is reinforced by the fact that the company also pays attention to involving the Hungarian small and medium-size enterprises among its suppliers. The company in Cegléd is a decisive production base of performancesemiconductor modules that are used in industrial automation and power technology, medical equipment, energy production, transportation and distribution, and also in the field of renewable energy sources.

an area of 265 hectares nearby Zalaegerszeg, SW Hungary, near the country’s borders with Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, is an investment of regional and continental significance. According to HIPA, independent test tracks of such complexity are considered unique even at European level. Another curiosity of the project lies in its capacity to provide

testing opportunities both for conventional vehicles and self-driven or electric cars. In addition, the development extends beyond the closed simulation environment. Building on an agreement with Austria and Slovenia, developers may use test roads beyond Hungary’s borders to enable car tests in bordercrossing infrastructures.

The ceremony for the delivery of the first phase of the test track also celebrated the first-time demonstration of different maneuvers with self-driven cars through 5G network communication, in a Hungarian real-life simulating environment. Alongside Magyar Telekom, T-Systems Hungary, Ericsson Hungary, Vodafone, the Budapest University of Technology and iMar Navigation, technological presentations and shows were made, among others, by thyssenkrupp and Knorr-Bremse. As a final stage of the event, a cooperation agreement was concluded between ZalaZone and the Austrian AVL, which is running an automotive engineering center in Hungary.

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NEW SEMICONDUCTOR MODULES FACTORY FOR INFINEON IN HUNGARY

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The new production line of the Guardian Glass plant in Orosháza, SE Hungary, has begun operation. The US company invested EUR 13 million to develop the laminated glass production line, which will expand their scope of products manufactured in Hungary.

The activities of the Guardian Group, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately owned company groups in the United States, are conducted in two divisions. One of these, Guardian Glass produces glass products and glass wool insulation for the commercial, residential, automotive and technical segments. Its main products are float and laminated glass, tempered glass, low-emission (Low-E) glass, mirror and figured glass, solar glass, insulating and reflective glass products.

Guardian Glass, with its European headquarters in Luxembourg, serves customers in 160 countries with its 26 production units, of which ten are located in Europe, producing 5,000 kilometers of float glasses per day.

As a report by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) highlights, Guardian bought shares of the Orosháza glass factory in 1988, which’ back in the day, was a significant investment, making the production of float glasses − in addition to flat glass production − possible in Orosháza from 1991. Thanks to continuous developments and investments, the plant has been modernized in the past decades.

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­company briefs NEW SMG INVESTMENT IN HUNGARY

The new production plant of MATE, belonging to the Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG), has been inaugurated in Túrkeve, Eastern Hungary. The Indian company's newest unit, specialized for injection-molded plastic parts, has been constructed on a floor area of 12,000 square meters through an investment of EUR 16 million, and has created a hundred new jobs.

Samvardhana Motherson Group, founded in 1975, is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, providing full service delivery from designing to the manufacture of the prototype, casting, and assembly. SMG's business portfolio covers a wide range of automotive products; therefore, the group delivers external and internal elements and systems to all large vehicle manufacturers. It also provides a full range of IT services and design engineering services to various industrial segments; it also supplies aviation industry products. The company, with an extensive scope of activities and portfolio, employs more than 106,000 people in 37 countries and through 230 operational units.

The Indian company group also has five other operational units in Hungary.

SMR Hungary has developed to be one of the largest rear-view mirror manufacturers of the world: through the three manufacturing units and logistic center, it supplies more than eight million sets of external mirrors a year to, among others, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche, Kia, Ford, and Jaguar Land Rover. Samvardhana Motherson Peguform (SMP) produces bumpers in Kecskemét, Hungary for its partners, while MATE produces plastic car parts and equipment in Túrkeve.

The Hungarian dairy company Alföldi Tej will commence pilot production in Central-Eastern-Europe's most modern cheese and powdering plant in Debrecen, Eastern Hungary. The investment of EUR 39 million will create 181 new workplaces in the region.

The construction and assembly of the new plant of Alföldi Tej Ltd. are approaching their end. Thanks to the four-year long investment, the dairy product portfolio of Hungary's second largest dairy company, in addition to milk, sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, kefir and yoghurt of their own production, is also extended by cheese and milk powder.

Two production lines are created as part of the investment: one is a cheese production unit capable of processing 250 thousand liters of milk on a daily basis, and the other is a whey powdering unit processing the sweet whey, which is produced during the cheese making process, with the capacity of 250,000 liters, which will also be capable of producing milk powder from some 220,000 liters of skimmed milk.

According to the Managing Director of Alföldi Tej Ltd., Mónika Rózsás, their cheese production plant produces Trappist type cheese using 250,000 liters of milk, while the by-products of cheese production are utilized in their powdering plant. “We are also appearing on foreign markets with our gouda cheese, and are currently in negotiation with Japanese and Chinese partners about distribution,” she added.

Alföldi Tej Ltd. is one of the largest milk processing enterprises of Hungary. The company was founded in 2003 and was first engaged in raw material production and sales.

In November 2005 the company acquired the Székesfehérvár processing plant of Parmalat Hungária Zrt., which was in liquidation, then in 2015 they also bought the Debrecen plant of FrieslandCampina Zrt.

Germany-based company Bock, which offers diverse technical solutions, from design to manufacturing, in the field of office furniture and the automotive industry, is launching a comprehensive development program at its factories in Noszlop and Ajka, both in Veszprém County in Western Hungary. The investment, worth EUR 12.4 million, will not only lead to higher technological standards and higher production volume, but will also create 60 new jobs.

The family-owned Bock group is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its operation this year.

It produces office furniture components from polymers, aluminum and polyurethanes, besides supplying the industrial sector, including the automotive industry. Outside Germany, Bock has manufacturing units in Canada, China and Hungary.

Its Hungarian subsidiary, Bock Hungária Ltd., has been present in this country for over 15 years, running two sites. Alongside the fitting and upholstering of office chair mechanisms, the factory in Noszlop focuses on metal-working and the manufacturing of polyurethane products for office furniture. The factory in Ajka, on the other hand, specializes in tool and component design, tool manufacturing as well as the molding and assembly of plastic products.

The Managing Director of Bock Hungária, Frank Eidmann justified the investment with increasing orders and customer demand. “A new production hall will be constructed during the course of the project and the production lines will be modernized using robot technology”, he added.

As a result of continuous developments, the Hungarian unit also works as a competence center, offering comprehensive services to the partners.

With this expansion, the number of employees will surpass 1,000, further strengthening the Hungarian unit's role within the company group.

SECOND PRODUCTION HALL FOR MIAS GROUP IN GYÖNGYÖS The foundation stone of a new production hall by MIAS Group, belonging to the German Jungheinrich AG, manufacturing automated logistics stacker cranes, was laid at the firm’s Gyöngyös site (east of Budapest) for a new production unit with 8,300 square meters of shop floor area. As the result of the greenfield investment worth EUR 16 million and the creation of 60 new workplaces, the capacity of the Hungarian plant doubles.

MIAS Group, with headquarters in Munich, established in 1947 and present in five

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ATTILA BALÁZS/MTI, PÉTER KOMKA/MTI, JÁNOS MÉSZÁROS/MTI, HIPA

CEE’S MOST MODERN DAIRY PROCESSING PLANT

COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AT BOCK

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countries, is a company that manufactures warehouse and logistics technology machinery, the main activity is the production of automated logistic stacker cranes (RBG). The MIAS Group was acquired in 2015 by Jungheinrich, which further expanded its product portfolio in the field of automated warehouse solutions.

MIAS, a German-Hungarian joint venture, entered the domestic market in 1992 under the name Mátra Gépipari Kft., and assumed its current name in 2016. In its hall in Gyöngyös currently occupying some 5,400 square meters of floor space,

machine production and assembly activities are performed with nearly 130 employees, mainly for the German and Western-European markets.

With the new investment in Gyöngyös, a hall with 8,300 square meter production area is to be constructed on a land of 43,000 square meters, supplemented by a supporting social building, as well as a technological building. Industry 4.0 technologies will also be applied in production, by which the current 150 unit per year RBG production capacity will increase to 300 units; furthermore, the manufactured products will also be suitable for integration into modern Industry 4.0 systems.

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analysis

A BREAKTHROUGH OF SORTS…

… FROM HUNGARY’S POINT OF VIEW

BY TAMÁS MAGYARICS

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid a long overdue visit to the President of the United States on May 13, 2019.

The last time he had an invitation from the White House was almost 20 years ago, and the latest time a Hungarian Prime Minister paid an official visit to a U.S. President was in 2005. Despite all of the debates over political and ideological issues during the better part of the past nine years between the Hungarian government and the U.S. administration, it was unusual and abnormal to suspend meetings on the highest level between two allies. So, borrowing a term from Warren G. Harding, PM Orbán’s recent trip to Washington was an important step back to ‘normalcy.’

Interest-based ties

The issues discussed by the two leaders ranged from enhanced defense cooperation through energy security to such global issues as fighting terrorism. The public statements are mostly kept to generalities, and one can only guess what specific deals were made – or understandings arrived at – in the relatively long meeting behind closed doors.

The American Ambassador to Hungary, David B. Cornstein emphasized in interviews after the visit that President Trump and PM Orbán,

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been the U.S.’s and Hungary’s strong support of Israel even in the face of rather widespread criticism in the international community.

Trump’s invitation to a leader well-known for his resistance to the centralizing tendencies within the EU is a not so subtle message to President of the European Commission JeanClaude Juncker, Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders.

Timing Speculation was – and is – also centered on the timing of the meeting, and the subsequent comments made publicly by President Trump with reference to PM Orbán’s policies in the European Union. The American President singled out the determined steps taken by the Hungarian Prime Minister to protect his own country, and claimed that Viktor Orbán is respected in Europe for his policies. The underlying message is clear: national borders should be secured, illegal migration should be stopped, and national sovereignty should be a priority. Given the efforts by primarily the so-called core members of the EU to move towards a federal Europe (a sort of United States of Europe) by concentrating more power in Brussels at the expense of national governments in a kind of zero-sum game; Donald Trump’s visit to Warsaw and his speech delivered over there in 2017; his open support of Brexit (“I am Mr. Brexit”); and his asides (or well-calculated comments) about Europe as a ‘foe’, it does not seem to be too wide off the mark to say that President J U N E

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Back to realities The Trump administration accused its predecessor of neglecting Central and Eastern Europe (which was the case to some extent), and therefore, allowing a power vacuum to emerge, and outside actors, such as Russia and China, of trying to fill it in. Though people present at the discussions maintain that neither country was brought up as such, American warnings about cybersecurity and regional threats might as well have served as reminders of certain geopolitical and geostrategic realities in the region. Prime Minister Orbán has stated on several occasions that the geopolitical dynamics in Central Europe are defined by Germany, Russia, and Turkey above all else.

The message of the Trump-Orbán meeting, together with the visits of the other Central European leaders to Washington seems to be unambiguous: the United States is back.

Tamás Magyarics is a foreign policy analyst

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Defense and energy issues

and the unusually large delegations on both sides, were predominantly discussing overall strategic questions, and they did not get into the details of any of them. One such potential field of strategic partnership is likely to be defense cooperation (after a long overdue agreement had been signed before PM Orbán’s trip by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan). The Hungarian armed forces need to be modernized and U.S. defense contractors are said to be in quite a good position to compete with rivals in this undertaking. Another important issue of strategic importance for the U.S. is energy diversification in Europe. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, with some hyperbole, even said at one point that it would be a second liberation of Europe from under Russian rule. In fact, Hungary is open to receiving gas supplied

by American companies – provided the price is right. Here, Exxon-Mobil’s decision to go ahead with partnership of Austria’s ÖMV (and the Romanians) to drill in the Black Sea is still pending. The two sides agreed on the importance of protecting Christian communities in countries where they are persecuted, especially in the Middle East. As for this region, a common ground might have

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The turning point was obviously the election of Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump, as a presidential candidate, promised a break with several policies of the Obama administration; among others, curbing – and possibly stopping altogether – illegal immigration into the U.S., and abandoning ‘lecturing’ other countries with regard to the conduct of their domestic policies. In other words, giving up the democracy export project of the previous administrations, and basing the relations of the U.S. with other countries on interests first and foremost. A third element of this shift was a different approach by the State Department towards Central and Eastern Europe. The principles were laid by Wess Mitchell, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from October 2017 to February 2019, who suggested that Washington’s real strategic interest in the region was to counter the growing Russian influence, and not to get mired in disputes over questions of secondary importance with the various governments. It might also be added that, in general, Fidesz-KDNP is much closer ideologically to the Republican Party than to the Democratic Party, and this fact also facilitated the mutual desire to unfreezing the political relations. The emphasis here is on political relations, where defense and security cooperation, as well as the economic and trade relations were in much better shape during the Obama presidency than the political ones.

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reunion

CELEBRATING THE LEGAL PROFESSION ANNUAL REUNION OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL ASSOCIATION IN BUDAPEST For the first time in its history, the Harvard Law School Association of Europe (HLSAE) held its Annual Reunion in Budapest. The program was an extraordinary success, it attracted over 150 high level Harvard Alumni participants from around the globe, including Paraguay, India, China, Australia, Venezuela, the USA and most European countries.

Hungary has never hosted so many outstanding scholars, successful businessmen and legal practitioner graduates of Harvard University. The four-day Harvard Reunion was organized and co-chaired by Andrea Jádi Németh, President of the Hungarian Harvard Club and Salvo Arena, President of HLSAE, both members of the Board of the global Harvard Law School Association. Justice István Stumpf and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States, David Kostelancik welcomed the guests at the opening reception in the fabulous headquarters of the Academy of Sciences. Then, the large Harvard delegation left Budapest behind to set off on a half-day trip to the Danube Bend and spent lunch with Dénes Kemény, former coach of the Hungarian water polo team who won countless gold medals at Olympics, World and European Championships.

Dr. Kemény’s captivating Keynote Speech on 1 2017.

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Alumni on their feet and received standing ovation.

In the evening, the guests celebrated the legal profession at the Museum of Fine Arts with László Trócsányi, Minister of Justice, who spoke enthusiastically about the moral values, high ethical standards of legal practice and shared his robust vision of Europe for the 21st century. The festive dinner was full of artistic highlights. Guests were amazed by the mind-blowing performance of the Virtuosos star prodigy cellist, 15 years old Aleksander Simic, who will soon debut in the Carnegie Hall in New York City. Afterwards, the world-famous soprano, Andrea Rost brought her most beautiful opera arias to the audience and was greeted with a stirring round of applause.

Harvard Annual Reunions are always organized around high-level academic sessions that this year took place at the Parliament of Hungary with László Palkovics, Minister for Innovation and Technology and Harvard Law Professor Christopher Bavitz sharing the floor. Their

presentations centered around the most topical issues of innovation, digitalization, AI, algorithm bias, state policies and educational challenges. Also for the first time ever, together with the Budapest Bar Association and with the support of five leading law firms, Harvard University opened its academic program for over 30 young Hungarian attorneys.

The weekend was closed with a Gala Dinner featuring the 100 Members Gipsy Orchestra and the celebrity Guest of Honor, actress and producer Andrea Osvárt. The Annual Reunion of Harvard Law School Association of Europe was an exceptional occasion for local and international members of the Harvard community to connect, to share experiences, to build bridges for stronger ties and to discover our beautiful capital in a truly memorable way. According to the guests, the outstanding speakers, exceptional artistic performances and unique venues made the Budapest Reunion legendary.

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HUGE ECONOMIC & TRADE POTENTIAL INTERVIEW WITH MASSIMO RUSTICO, ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY

Like-minded countries He is of the view that Italy and Hungary could be considered like-minded countries in several matters, mainly related to the EU and NATO

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Agencies and the Central European Initiative; and boast also a really good military cooperation within the Multinational Land Force Initiative (along with Slovenia, Austria and Croatia).

He also stresses that “at the same time, Italy is holding a tough policy towards those organizations that are suspected of being involved in illegal migrant trafficking and to this end, a more efficient sealing-the-ports policy has been put in place. The Government of Italy, finally, is working on one hand to eradicate the reasons of the migration flows, by financing development programs to some of the transit and origin countries, and on the other hand to strike agreements with origin countries in order to repatriate illegal migrants.”

Tackling migration Although abating, illegal migration is still a problem on the shores of Italy. Ambassador Rustico says that the Italian Government has been proposing for years a solution that should be European-wide, and not only the responsibility of the border country, which has to deal with the arrivals of migrants.

“In Brussels, Italy is asking for a balanced approach of responsibility and solidarity: a common European responsibility in managing huge flows of migrants arriving by sea because countries that are the first point of entry to the EU cannot always afford taking care of all these people, and solidarity from other European countries in accepting migrants that are allowed to enter Italy while it is not prepared economically to provide for them.”

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Growing trade Italy is now Hungary’s third largest trading partner after Germany and Austria with the annual volume of bilateral trade reaching EUR ten billion. The Ambassador says he is “particularly pleased” with the figure of EUR 10.1 billion.

This is an increase of 5.2% compared to 2017.

Previously, Italy was the fifth commercial partner, third customer country and eighth supplier country of Hungary. This result was achieved thanks to a continuous growth of exchange that

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In the recent months, political discussions between Italian and Hungarian officials have become more active. According to Ambassador Rustico, Italy and Hungary have been holding a very good relationship for several years. “A concrete momentum has been put in place, of course, with the 5 Stars/League government taking office in Rome in June 2018 and since then the dialogue between the two capitals has dramatically improved. This is because of the awareness of the two countries of the huge economic and trade potential to be developed. The high-level visits held in the past few months were therefore aimed at fostering further ideas in strengthening the economic cooperation.”

domains. “More specifically, Rome and Budapest are working hard in making the debate on the EU Multi Financial Framework for the period 2021-27 fruitful, by sharing several views on the top priorities that the EU Presidency and Commission should take into consideration. Our countries are, also, having an ongoing dialogue on the management of the migration flows, by expressing in most of the principles, the same values, such as the protection of the EU external borders. Moreover, Italy and Hungary are in good position to exchange the views on the future of Europe.

Rome and Budapest belong to the Euro-Atlantic family, where they share the need for regional stability, the fight against the international radical terrorism and the program for a strengthening of the national armies.”

He adds that to the EU and NATO matters, Italy and Hungary are both committed to the protection of the persecuted Christians around the world, especially in the Middle East; have excellent relations within the major United Nations

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italian focus of manufacturing products. Exports of agri-food products are also growing, with a surplus for Hungary. We note instead an increase in imports of cereals by Italy, for the subsequent transformation into finished products.

The main investments include those in the financial sector with Unicredit, CIB (Intesa San Paolo) and Generali. “In manufacturing, we have Prysmian, Kometa 99, Dunastyr, Nidec GPM Hungary, HUMAN BioPlazma, Serioplast Hungary, Mapei, Flame Spray and many others. I would say that the trend is stable since the great transformation of industry 4.0 is underway in the manufacturing sector and governments are financing the innovation of companies that are incorporated in the national territory,” he adds.

Italian presence

DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM

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in the last 3-4 years, has accelerated due to the increase in purchasing power by the Hungarian population and to the appreciation of ‘Made in Italy’, he says.

It is a common belief that Italian food products constitute the essential part of Hungarian imports from Italy but in terms of value, these products constitute only 6.1% of imports, while in first place are manufactured products, which account for 52.8%, followed by machinery and means of transport which account for 38.8%.

“I cannot fail to mention that Italy is the second European manufacturer and the eighth in the world. Italian industries produce high quality and high technology products. The excellence of ‘Made in Italy’ is in the high diversification of its specifications, which are mainly based on the macro-sectors of the ‘4A’: Food-wine (Alimentarivini), Clothing-fashion (Abbigliamento-moda), Home-furnishings (Arredo-casa) and Automationmechanical-rubber-plastic (Automazione meccanica). Italy is one of the five countries in the world that have a manufacturing surplus exceeding USD 100 billion and is also the leading pharmaceutical producer in the European Union.

In the fashion sector, we are the world's second largest industry in terms of market shares after China,” Ambassador Rustico points out.

Hungarian exports to Italy comprise 38.7% of machinery and means of transport and 35.3% 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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According to statistics, there are some 2,500 Italian companies in Hungary. Ambassador Rustico notes that their presence began in the 1990s and “undoubtedly, the current economic growth, the increase in purchasing power, the development of the construction sector, the flat tax, the favorable fiscal environment are factors that influence the choice to invest in Hungary. I would also mention the work done by the Hungarian agency HIPA, which I consider an efficient tool in attracting and promoting new investments in the country. The Italian operators present in Hungary mention to me the lack of labor that ultimately affects all economic operators as one of the obstacles to the development of their companies. This is associated with another negative factor in the labor market, namely, the increase in wages that could jeopardize the operations of some SMEs. Entrepreneurs must therefore take all these factors into consideration, when making their investment decisions.”

In the heart of Europe It is not only Hungary’s geographical location in the heart of Europe that is attractive for Italian investors but also its assets in agriculture, he says.

“Our two countries share an excellent agricultural tradition that continues today and provides for our food needs. The added value for hectare in Italy is more than double the EU28 average and young people play and important role. Italy tops European rankings for farms run by people who are aged under 35. Our knowledge gained over HUNGARY

ITALY

93,028 sq km 111 9,825,704 (July 2018 est.)

92 -0.26% (2018 est.)

214 8.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

206 76.3 years (2018 est.)

88 1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

54 USD 29,600 (2017 est.)

68 4.2% (2017 est.)

54 12,030,940 (2017 est.)

75 41 (2013) 103

301,340 sq km 73 62,246,674 (July 2018 est.)

23 0.16% (2018 est.)

183 8.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

216 82.4 years 15 3.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

37 USD 38,200 (2017 est.)

50 11.3% (2017 est.)

153 83,871,543 (2017 est.)

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centuries can be useful for Hungarian farmers, as well. There are excellent examples of collaboration, such as the production of cheeses involving Italian cheese masters and Hungarian milk producers.

Agricultural cooperation is also well demonstrated by our already mentioned trade in food, beverages and tobacco, which exceeds EUR 1 billion a year.

Italian agricultural machinery is widespread in Hungary, but there is still room not only for the supply of a wide range of high quality products at competitive prices, but also for new technologies aimed at reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and climate, increasing soil health and lowering costs for farmers.”

Cultural ties Ambassador Rustico stresses that cultural relations between Italy and Hungary are traditionally very intense. Their development is also ensured by a framework outlined by the 1965 Cultural Collaboration Agreement and its Executive Program.

The latter identifies the Italian Cultural Institute in Budapest and the Hungarian Academy in Rome as the main institutions responsible for promoting and developing bilateral cultural relations. A Scientific and Technological Collaboration Agreement is also active since 2006, together with its executive Protocols.

“Many are the cultural sectors where cooperation has proved to be very fruitful, due to the keen

interest in Hungary for Italian theater – the most recent collaborations have taken place between the Hungarian National Theater and the Piccolo Teatro of Milan; Italian music – as confirmed by the constant presence of Italian artists in the main Hungarian festivals; Italian cinema, literature – Umberto Eco’s opera omnia, for example, has been almost completely translated into Hungarian; and Italian art, about which the vast Hungarian museum network offers great possibilities for cooperation,” he highlights.

As for the knowledge and diffusion of the Italian language in Hungary, the Embassy aims to encourage the teaching of Italian at both school and university level by ensuring that the contributions, scholarships and teacher training courses offered by the Italian Government are usefully assigned. A report from the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources (i.e. Culture) shows that in the academic year 2017-2018, almost 14,000 students studied Italian in the country, involving a vast network of schools and universities. There are about 35 agreements for student and teacher exchanges between 80 Italian and 17 Hungarian universities.

“We are convinced that our mutual commitment in the field of cultural collaboration is destined to give excellent results and to open up new perspectives in Italian-Hungarian relations,” Ambassador Massimo Rustico concludes.

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italian focus “We believe that such result is partially due to our contribution, as well, but it is honestly a ‘hard task’ to measure how much our efforts have turned into concrete business results. ICE's activities mostly concentrate on supporting Italian small and medium-size companies, which are absolutely predominant in the Italian economy and play an important role in the industrial development of the country. Providing assistance during the initial phases of the business means that results are usually not immediate visible.

What we can say is that over the past few years, our supporting activity, either in the form of personalized assistance or promotional activity, has increased significantly.”

THE BUSINESS GATEWAY

ICE MOSTLY CONCENTRATES ON SUPPORTING ITALIAN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZE COMPANIES

Popular sectors There are certain areas of business where Italian companies are especially interested in investments in Hungary. As the Director points out, the finance and insurance sector is well represented in Hungary by Italian companies (Unicredit, Intesa SanPaolo with CIB, and Generali). Other important areas where Italian companies have invested include the food sector (e.g. Kometa, San Benedetto, Valcolatte), the cable manufacturing sector (Prysmian Group) and the machinery and equipment sector, in which Italian companies (e.g. Sematic in the elevator industry and DAB Pumps) have expanded their capacities in the last years.

“Of course, these are not the only sectors, Italian investments are also present in areas like automotive, aerospace, chemical and biomedical, construction, real estate, textile, printing, design and agriculture. The choice of Hungary for Italian investments during the past three decades was mostly due to efficiency, cost reduction and strategic position as Hungary is quite close to the North-East of Italy.”

The Italian Trade Agency (ICE) is a government agency that promotes the internationalization of Italian companies. Its Hungarian off ice was established in the late 1960s.

“In accordance with the strategies of the Ministry for Economic Development, the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) Budapest Office provides support, advice and information to Italian and Hungarian companies. You can consider this ICE office as an important gateway for Hungarian enterprises willing to establish business relationship with Italian partners, from sourcing Italian products to investment opportunities in Italy,” the Director of the office, Antonio Canale tells Diplomacy&Trade.

Services “We provide a wide range of services helping Italian and Hungarian businesses to connect with each other, like identification of possible business partners, bilateral trade meetings with Italian companies, Hungarian trade delegation visits to Italy, official participation in local fairs and exhibitions, forums and seminars with Italian experts and also specific market research and analysis. All these activities have the common aim of developing and strengthening bilateral relations between Italy and Hungary,” he adds.

Italian Festival May-June is the time of the now traditional Italian Festival in Budapest. ICE is the organizer of the Festival, under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Budapest and in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture and the Italian Chamber of Commerce. The Italian Festival (www. italianfestival.eu) is a two-week long event that provides a glance of Italian life to the Hungarian people and an extraordinary showcase of ‘Made in Italy’. It is organized in cooperation with about 50 Italian and Hungarian companies, with the goal of promoting Italian food (a workshop with B2B organized at the New York Palace Hotel), Italian fashion, Italian vehicles as well as arts, culture, and tourism.

Part of the ‘Italian system’ ICE is an active participant in the ‘Italian System’, which also includes the Italian Embassy, coordinator of all activities in Hungary, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Italian Chamber of Commerce. “Our Office cooperates very closely with the Italian Embassy in many

of the economic and commercial activities and with the Italian Institute of Culture presenting peculiarities of Italian products through specific cultural events like concerts, exhibitions or art shows. Collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and other Italian private companies in Hungary is regular, as we continuously share information regarding opportunities and challenges of the local market,” the Director notes.

He also highlights that for ICE, the cooperation with local chambers of commerce is very important, as they represent a reference point for scouting business opportunities between Italian and Hungarian companies.

Presence in and outside Budapest Although, the ICE Office is located in Budapest its activities involve companies all over Hungary. The Director notes that “some scouting actions and organization of meetings and events also occur outside the Hungarian capital. Certainly, Budapest is the economic, commercial, financial and cultural center of Hungary and accounts for approximately 20% of the Hungarian population. In Budapest, the market is much more receptive compared with other areas of the country; there is also a higher concentration of research capacities.

Such indicators shows a ‘natural’ favorable position of Budapest as market opportunity for foreign companies.”

Increasing trade Italy is now one of the largest trading partners for Hungary in Europe. As regards ICE’s contribution to this achievement, Antonio Canale stresses that Italian exports to Hungary continuously increased in the past five years (moving from HUF 3.3 billion in 2014 to EUR 4.7 billion in 2018, with a 42% increase).

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THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION

Labor shortage vs. productivity In the President’s opinion, the biggest corporate problem in Hungary currently is labor shortage.

He underlines that it is a very challenging problem for the Hungarian GDP and for increasing production. “If they had the possibility to hire more people, most of the Italian companies could increase productivity by 30-40%. It is a difficult priority for the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Hungary to help find solutions to this problem.

We have a very long list of ‘what to do’: it is not just one suggestion but 15-16 different activities that could contribute to solving this problem, which affects not only Italian but Hungarian companies, as well.”

Earlier this year, in April, CCIU signed a cooperation agreement with Óbuda University.

“We believe that if we are present at universities, in secondary schools, etc., it is beneficial not only for us and the educational institutions but eventually, for our chamber members, as well. I don't know the exact figure but a high percentage of Hungarian students at universities will eventually go and work in the United States, Germany or Austria. However, if these students are aware of the possibilities of working for important companies here in Hungary and can have a high career potential, maybe, this proportion will decrease because they will stay here and make good money working in this country. They should be aware that they can go to Unicredit Bank, CIB Bank, Pirelli etc. – there are so many Italian companies here that can offer these kinds of opportunities to students,” Francesco Mari explains.

ITALIAN CHAMBER OFFERS SERVICES THAT CONNECT ITALIAN AND HUNGARIAN COMPANIES The Italian Chamber of Commerce for Hungary (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l'Ungheria - CCIU) was established as a private association in 1992 and has been operating with off icial recognition by the Italian government since 1998. The non-prof it association has approximately 200 members and serves as the meeting place for the integration and development of the Italian-Hungarian business community.

As the President of CCIU, Francesco Maria Mari tells Diplomacy&Trade that the Chamber focuses on supporting small and medium enterprises, that is, firms who employ between 50-60 and 300-400 people, by organizing networking sessions for its members and lobbying. “The inspiration behind the CCIU strategy is to give real practical support to the SMEs in their daily activities.

The importance of networking is that without communication, you cannot sell; you cannot buy anything; you cannot improve your production.

So, the primary intention of our chamber is to create the possibility to talk to other companies: Italian companies in Hungary and, of course, to Hungarian companies that are interested in establishing or maintaining contact with Italian companies.”

He explains that they use several formats of networking. “For our famous ‘Italian Aperitimes’,

we bring together more or less a hundred companies in a relaxed atmosphere. We also organize Focus Lunch/Focus Dinner that are business meetings for a group of carefully selected entrepreneurs and managers, a maximum of 10-12 people. Then, we have the very well known ‘Italian business days’ in the countryside. It is very important that our chamber focuses not only on Budapest but also the countryside where there are very active Italian companies that were ‘forgotten’ before.”

Services Francesco Mari underlines that there are ‘basic’ and ‘soft’ services offered by CCIU. “Among the soft ones, we consider lobbying the most important. We use the word ‘lobbying’ in a little bit wider meaning. We have discovered that there are many successful Italian companies that conduct their business here but they do

not know much about where to turn to if they encounter problems. I came to understand this after several meetings with entrepreneurs.

They focus on production, which is very good, of course, and our chamber is here to help them make good contacts. To my knowledge, no other chamber of commerce does anything like this: we are organizing a workshop this June with the participation of important officials from the government who will introduce, to our members, how the government structure is organized and who the key people are in the given ministry.”

In reference of ‘basic services’, he mentions that “many times companies need translations, interpreters, hostess services, basic administrative support in hiring people or basic pieces of information about potential partners.

If an Italian company would like information about investment opportunities somewhere in Hungary, we contact the local chamber of commerce and prepare a dossier that we pass on to the interested Italian firm. We can do similar services for Hungarian companies, in which case our partner is the chamber of commerce in Italy.

Other important information for Italian companies is about how to set up a company in Hungary, how much it costs etc. Some 95% of our services are used by Italian companies but that is in line with our aim of assisting the international expansion of the Italian companies.”

’Made in Italy’ Italy is not present in Hungary with a big automobile factories like Germany or Japan but Italian companies have a very important role in the automotive chain here as suppliers in the most important branch of the Hungarian economy. These Italian companies that already partners of vehicle assembly plants throughout the country are likely to grow in the future as they manufacture quality parts in accordance with the ‘Made in Italy’ image, the President says.

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The Italian Chamber of Commerce for Hungary has signed several agreements with regional chambers of commerce in Hungary.

“We already have cooperation with the Pest County Chamber of Commerce, those of Hajdú-Bihar and Zala Counties and we are about to finalize an agreement with the Budapest Chamber of Commerce. There is an Italian Desk, basically an Italian info point, at these regional chambers where an employee, usually an Italian speaker, collects the requests of the interested local Hungarian companies and forwards them to us. Every month, we have a virtual meeting with the all the Italian desks throughout the country where we discuss the latest news and activities, and exchange information: it is an absolutely win-win solution because we offer direct contact with Italy and they offer to us a direct contact with the countryside.”

In summary, he characterizes the Italian presence in Hungary as a ‘team approach’ with all the Italian institutes and organizations in Hungary are committed to the same goal: working together for the increase of the Italian commercial interchange with Hungary.

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UNBEATABLE PERFORMANCE IN STYLE

STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO REDEFINING PREMIUM SUVS The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is equipped with the exclusive aluminum 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo petrol engine, developed with inputs from Ferrari technologies and engineering know-how, which delivers maximum power of 510 HP at 6,500 rpm and generates a maximum torque of 600 Nm from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm.

This power plant is teamed with the specifically calibrated eight-speed automatic transmission that allows gear shifts in just 150 milliseconds in Race driving mode. Moreover, to maximize the driving experience, the model is equipped as standard with one-piece aluminum paddle shifters integral with the steering column.

Versatile efficiency Its performance is outstanding: acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and best-inclass top speed of 283 km/h. But the Alfa Romeo sports SUV is also incredibly efficient in terms of emission and fuel consumption, thanks to its electronically controlled cylinder deactivation system and the ‘sailing’ function, available in Advanced Efficiency driving mode.

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pleasure and safety in all situations. What is more, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is equipped with the exclusive AlfaTM Chassis Domain Control unit and is the only SUV in its class to provide differential AlfaTM Active Torque Vectoring as standard. Also standard equipment is the innovative AlfaTM Active Suspension, the system that continually, actively controls the suspensions and shock absorbers. Not to mention that the Stelvio Quadrifoglio guarantees impeccable handling and comfort thanks to its suspension layout, with the exclusive AlfaLinkTM technology: up front, it has a double wishbone system with semivirtual steering axis, with a four-and-a-half link Multilink system at the rear.

These amazing results, synonymous with great pleasure at the wheel, have been achieved through perfect weight distribution between the two axles and the use of ultralightweight materials such as carbon fiber for the driveshaft and aluminum for the engine, suspensions, brakes, doors, wheel-arches, hood and tailgate.

Another special feature of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the innovative electromechanical Integrated Brake System (IBS) – an Alfa Romeo brand exclusive, which first appeared on the Giulia –,

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The f irst ‘Quadrifoglio’ also to be a SUV – this is Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the new model with many class-topping features, which immediately becomes the new benchmark in the premium compact SUV segment. With its awe-inspiring design, performance and technology, Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the ‘fastest SUV around the circuit’, having clocked the new record for its class on the iconic Nürburgring: 7 minutes 51.7 seconds. which has become the new benchmark in terms of both swift response and stopping distance, on any road surface, and weight reduction compared to a conventional braking system.

High-performance carbon-ceramic discs will also be available as an optional after the launch.

Unique style Extreme performance and leading-edge technology are unmistakably conveyed by the unique style of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the finest expression of Italian design, interpreted with Alfa Romeo's unique flair and the perfect synergy of form and function, in a sensual, muscular car body. The new model's most distinctive characteristics include the bonnet with structural vents to escape from the engine compartment, the sporty side-skirt and the massive wheel arches, all body-colored and the four exhaust tips. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the finest expression of Italian design, interpreted with Alfa Romeo's unique flair, and the perfect synergy of form and function, in a sensual, muscular car body.

Inside comfort The Stelvio Quadrifoglio cockpit is simple and tasteful, forged around the driver. The

controls are grouped together on the steering wheel, which is small and direct to suit all driving styles. The diagonal tunnel and slightly undulating dashboard converge on the driving seat, ‘tailored’ like a bespoke suit, with painstaking craftsmanship and with lavish use of carbon fiber on the console, tunnel, dashboard trim, handle inserts and steering wheel rim. The black seats, in leather and Alcantara, are specific to the model and are more strongly shaped for more support when cornering. There is a choice of red, white and green and dark grey seams. The contrasting materials (leather, alcantara and carbon fiber) and colored stitching combine technology with fine workmanship and attention to details, for an interior with lashings of personality. The dark pillars and roof lining also contribute to the Stelvio Quadrifoglio's character.

The center of the dashboard is dominated by the new 8.8’ Connect infotainment system with 3D navigation function on request - which incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android AutoTM, the technologies developed by Apple and Google respectively to replicate the smartphone environment on the on-board display, for constantly connected, safe, user-friendly life at the wheel.

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italian focus

AVOIDING STEREOTYPES ITALIAN INSTITUTE BROADENS THE SCOPE OF CULTURE PASSED ON TO HUNGARIANS

Promoting Italian culture and language in Hungary is on one hand easy and on the other it is very demanding, Dr. Gian Luca Borghese, the Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Budapest reveals to Diplomacy&Trade.

language. We can pass on to future generations the specific knowledge in some sectors where Italian language has a certain excellence like, for instance, music, design, the restoration of artistic heritage and, of course, tourism and cuisine.

I think it is through language that we have this breakthrough of what Italian daily life and personality are,” he explains.

Countrywide activities

He adds that his country’s culture is so wellknown in Hungary that one might easily shift into stereotypes. “This is also our responsibility.

If you say ‘Italy’ and ‘culture’, everybody has a set of images in mind. We would like to enrich this repertoire of images and deepen people's knowledge. So, on one hand we try to work on what is the perception of Italian culture in Hungary and try to broaden and deepen the knowledge of its different sectors. On the other hand, I have always said, since I came here, that it is very important to have cooperation with local cultural institutions because they have their own public, they know

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Da Vinci 500 It was 500 years ago that the great Italian renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci died. Dr. Gian Luca Borghese, who wrote an article about this anniversary in a Hungarian magazine, says the Institute is planning to offer a specific course of art history focused on Leonardo da Vinci in the second half of this year. “It will be something halfway between a traditional art history course and a sort of seminar with open sessions here at the Italian Institute. There will also be a theater project to stage a play focused on the personal story of Leonardo da Vinci’s life and achievement.

We will probably also finance the distribution of a documentary on the broader market through one of the main cinemas in Budapest.”

Matera Another occasion to talk about is that the southern Italian town of Matera, along Plovdiv, Bulgaria, is the European Capital of Culture this year. According to the Director, “Matera and its region, Basilicata, is probably the least known abroad among all the Italian regions. So, it is a big challenge for this southern Italian town, but

at the same time also a big opportunity, that it has been chosen as the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2019. We would like to help Matera and the region promote its very rich calendar of events.

We will organize a Matera Open Day in early October to which we will invite experts, historians and museum directors. We put together a presentation about Matera, with the goal of not only giving information about what is going on in the town and its surroundings but also to encourage the public to see with their own eyes how interesting that part of Italy is – as is Matera, itself. It is a beautiful discovery by the Italians, themselves, it is a combination of very wild and isolated nature, ancient folk tradition, natural monuments and beautiful natural spots. I know for sure that Hungarians who have visited Matera came back with a wonderful impression.”

Supporting students and teachers Data from the Hungarian Ministry of Education suggests that 12,500 students learn Italian in Hungary in schools, from a few hours a week to 15 hours a week or more. The Italian Institute of Culture in Budapest has its own courses with about 600 students per year, where not only the Italian language but also the history of Italian art and the history of Italian architecture are taught.

“We will also be organizing courses of Italian cuisine and probably also one for opera singers who want to study the Italian language so that they can properly read and understand the opera librettos. We also help the various departments of Italian studies with the further education of teachers. The techniques, methods of teaching are continuously evolving and there are new approaches. Therefore, universities need to be given the opportunity to get information and updates about the latest methods in teaching the Italian language. We support these efforts by providing scholarships, by organizing courses for teachers and by contributing to covering the travel and lodging costs of inviting experts from Italy,” the Director concludes.

Not strictly culture “One important aspect of bilateral cultural relations is that they do not only include culture as strictly considered but there might be also trade, economic development, protection of the environment, etc. Again, Hungarian institutions are important in this respect but we also try to project culture in a broader sense of the word, so that financial aspects are involved as well as sustainable development. I think the Italian language is also the key to this approach because behind our language, there is not only traditional cultural heritage but also knowledge through J U N E

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Avoiding stereotypes

how to better promote, better advertise everything.

There is also a reciprocal enrichment in cooperating with local cultural institutions in cultural promotion: I can learn from Hungarian cultural institutions and I can show what our traditions are in promoting Italian culture, our spirit, our goals.”

photo by DÁVID

“There is a very strong interest in Italian culture in Hungary, which means that we have an advantage from the beginning because we, as the Italian Cultural Institute, know that we can count on a large public, which is truly interested in Italian culture and language. On the other hand, it is our goal to promote those aspects of Italian culture, which are not necessarily well-known among the members of the Hungarian public. For instance, I am sure that contemporary Italian art is less known than the classical one: everyone can cite Michelangelo but if I ask about a contemporary artist like Pistoletto, the picture is more bleak, despite the fact that Michelangelo Pistoletto is a fine representative of the very contemporary generation of Italian artists,” he explains.

The Institute is responsible for cultural promotion not only in Budapest but the whole of Hungary.

Dr. Gian Luca Borghese points out that “we rely very much on the Italian language departments of universities outside Budapest, in Szeged, Pécs and Debrecen (there are also four of these in Budapest). The presence of these departments is very important for us because they are sort of forerunners of the Italian Cultural Institute in their respective locations. Most of the time, our events (concerts, exhibitions, book presentations, film screenings) are organized with support from these departments.”

In Debrecen, specifically, a Center of Italian Culture was founded with support from the Institute. “It is an independent entity of the Department of Italian Studies there. We have an agreement to organize 4-5 events a year, altogether. However, it is not only these language departments that we rely on concerning our events in Hungary. Hungarian movie distributors can also be powerful representatives of Italian culture because – through cinema networks all over Hungary – they are in the position to negotiate the screenings of Italian movies. So, private enterprises can also be good partners in the propagation of Italian culture,” he adds.

Another example he mentions is the Boheme Jazz Festival in Kecskemét, which was “a wonderful experience with Luca Filastro, a very talented pianist from Italy.

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italian focus

AN ITALIAN HEART IN LOVE WITH HUNGARY INTERVIEW WITH ITL GROUP FOUNDER ALESSANDRO FARINA Alessandro Farina is an Italian entrepreneur who has been living and working in Hungary for almost 30 years. He comes from an Italian family that has long entrepreneurial tradition going back two centuries. He tells Diplomacy&Trade about his Italian mindset and how that helps him serve the business community in Hungary.

ALESSANDRO FARINA I learned that entrepreneurs have a moral obligation to predecessors and future generations to build a better world. My own values to match this commitment have always been unity and community empowerment and they are the drivers of all my projects.

photo by ITL

GROUP

DIPLOMACY&TRADE You are in love with Hungary. How did you start your business in Budapest?

ALESSANDRO FARINA My love for Hungary began in 1992 when I started working in Budapest for a well-known English consultancy firm.

Then, I chose to stay and found ITL Group.

At the beginning, ITL Group was a broker of services but day after day, we have internalized our services and nowadays we are a One-Stop Shop company with a team of 50 professionals and nine departments, offering services from accounting to legal services (ITL Accounting, Consulting, HR Solutions, Real Estate, Audit, Tax Advisor, EU Finance, Marketing and our partner Lajos Law Firm).

ITL Group has always been my way to develop projects I believed could be worthwhile in my field and to follow my dreams. I don’t know how much was due to my Italian mindset but since the beginning, I have worked to build and empower the Italian business community, and later on, the international one, here in Budapest.

DIPLOMACY&TRADE How does your Italian mindset impact your business?

ALESSANDRO FARINA I believe that creativity and community are two important resources for w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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Italian people and, therefore, Italian companies.

When I started working here, I wanted to create connections between Italy and Hungary and their business communities. This was a driving force for me allowed ITL Group to be a bridge between the Italian and Hungarian business worlds.

Back in 2008, we created economia.hu, an online, valued magazine in Italian, entirely dedicated to Hungarian economics and Italian-Hungarian relations with the aim of updating Italian entrepreneurs active in the country or interested in Hungary as an investment destination.

Two years later, in 2010, we created an online database of Italian companies in Hungary (aziende.itlgroup.eu) to facilitate networking and partnership between them. The database allows its users to discover all the Italian companies established here in Hungary based on their size, profit, number of employees, location and activity thanks to the use of different filters.

Following the world economic crisis, in 2012, we wanted to inspire entrepreneurs and companies to be positive. This is why we created the Budapest Business Party (www.budapestbusinessparty. com), an effective creative way of B2B networking in a positive and fun environment.

DIPLOMACY&TRADE Can you tell us more about the Budapest Business Party?

ALESSANDRO FARINA Despite the fact that the organization of the event requires great effort and months of work, we have arrived to its 8th edition. Every year, when we are actually there to welcome guests on the spot, we are proud and happy because it is also a success for our partners and guests! We do it

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because we love the magic atmosphere that characterizes the event, and we do our best to invent new attractions to surprise our guests!

As a networking event for managers, CEOs, business owners and entrepreneurs, the guest list (by invitation only) is of the top selected people and clients of the sponsors. The sponsors can interact with the almost 2,000 guests through games/corners. In a nutshell, every sponsor can promote its own brand through a corner with an interactive game (branding game). This year, BBP19 takes place on June 7 on Europa Boat in a beautiful setting on the Danube River in the heart of Budapest.

DIPLOMACY&TRADE How much do you think the Budapest Business Party helps the business community here?

ALESSANDRO FARINA I believe that promoting a positive environment is always good.

I think that this effort to empower and create communities has been appreciated also in Italy since in 2013, I had the great honor to be nominated Officer of the Italian Republic, by the President of the Republic.

The following year, ITL Group published ‘Hungary 2014: a Guide to Investment’ (those interested can find it at issuu.com/economia. hu), which offers an overview on the Hungarian economy, politics and taxation system. The book was so successful that its rights were donated to HIPA (Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency) and subsequently used by them to promote Hungary.

Moreover, in 2015, our community-focus approach received another recognition for our

effort to play a social role for the business society and the territory we live in. I was nominated, together with other 24 entrepreneurs and top managers, to be part of the MNB Klub, a group of foreign ‘ambassadors’ in Hungary selected for their capacity to generate value.

Another project we developed with this aim of supporting the community began in 2016 when we were approached by an Italian patronage that asked us to act as assistance point for Italian pensioners' practices. By doing so, we became the first focal point for Italian related pension issues in Hungary.

DIPLOMACY&TRADE Please, tell us about the Atlas Award!

ALESSANDRO FARINA That is the latest project we have proudly launched. The Atlas Award (www.atlasaward.itlgroup.eu) is a prize that we hope will inspire entrepreneurs to be leaders driven by an E.S.C. approach: Ethical, Sustainable and Creative. The winner will be awarded at the Budapest Business Party.

DIPLOMACY&TRADE Summing it up, why are you doing all of this?

ALESSANDRO FARINA Well, we do all of this because we enjoy and we love what we do. Very simple...!

What makes me really proud, anyway, is feeling that I am contributing to our society, that ITL Group supports and promotes the territory where we live and empower its communities.

For me, this is what a successful company should do. Because at the end of the day, money is just a consequence, not the aim!

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italian focus the exclusivity to ticket presales of his tour, that was, for a little while, postponed due to doctors’ orders, while the singer recovered from vocal cord surgery. “Everything is fine now, it was just a small restorative surgery, I am in a better condition than ever before,” he confirms with a reassuring smile. As with most of his albums, ‘Vita Ce N’è’ is available in Italian and Spanish languages. “I have a lot of South American and Spanish fans who have encouraged me to sing Spanish. Spanish is very similar to Italian, so, for me it is easier to sing in Spanish than in English,” explains the artist who is confident that many who don’t speak any Italian or Spanish, enjoy his music because of the great rhythms and strong melodies that adequately convey the emotion behind his words. And there is a lot of emotion in his music, indeed. “I was named after the Greek god of love, so, in my case, the Roman phrase ‘Nomen Est Omen’ stands true: my name has impacted my life. I believe love moves the world, love gives meaning to life,” admits the artist who is said to be one of the few performers who can sing about life and love that it doesn't sound artificial for a moment.

Singer, songwriter and musician Eros Ramazzotti hails from Rome’s Cinecitta. His nasal but forceful and resonant baritone voice f irst gained recognition across Italy, soon after he captured the attention of the whole world. His fans adore the energetic way he delivers melodic, passionate mid-tempo ballads – a signature genre developed during a 35-year-long career.

THE MAGIC FORMULA OF LIFE: LOVE

One of Italy’s most successful singers, Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963. When his father recognized his son’s passion for music, he bought him a guitar, and Ramazzotti started to compose songs.

He entered the musical contest ‘Voci Nuove di Castrocaro’ (New Voices of Castrocaro Terme)) in 1981, performing a song of his own composition titled ‘Rock 80’ in front of a panel of judges made up of representatives from most of the major Italian record labels. While he didn’t win the contest, he did reach the finals and gain the respect of several judges: Baron Lando Lanni from Drogueria di Drugolo (DDD) was so impressed with Ramazzotti’s performance that he offered him his first contract, and there, Ramazotti’s career began. Along with his brother and his mother, he moved to Milan to work on his debut album ‘Cuori agitate’, which hit the top ten on the Italian album charts. He also met Renato Brioschi, who mentored him toward his success at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival, where Ramazzotti’s song ‘Terra Promessa’ (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category in 1984.

Next came ‘Una storia importante’, the song released as a single which was a huge hit all over Europe, especially in France where it sold over a million copies. Ramazzotti’s second album mirrored this success, while his third album earned him worldwide attention, selling three million copies in total. Since then, Ramazzotti has had the kind of career that would make any musician envious. He has sold over 60 million records, and regularly performs live to stadium size crowds. His duets are particularly wellreceived, especially those sung alongside Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Luciano Pavarotti, Ricky Martin, Elton John and Rod Stewart.

In his personal life, Ramazzotti is very private, keeping a small circle of friends. He is married; his wife Marica Pellegrinelli (30) is an Italian model, they have two children: Raffaella (age 8) and Gabrio (aged 4). He also has another daughter, Aurora (age 23) from his former wife, Swiss-Italian model Michelle Hunziker.

Ramazzotti is a fervent supporter of Juventus soccer club.

EROS RAMAZZOTTI RETURNS TO HUNGARY THIS FALL

“I have been visiting Hungary since the end of the ’80s, I have given three live concerts in Budapest, a city I adore for its beauty. I find Hungarians very attentive and the Hungarian audience fantastic and enthusiastic,” says the Italian superstar who is preparing for his fourth live concert at the Papp László Sport Arena this fall, part of his world tour that kicked off in Munich. The 90-concert tour that is to stop in 32 countries, supports Ramazzotti’s newest album ‘Vita Ce N’è’ (There is Life), released on November 23, 2018. “The album's title represents the mood of a historical moment – me turning 55,” notes Ramazzotti who announced his forthcoming tour through a digital campaign on his social media platforms (currently counting 4 139 615 followers on Facebook and over 1.3 million on Instagram). “In collaboration with Facebook Italy, I was the first Italian artist to announce my album & tour through this new Video Premiere tool.”

Furthermore, the artist decided to give Spotify

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Q&A

Your new album’s cover pictures you soaking wet – what is the message behind this photo?

It was raining on the day of the photo shooting. I chose to view the situation as an allegory of life: sometimes it rains, sometimes it shines, either way, one has make the most of it. The result of the shooting was a simple photo which resonates to the title of the album: There is Life.

How do you see yourself 20-30 years from now?

I imagine myself sitting at home with my wife, sipping our own wines… and who knows, maybe I'll compose songs for the next generation.

If you weren’t a singer, what other career path would you have chosen?

Definitely something artistic. I’m a Scorpio and we’ve got to do creative things.

When I was a kid, I occasionally appeared in movies as an extra, there was a moment when I thought I would become an actor, but my vocation for music became so evident that I realized that recitation wasn't for me.

Have you heard that Marco Rossi became the manager of the Hungarian national football team?

Yes, indeed, and I'm glad that an Italian plays such an important role in Hungary.

What does Italy mean to you?

Home, family, identity and roots. Italy is my homeland. There are certain things happening in Italy that sometimes disappoint me, which I have to overcome, simply by love. I was born here and so was my music. I could not live elsewhere.

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Career breakthrough

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italian focus

VESPA – THE ESSENCE OF ITALY ‘VESPA WORLD DAYS’ HELD IN HUNGARY FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS JUNE Besides coffee, fashion and ancient history, it is the iconic Italian scooter is that reminds people of Italy the most. With more than 70 years behind it, the brand provides not only the feeling of ‘being Italian’, but has also become an international cultural symbol.

innovation, the different models, and, of course, all the programs they plan regarding their shared love for Vespa. All this, in festival mood, with events like a beauty contest for Vespa lovers, excursions discovering the local neighborhood, concerts and workshops, provide an opportunity for collective leisure. ‘Vespa World Days’ is usually an exclusive program, but this year, it's going to be also unique and special,” he points out.

Vespa World Days, Zánka

The Zánka camp site will be full with features like the ‘Vespa Classics’ travelling exhibition, Vespa merchandizing stalls and even a rent-a-Vespa desk. In response, the 3,000-plus Vespa fans from abroad are going to have a chance to enjoy the beauty of Balaton and its environs. The highlight of the World Days is the traditional procession, which this time will head to the capital of the Northern Balaton region: Balatonfüred.

Vespa-lovers gather this year in Zánka, near the picturesque Lake Balaton. And this time, everyone is welcome. The Hungarian organizers convinced the Vespa World Club (the organization behind the local clubs) to make the gathering public and open the doors for everyone who is interested in the Vespa feeling and wants to get a closer glimpse.

After World War II, the aeronautics manufacturer Piaggio was struggling with a dilemma: what to do with thousands of leftover wheels and other parts?

Italy was in ruins after the war, most of the vehicles destroyed, so, there was a need for quick, cheap and durable vehicles for the newly reconstructed cities. The first scooters were built upon these leftover airplane wheels.

The name ‘Vespa’ came from the Italian word for ‘wasp’ as the engine reminded the owner of the factory, Enrico Piaggio of this dangerously fast and stylish little insect.

Worldwide fame Vespa became popular extremely quickly, not only in its own homeland, but on the whole continent and worldwide. It gained world fame with the blockbuster movie ‘Roman Holiday’ in the 1950s – who didn't want to be Audrey Hepburn (or Gregory Peck) in the saddle of a Vespa on the streets of Rome?

After a temporary decline in the 1980s, the millennium brought new life to the brand; its success is unstoppable as simple transport and as posh style icon, as well. “Vespa is not a scooter and not even a motorcycle: this is simply Vespa,” Piaggio’s Hungarian importer György Rieb explains to Diplomacy&Trade the secret of its popularity. “On one hand, its technical features provide a genuine experience – stable engine, excellent road-holding, proper brakes. Besides, it's extremely comfortable, which is also an asset for ladies. It's very posh, thanks to the Italian design, the yearly color palette and the regular innovation – these components make the ‘wasps’ a unique and leading brand. Vespa also contributes to the main challenge in our time, climate change – the newest, electronic scooters are already available in Hungary, too,” he adds.

The Vespa community

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photo by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ

The ‘Vespa-feeling’ is also a community-building power. “There are Vespa clubs in many countries all around the world. In Italy, there are more than a hundred such groups, with hundreds of members in each, so we’re talking about manymany people,” Krisztián Eppel, the organizer of Vespa World Days 2019 says. “There is a strong unity among them, they like to gather from every part of the world to share their common passion for Vespa. The community organizes a get-together every year to talk about the J U N E

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formula one

THE BEST THING IS DRIVING THE CAR

MAX VERSTAPPEN WOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING IN HIS FORMULA 1 CAREER Aged 17 years and 166 days, Dutch driver Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to compete in the Formula One car race series when he debuted at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. This means, at only 21 years old, he already has four years of F1 experience. The young driver visited Budapest on May 1 to take part in a race car show in the heart of the city.

During his visit, he had some time to elaborate on his F1 career.

Max Verstappen is one of the top F1 stars driving with a top team, Red Bull Racing, where he has collected five GP titles: in 2016 (Spain), in 2017 (Malaysia and Mexico) and in 2018 (Austria and Mexico).

However, he acknowledges that his Hondapowered car still does not keep pace with Mercedes and Ferrari.

“Right now, we are just maximising our results, and at the end, we didn’t really have the speed to fight for victory,” Verstappen said after the fourth Grand Prix of 2019 in Baku. “The season is still very long and at the moment, it is important to score points and hope that, with the upcoming updates to the car, we can move forward towards the others. Of course, others will also make updates but we just need to make sure that ours work better. ”Red Bull Racing changed their engine partner from Renault to Honda after 12 years, so they are still trying to adapt to the new Honda engine, which seems to work well in the RB15 car.

“So far, everything is going pretty well. We know we are not at the level to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari, but that isn’t realistic, anyway. For us, it is important that nothing breaks and the reliability of the engine is very good. We’re really pleased with that,” the Dutch star added.

So, the Honda engine appears reliable and the Red Bull Racing car seems to be competitive but winning the championship is a long-term goal for Verstappen.

Currently, it is only ‘well-wishing’ for him.

“My latest victory was in Austria, with a Red Bull car, on the Red Bull Ring, with a lot of Dutch fans in attendance – it was also very special for me.”

In general, it is “great to see that fans come to the track and that they are very passionate about F1.” Actually, Verstappen became an F1 hero in the Netherlands and as such, he could motivate his fellow countrymen to regularly follow the sport. Therefore, it is not easy to be Max Verstappen and live in limelight but as the Dutch says: “it is a lot better in Monaco”.

“Everything happens for a reason” Max Verstappen arrived to the premier category straight from F3, skipping F2/GP2, speeding his way up to F1.

The young star said he never had a role model in the sport. “I never had a favourite driver. Not even my father. He was never a hero for me. He is my Dad and I have a lot of respect for him and for what he has achieved. However, I see him more as my Dad, the guy who helped me become who I am today.” Verstappen is so young, he admits that

“there are a lot of mistakes you make, some bigger than others. ”In 2019, the Dutch driver seems to be more mature and thus, he has fewer critics. ”It is pretty normal when everything is going smoothly, without crazy things happening, there is not much to write about. I am not happy or disappointed about that, this is how it goes in F1.”

Would there be one moment what Verstappen would change in his career? “Not really.

Everything has happened for a reason. I am happy with how it is going so far.”

photos by TAMÁS

KOVÁCS/MTI, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

F1 is not easy, but still worth it Everybody thinks that Formula 1 is a glamorous and amazing sport, but being a motorsport driver is not always fun. The Dutch driver gave Diplomacy&Trade a quick insight into his approach by saying that “the best thing in our sport is driving the car; it is so fast that nothing else comes close. And what is the worst thing in our sport? I wouldn’t say it is the worst, but you are just travelling a lot and so you are away from your family and friends.”

There are also unforgettable moments in the sport, which makes it so sweet – like the wins, especially the very first one,” he said, adding that “the wins will always be very special but the first one was really emotional.”

Max Verstappen won his first race with Red Bull Racing, at the Spanish GP in 2016. Luck was with the Dutch driver as the two dominating Mercedes drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, crashed after the start and the young Red Bull driver inherited the leading position.

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JAPANESE TEA PARTY

which appeal to many people around the world.

Due to such attractions of Japan, the number of foreign tourists travelling there have broken records for five years in succession. In 2017, for instance, 28.7 million people visited Japan. This tea ceremony event also served the purpose of creating more interest in Hungarians to visit the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.

JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN THROUGH TEA AND TASTE

The Embassy of Japan in Hungary, Japan Airlines and the travel agency JTB Hungary organized a special culinary event this May to popularize Japanese tea culture in Hungary on the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan.

Presentations Following a welcome speech by Ambassador Kuni Sato, the participants of the seminar watched a promotional video screening about Japanese tea and attended a lecture and demonstration, including an authentic Japanese tea ceremony by Urasenke lecturer Toshio Hayashi, while Balázs Nagy, owner of the Teavolution tea room and shop spoke about the world and characteristics of Japanese teas. Hasegawa Markku, Assistant Manager Sales, responsible for Eastern Europe at Japan Airlines, emphasized Japan's diverse qualities in his presentation. He emphasized that the country with 126 million inhabitants is extremely hospitable (as expressed by the Japanese word ‘omotenashi’) and is worth visiting all year round.

Karolina Simon, JTB Hungary's regional outbound manager, spoke about the opportunities to travel to Japan. The travel agency offers plenty of group, individual and incentive trips, focusing on upcoming major sports events such as the World Rugby Championship in 2019 while in 2020, JTB will be the Official Travel Services Partner of the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

The organizers say the purpose of the event was to make the Japanese tea ceremony that is known in the world as Japan’s cultural tradition, and Japanese tea, itself, the consumption of which is rooted in the daily life of Japanese people, widely known among Hungarians and to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture. They also wanted to provide opportunity for people to consider a trip to Japan.

This May, Crown Prince Naruhito ascended the throne as the new emperor, which means the beginning of a new era, called ‘Reiwa’. The meaning of ‘Reiwa’ is that culture is born and flourishes in an environment where people are in ‘Beautiful Harmony’. The year 2019 is not only the beginning of the Reiwa Era, but also a commemorative year for the 150th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan.

Japan is proud not only of its abundant cultural traditions, like Japanese tea culture, but also of its pop culture, starting with manga and anime,

70 YEARS WITH CHINA

The President pointed out that Hungary regards China as an important strategic partner and the relationship is developing with good momentum and broad prospects. He agreed that both countries attach great importance to environmental and resource protection, and they can deepen cooperation in areas such as the prevention of water pollution, water management as well as the development and utilization of water resources.

LEADERS OF THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER

Hungary was among the f irst countries that recognized the newly founded People’s Republic of China on October 3, 1949. In only three days, on October 6, the two countries established diplomatic relations.

This May, a conference dedicated to these seven decades was held at Budapest’s National Public Service University with the participation of the 10th Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Li Zhanshu. He praised the stable bilateral ties, which, he said, are based on mutual respect.

He added that this year’s anniversary will give new momentum to an already strong economic and cultural cooperation. At the conference, special commemorative stamps issued for the anniversary were on display.

Broad prospects According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the visit to Hungary by China’s top legislator injected an impetus into the traditional friendship between two countries.

During his three-day visit, Chairman Li was received by several Hungarian state leaders.

When meeting with Hungarian President János Áder, Li Zhanshu stressed that after China and Hungary lifted bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017, the relationship experienced a ‘speeding-up’ in development.

During the meeting, the two politicians exchanged in-depth views on environmental and resource protection, Xinhua said. In Li’s view,

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protecting the ecological environment and coping with climate change requires countries to work together, as no country can stand apart.

China and Hungary should closely communicate and coordinate with each other to strengthen

exchanges and cooperation in the fields of ecoenvironmental protection and green development, in efforts to contribute to the building of a clean and beautiful world, the Chairman was quoted by the news agency.

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Chairman Li also met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who thanked him for coming to Hungary this year when the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Hungarian-Chinese diplomatic relations.

The Prime Minister spoke about his recent visit to China, and said that the close friendship between the two nations clearly indicates the intensity of relations. He highlighted that he looks upon Chinese businesses operating in Hungary with great respect as they make a significant contribution to Hungary’s economic performance.

He added that he greatly appreciates China’s efforts in international politics.

The Hungarian government website quoted PM Orbán as saying that he is a supporter of the Chinese President’s ambitious strategic plan to revive the silk road, and wishes them all the very best with the implementation of that plan.

Li Zhanshu stressed that he greatly appreciates Hungary’s eastern opening policy, which considerably promotes cooperation between the two countries. He added that Chinese-Hungarian relations have developed dynamically in the past few years and that with PM Orbán’s visit to China cooperation between the two countries was elevated to a new level, he said.

HARANGOZÓ, BALÁZS MOHAI/MTI

Broad prospects

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witty leaks WITTY

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

LE A K S A WINE TOUR OF HUNGARY WITH HISTORY CAPE TOWN SUBURB NAMED AFTER HUNGARIAN WINE REGION

BY PIETER VERMEULEN, AMBASSADOR OF SOUTH AFRICA

One of the many attractions of being posted to Hungary is the country’s long wine history.

My interest in the subject of wine was sparked during five wonderful years that I spent in the 1970s studying at the University of Stellenbosch, a pretty town surrounded by mountains in the heartland of the Western Cape winelands. In those years, a group of wine farmers came together and launched the ‘Stellenbosch Wine Route’, which at the time was an ingenious concept. They opened their wine farms to the public to taste the product of the vine at the place of origin. We, as students, made it our calling to support this splendid innovation. Many a Friday afternoon, we took our studies into the winelands where we learnt, indeed, a lot.

a harrowing historical episode could be turned into a poignant learning experience for later generations.

We traversed the hills around Villány and photographed vineyards in beautiful snowscapes. We stayed over in one of the ‘bor’ (‘wine’) hotels right in town. We thoroughly enjoyed being able to go wine tasting in the wine-street from one establishment to the next, almost South African style, only this time on foot. From my student days in Stellenbosch, I could easily relate to the full-bodied, mouth filling, tannin-rich, teeth blackening, Bordeaux style wines that Villány had on offer.

Valley of the Beautiful Woman

photos by CHRISNA

VERMEULEN

Curiosity drives the Ambassador After our arrival in Budapest, I soon realized that there was much more to Hungary’s wine culture than Tokaji Aszú, the sweet ‘nectar of the gods’ that the country was justly famous for. In fact, the rows upon rows of bottles that I found in the wine shops were a bit bewildering.

I got nowhere trying to figure out from the label what exactly was inside and where it originated from. There were strange grape cultivars – such as Cserszegi Fűszeres, Hárslevelű, Juhfark and Királyleányka – that I have never heard of and certainly could not pronounce.

Feeling ignorant, I bought a book in the English language about the Hungarian wine scene.

It helped to introduce me to the basics. The description of so many different wine regions, spread out over such a relatively small area, tickled my curiosity. My wife and I decided to start exploring the nooks and crannies of Hungary’s many corners by visiting the wine regions, one after the other.

Of course, with Hungary being a zero-tolerant country, we had to take turns being the designated driver. We do so religiously.

Our wine theme proved to be a good one because in addition to getting first hand exposure to Hungary’s viticulture, we also learnt so much more about the history and people of every region that we visited.

Shaped by volcanoes In Tokaj, we were informed about royalty and many famous people who imbibed the glorious Aszú through the ages, one of them being Napoleon Bonaparte. And immediately there was a link with South Africa. For Napoleon, was w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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also enthusiastic about Groot Constantia, a splendid sweet wine produced in the Cape that won the favour of emperors and kings in the 18th and 19th century. The suburb of Tokai (sic!) in the city of Cape Town was named after this iconic Hungarian wine region!

We learned how Tokaji was keeping up with changing world-wide tastes and transforming itself into a producer of excellent dry whites as well. It was explained to us that the peculiar hills covering the region were shaped by volcanos which formed the unique soils and micro climates – the terroir – that winemakers now capture in their wide range of wines. By the time we left, we could correctly pronounce Hárslevelű and Furmint.

‘Vertical’ wine-making A visit to Pannonhalma exposed us not only to deep Hungarian history, culture and the precious books being preserved at this UNESCO site, but also to the thousand-year-old wine-making tradition practiced by the Benedictine monks of the Arch abbey. In the modern cellar, we were impressed how the ‘vertical’ wine-making process uses the slope of the hill to get the berries from the grape eventually into the bottle as wine. What a pleasure it was gazing down from the hill and enjoying the autumn colors in the valley below with a glass of Rajnai Riesling in our hands.

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Vine on basalt soil In the cold of winter we made a break-away weekend to Somló, where the lone hill dominating the surroundings is, itself, the wine ‘region’. Even though, the place was deserted we drove up steep, very narrow, snow-covered lanes past numerous small press-houses as far up the hill as we could, and made a stop at a quant parish church.

The view was a spectacle to behold. We took great pictures that we sent home for relatives to envy.

The black basalt soil did not look particularly fertile and we wondered how vines could thrive in it. We soon got the answer with a very satisfying mouth-feel of the Juhfark cultivar that the region is famous for. We stayed over at an exquisite ultra-modern winery hotel and were struck again how the Hungarian wine industry was re-inventing itself.

Winetasting on foot Another winter excursion took us down south to Villány. On the way, we visited the nearby museum at Mohács, which commemorates the devastating battle of 1526 between forces of the Hungarian Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire.

This memorial reminded us of the Apartheid Museum in South Africa and how

In Eger we went on a tasting excursion to the Valley of the Beautiful Woman. While it is admittedly touristy, we were impressed by the variety of wines available in one setting and the authentic musty, dome shaped cellars cut into the hillside.

Some of the highlights were our discovery of Bikavér (bull’s blood) and Egri Csillag, the white cuvee that recalls the title of Géza Gárdonyi’s novel of the 1552 siege of Eger by the Ottomans. After we clambered the hill in Eger and inspected the ramparts of the fortress that was so gloriously defended against the invaders, I was inspired to read the novel itself (translated into English). I was captivated by the heroics of Commander Dobó and the ingenuity of Captain Bornemissza.

But even more so by the courage displayed by ordinary folk, especially the Hungarian women, who joined their men in battle to fend off attack after attack. I wondered though, whether the ‘secret’ ingredient in Bikavér really made the defenders super strong.

Here in Budapest I learned about the contribution wine has made to building bridges in high places between South Africa and Hungary. On a visit to South Africa a few years ago, Hungarian Parliamentarians were so impressed to discover that the South Africa Parliament has its own wine cellar, that they are now happily copying that fine example here in Budapest.

My wife and I have not visited all the wine regions in Hungary yet. We nevertheless have every intention of following through with this project. Once it is done, we will happily start all over again to follow-up on the mental notes we have made of more wine experiences-inwaiting.

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health

Helvetic Dental Clinics Budapest features a stress free environment (for clients and staff alike), an atmosphere that is markedly different from most clinics, and is committed to treat patients without any pain. “We welcome many patients who suffer from what is commonly known as ‘dental phobia’ – a simple fear deeply

WORKING WITH UNICEF

Helvetic Dental Clinics in Hungary have signed a partnership with UNICEF: for each dental crown, and dental implant, the clinic donates EUR 1 to support UNICEF in their program to eradicate polio.

On April 27, which marks the Children Health Teeth Day, the clinic participated with UNICEF in education and training of children for better dental hygiene.

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A UNIQUE ‘CLINIC – LAB – HOTEL’ CONCEPT AND A BUSINESS MODEL THAT WORKS

ingrained in the subconscious, like the fear of spiders or mice,” Chaker notes. “To reduce or eliminate our patient’s pain, we offer two solutions: pain free anesthesia, performed intravenously, sending patients to deep sleep, or dental sedation, which is, in our protocol, a computer controlled local anesthetic administration. In addition, once the process is over, our clients may just take the elevator to comfortably rest in their own room – as the clinic is located within the Twelve Revay hotel.

We have negotiated a preferential rate for our patients, including their first night free, along with the first consultation. Of course, patients may choose to stay wherever they want, but nothing is more practical than to wake up at 8 AM to reach your 8:30 AM appointment, especially if it is a major restorative surgery.

This is why the waiting room is almost empty while the clinic is 93% full all the time.”

All services under one roof

patient’s experience – which, at Helvetic Dental Clinics Budapest should be nothing less than outstanding,” Empain points out. He also reveals that in 2019, Helvetic Dental Clinics will introduce new services. “Remaining true to our clinic’s motto ‘Taking care of the whole smile’, we’ll carry out plastic surgery treatments, too.” Chaker notes that Straumann, the leading Swiss company in the field of dental implantology, has chosen Helvetic Dental Clinics as a strategic partner.

“This brand provides lifetime guarantee for their implants,” he adds. “It is important to note that to our knowledge, we have the longest warranty in the market. If a problem arises, Helvetic Clinics will cover the dentist and the laboratory costs to fix the problem, and also reimburse the travel cost and hotel accommodation. We are not a discount clinic, selling cheap dentistry. We offer the best dental care at the lowest possible prices, but never compromising on quality.”

“The 200 square meter lab is also in-house, one floor above the clinic, which optimizes communications between the clinic and the lab,” Chaker continues. It is equipped with all the newest and finest dental solutions not just in Budapest but also worldwide, such as the company’s latest investment: a EUR 1 million CORiTEC 650i Loader milling machine, which is, according to Empain, the only machine in Hungary of this kind and size.

“The digital revolution is changing the workflow and consequently changing operating procedures.

Advancements in digital dentistry have allowed for extremely streamlined processes, which have shown positive results in terms of both time and cost for dentists and patients alike. Improved accuracy is also a huge benefit of utilizing digital dentistry technologies. With these leading-edge technologies in use, dentists can easily foresee the outcome of a specific procedure and improve the J U N E

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Pain-free clinic

HELVETIC DENTAL CLINICS EXPAND INTERNATIONALLY

photo by DÁVID

Since its opening back in 2013, Helvetic Dental Clinics Budapest has grown to a world-class dental facility, accredited

by Global Clinic Rating (GCR) – a database of 400,000 medical clinics that currently rates Helvetic Dental Clinics Budapest as the fourth best dental clinic in the world, out of a total 126,489. According to the Swiss co-founders, Pierre Chaker and Jean François Empain, their high-profile clientele mostly comes from abroad, however, last year’s numbers show growth in the number of Hungarian clients as well, who are seeking a modern clinic equipped with the latest technology and impeccable quality dental care. “When we kicked off, with our partners Drs. Péter and László Lukács, we were working in a 140-square-meter facility which grew to 4,000 sqm in two years,” Chaker recalls. “We started as an 8-people-company, and today, 100 people work here: a highly motivated and caring team of dentists, dental surgeons, technicians and implantologists who publish essays in the world’s most prestigious medical journals and give presentations and seminars at Hungary’s top universities, as well as overseas.” In addition, they highlight the work of their Marketing Team and Patients Coordinators whom they refer to as ‘the soul of the clinic’, and whose service ‘behind the scenes’ includes CMS tracking through every stage of the patient journey from their initial enquiry, to the treatment itself, after-care and consistent follow-up. “At the moment, we are looking forward to the opening of our new facility in France this month. While the Budapest site will remain the flagship institute, the new clinic in Ferney Voltaire will provide urgent after-care services to those who won’t or can’t travel, and due to its proximity to Switzerland (located less than 5 minutes from the Geneva airport) it will also target Swiss people for whom traveling to Hungary for any treatment is not a deal, as they rather support their own economy, even if it costs more,” Empain continues, adding, “Hungary is still the biggest market for dental tourism in Europe, highly competitive with excellent features – it is an absolute win-win to have a clinic here. Budapest is one of the old continent’s most beautiful cities. Our international clients, who often stay a week here, spend their money in town dining and relaxing, enjoying what Budapest has to offer. They are absolutely charmed by the beauty of the city, and the buzzing atmosphere of all four seasons. Considering all this and the number of flights going in and out of Budapest airport, it is hard to pick a rival city within Europe.”

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culture

BRINGING THE TWO PEOPLES TOGETHER CULTURAL FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO 70 YEARS OF INDIA-HUNGARY DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2014 to make June 21 the International Day of Yoga. Indian embassies all over the world have been organizing events during the last four years, in partnership with the local authorities and Yoga enthusiasts, to celebrate this important day.

A reservoir of goodwill

As the Indian Ambassador to Hungary, Kumar Tuhin explains to Diplomacy&Trade, “in order to make it convenient for everyone to attend, the Embassy of India in Hungary is organizing this year’s events on June 22, which is a Saturday.

A series of events will be organized throughout the country: in Budapest as well as in Debrecen, Alsóörs, Békéscsaba, Pécs, Szeged, Mosonmagyaróvár, Eger, Esztergom, Győr, Kecskemét, Somogyvámos, Nyíregyháza, Sopron, Szentendre, Veszprém and Zalakaros – on this occasion to not only showcase Yoga but also the cultural diversity and radiance of India. The Embassy is in touch with the mayor's offices and prominent Yoga schools in these cities and preparations are in full swing.”

For Ambassador Tuhin, who took up his post at the end of last year, this will be his first International Yoga Day and cultural day event in Hungary. He says he is “indeed delighted that during my very first year in Hungary, we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of India-Hungary diplomatic relations. This year's cultural event is therefore dedicated to the celebration of this important partnership. My task is made easier because there is a large reservoir of goodwill for India in Hungary, and for Indian things. There are also several Hungarian artists who have studied in India and are now taking the Indian dance and art forms to new heights in Hungary. That helps us put together an event like this. Therefore, for this year's event, we are showcasing a number of Hungarian artists who will be performing Indian dance forms. I consider myself especially fortunate that in all my previous postings, too, I was directly or indirectly involved in organization of events of this nature and scale. Therefore, I will hopefully be able to draw upon my experience.”

Facets of Indian culture

Spreading the message of Yoga

For the fourth year now, the Indian Embassy will be holding cultural events in Hungary – in conjunction with the International Day of Yoga.

As the Ambassador puts it, “Yoga is a treasure of all humanity but it has a home, India.

Therefore, the Indian Embassy in Hungary has been holding Indian cultural events in conjunction with the International Day of Yoga so as to showcase to the Hungarian people some other facets of Indian culture, which is well renowned for its richness and diversity.

This year's Yoga and cultural event is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Hungary and a celebration of this partnership.

There will be both Indian classical dance forms and instrumental music, combined with Yoga, which we hope will increase awareness about India and will bring the two peoples closer.”

He adds that "on June 22 and 23, we will be organizing events in Budapest and other cities

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body.”

In reaction to that, Ambassador Tuhin says he feels that Hungarian people are already very receptive to Yoga, and its underlying concept of unity of mind and body, unity of man and nature, and of being at peace with oneself and with everyone around us.“ But the popularity of Yoga has given rise to a temptation by some people to commercialize it. There are some Yoga schools and studios run by instructors who have barely done a few weeks' course in Yoga and even that in an inauthentic school. Some are also trying to create new and strange forms of Yoga. My request to the Hungarian people is to find a proper Yoga school, which can impart correct training. Once you realize that Yoga is not merely body bending and learning a few postures but a complete life system with elements including body postures, food, meditation, breathing exercises, lifestyle, etc., you can commence your journey in understanding its principles and philosophy.

The Embassy of India is partnering with prominent Yoga schools in major cities of Hungary to spread this message.”

In summary, the Ambassador highlights that “India and Hungary enjoy close and friendly relations. Our cooperation in diverse areas is continually strengthening. The Embassy is working hard to expand our outreach among the Hungarian people. It is always satisfying if the efforts invested in organizing an event get rewarded with good participation. I therefore request the readers of Diplomacy&Trade to join us on the International Day of Yoga and our cultural event."

where both Yoga and Indian culture will be showcased to the audience in a combined event, eminent artists will perform classical traditional dances like bharatanatyam, kuchipudi and kathak and play traditional Indian musical instruments of sitar, tabla, etc.”

Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Center

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, EMBASSY OF INDIA

Any activity of this scale, where a large number of events are to be organized across a number of cities, will require significant effort and coordination. The Ambassador explains that as the office in charge for these events, the Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Center is naturally fully involved in planning, coordination and execution.

“This includes arrangements, both logistical

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and related to content, publicity, liaison with local institutions and offices as well as with prominent Yoga schools, etc.

It must be remembered here that the regular and routine activities of the Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Center, such as dance and Tabla classes, Hindi lessons, film shows, workshops and seminars, etc., are all continuing in parallel.

Therefore, the Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Center is very busy in making the necessary preparations to ensure a pleasant experience for the audience.”

The Cultural Center has been making significant contributions in promoting cultural cooperation between India and Hungary.

Apart from conducting classes at its premises and organizing cultural programs, it also administers scholarships for Hungarian students in India in the cultural sphere.

Several Hungarian students have learnt classical traditional dance in India and are now successfully running their own schools in Hungary.

“Our cultural center has dedicated instructors including Ms. Ankita Sood, who is a Yoga and Indian Culture instructor, Ms. Sonali Roy, a Kathak Dance instructor and Mr. Chirayu Bhole, a Tabla instructor. The center is headed

by Ms. Tanuja Shankar, who is a very talented and dedicated person and is ably leading the team. All the staff members of the Cultural Center have had previous work experience in India and are drawing upon their experience to expand the reach of the Center to more and more people here," he points out.

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society Russia Victory Day

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Hungary, Vladimir Sergeev invited guests to the Embassy building in Budapest to celebrate the 74th anniversary of Victory Day, commemorating the end of World War II, which is celebrated on May 9 in several countries, including Russia.

Day of Portuguese Culture

The Portuguese-speaking embassies in Hungary, in collaboration with the Camões Institute in Budapest and the Portuguese Department of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), invited guests to the 9th Portuguese Language and Culture Day of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries): An Influence of Globalization on CPLP Cultures.

Mošćenička Draga

In celebration of the 56th Anniversary of Africa Day, the Ambassadors and Honorary Consuls of the African countries to Hungary held a conference followed by an exhibition and a reception with raffle at the Corvinus University in Budapest.

Norway Constitution Day

The Ambassador of Norway to Hungary, Olav Berstad held a reception on the roof terrace of his Embassy in Budapest for fellow diplomats and other guests (including Norwegian citizens living in Hungary) to celebrate his country’s Constitution Day. The day commemorates May 17, 1814, the date Norway’s constitution was signed.

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Africa Day

DÁVID HARANGOZÓ, COURTESY PICTURES

The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian local government of Budapest’s 7th District held a presentation of the cultural, tourism and gastronomy features of the Croatian village of Mošćenička Draga in Budapest. The event coincided with the opening of the exhibition ‘Encounter between Past and Present’ that presents pictures from the past ten years of the village and its region. The exhibition was opened by the Croatian ambassador to Hungary, Dr. Mladen Andrlić.

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society National Day of Italy

Georgia Independence Day

The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Hungary, Massimo Rustico welcomed hundreds of guests to the Várkert Bazaar event center in Budapest for a reception to celebrate the Italian National Day. The event commemorated the day – on June 2, 1946 – when Italians decided by referendum to abandon the monarchy and establish a republic.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Georgia to Hungary, Zaal Gogsadze held a reception in the Corinthia Hotel Budapest to celebrate his country’s Day of Independence. The day commemorates the adoption of the Act of Independence – on May 26, 1918 –, which established the Democratic Republic of Georgia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Argentine Revolution Day

The Ambassador of the Argentine Republic, Maximiliano Gregorio-Cernadas welcomed fellow diplomats and dignitaries for a reception at his residence on Andrássy Avenue on the occasion of his country’s national day, commemorating a weeklong series of events (Revolución de Mayo) that took place in 1810.

Later in the evening, he entertained fellow Argentinians and friends of the Embassy.

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HARANGOZÓ, COURTESY PICTURES

Azeri Republic Day

In celebration of the National Day and 100 years of Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the country's Ambassador to Hungary, Dr. Vilayat Guliyev held a reception at his Embassy. Republic Day honors the date the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was founded, on May 28, 1918, as the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East.

New Ambassadors

Three new ambassadors accredited to Hungary presented their credentials to Hungarian President János Áder in May at the Sándor Palace in the Buda Castle (pictured from left to right): Annabella Maria Guardia Escoffery de Rubinoff from Panama; Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas from Guatemala and Biljana Gutić-Bjelica from Bosnia and Hercegovina. w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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TRIUMPH OF THE BODY: MICHELANGELO AND 16TH CENTURY ITALIAN DRAFTSMANSHIP

ADRIE MOUTHAAN, LEONARDO DA VINCI/STUDIES OF HEADS-SOFT BLACK CHALK OR CHARCOAL SOME TRACES OF RED CHALK, MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI/MALE NUDE TURNING TO THE RIGHT-BLACK CHALK HEIGHTENED WITH WHITE, ANDREW STUART

UNTIL JUNE 30, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS This exhibition is the first to bring Michelangelo’s unparalleled art to the Hungarian public, displaying eighty drawings

by Michelangelo and his most talented contemporaries, including thirty of the master’s nude studies on loan from the world’s most prestigious collections, including the British Museum, the Uffizi, the Louvre, the Casa Buonarroti, the Albertina, and the Teylers Museum. Renaissance artists were interested above all in depicting the human body and the male nude was pivotal to Michelangelo’s art. The master left behind an outstanding legacy mainly as a sculptor but also as a painter and architect.

His powerful, dynamic nudes painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel served as inspirational source for generations of artists. Therefore, twenty-nine figure studies by Michelangelo, ranging from rapidly sketched ideas to detailed, highly finished cartoons, are the focus of the exhibition. The art-loving public can build a picture of Michelangelo’s unparalleled genius and inexhaustible creativity through the preparatory drawings for his legendary creations that form the basis of his fame, such as the ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel, the Medici Tombs, the lost Leda and the Swan, and the Last Judgment. During Michelangelo’s extremely long career of more than seven decades, the world of art was constantly changing. Therefore, the exhibition presents his draftsmanship in the constantly varying artistic environment of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, alongside drawings by his most talented contemporaries and rivals, including Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Luca Signorelli, Jacopo Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, Francesco Salviati, and Rosso Fiorentino. Beyond attesting to Michelangelo’s virtuoso handling of drawing techniques, the exhibition also presents how his innovations were incorporated by his fellow artists into their own works. Instead of showing the artworks in strict chronological order, the arrangement often follows associations inspired by visual parallels, thus letting visitors enjoy their own discoveries. www.mfab.hu

VESZPRÉMFEST 2019

JULY 10-13 IN VESZPRÉM Celebrating its 16th anniversary, VeszprémFest is a dynamically developing, large-scale cultural event creating true value for lovers of art and quality music. For several days every summer the event offers the most accomplished, world-class performers from various musical genres, including classical music, world music, opera, jazz and pop. The magnificent outdoor venue of VeszprémFest is Bishop’s Garden, which serves as the backdrop and natural setting for the main stage, only a few steps from the Eastern walls of the 1,000-year-old Veszprém Castle. This venue will host the Caro Emerald concert, Katie Melua. UB40 featuring Ali&Astro and an opera, namely Verdi’s Rigoletto. Every year, a 10-day mini-festival named ‘Rosé, Riesling and Jazz Days’ accompany the VeszprémFest, in the heart of Sopron, at Óváros Square, presenting wine-makers of the Balaton Wine Region, and a stage for many Hungarian performers, including Soul Surge, Bin Jip, Tóth Vera Quartet, Ruby Harlem and many more. www.veszpremfest.hu/en

NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2019

ALL OVER BUDAPEST ON JUNE 22 Have a sleepover with history and spend the night in museums! On June 22, museums open their doors to visitors in Budapest and in the countryside until 2:30 am for this annual event, which celebrates its 17th anniversary this year. There will be more than 1,000 programs offered at some 100 locations within the capital, all of which can be visited with one single ticket in the form of a wristband. In addition, visitors with wristbands are entitled to use the Museum Bus, which will run between venues. www.muzej.hu

SLAYER: FINAL WORLD TOUR

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JUNE 11, PAPP LÁSZLÓ BUDAPEST SPORTARÉNA Slayer is a five-time nominated, two-time Grammy Award winning metal band that writes songs which mirror the turmoil and aberrations of our society. The band’s 11th studio album ’Repentless’ debuted in 2015.

“It is crushing and brutal, steadfastly refusing to cater to the mainstream,” is how the band describes the album that was written and recorded by guitarist Kerry King and singer/bassist Tom Araya at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, along with returning drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt. Thirty-six years into its career, Slayer remains the preeminent punk-trash band that helped establish the genre and that up-and-coming metal heads continue to revere and emulate. www.livenation.hu

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VOLT FESTIVAL 2019

JUNE 26-29 IN SOPRON Over the past few decades, VOLT has grown from a very small festival to an event attracting 150,000 people, although, it still maintains a special ‘family’ atmosphere. Organized by the same company as Sziget and Balaton Sound, the event offers a total of 10 stages with over 200 performers, quality lounges, bars, cafes, restaurants – all built in the middle of a forest in Sopron.

VOLT is a festival with great traditions, presenting international stars in several genres, ranging from pop/rock to alternative, metal, folk/world, jazz and electronica. Hungarian performers this year include the Anima Sound System, Anna & the Barbies, Honeybeast, Quimby, Tankcsapda, Vad Fruttik and the Wellhello, while the Slipknot, the Black Eyed Peas, Slash, Parov Stelar, LP, Papa Roach, Robin Schultz, Cypress Hill, Martin Solveig, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Nouvelle Vague add to the international stars’ list. www.volt.hu

NIGEL KENNEDY CONCERT

SÁNDOR CSUDAI-WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CSUDAISANDOR, JEN MALER, SZABADTER.HU, LIVE NATION

JUNE 11, MARGARET ISLAND OPEN-AIR THEATRE Nigel Kennedy is one of the first world stars to perform during the 3-month program series of this year’s Budapest Summer Festival.

The violin and viola player combines incredible technical virtuosity with a spectacular performance that often incorporates show elements. He has acquired numerous illustrious awards and titles thanks to his unique style and ground-breaking musical interpretations, including ’Artist of the year 2001’ in the U.K. He has, on several occasions, performed for the Brittish royal family.

The violin virtuoso blends classical and contemporary music with the goal of familiarizing and popularizing music for the broadest possible audience. www.eng.szabadter.hu

THIEVERY CORPORATION CONCERT

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JUNE 30 BUDAPEST PARK How many highly successful musical artists do you know that have thrived for 20 years without a radio hit, a big budget video, or major label backing?

Thievery Corporation own and operate their own independent label, sell several million albums and continue to expand their fan base across the globe each year. They’ve collaborated with such uniquely famed artists David Byrne, Perry Farrell, The Flaming Lips, Anushka Shankar, Femi Kuti and have influenced a whole generation of electronic producers and DJs. Their support band at the Budapest concert will be the Hungarian Anima Sound System. www.budapestpark.hu

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TOTO - 40 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN TOUR

JUNE 27, PAPP LÁSZLÓ BUDAPEST SPORTARÉNA It’s without question, that TOTO have been in the middle of a major resurgence around the world over the past several years. Their Greatest Hits package titled 40 Trips Around The Sun – Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music) debuted at the top of the charts in eight different countries upon its release in early 2018 and kicked off what’s been the longest tour in years for the band. Their European tour last year saw them performing to packed houses every night including sold out stops at the Ziggo Dome (17,000 seats) in Amsterdam and Royal Albert Hall in London. Another round of European shows is already scheduled for this summer, stopping in Budapest in the end of June. www.livenation.hu

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gastronomy

ARIA HOTEL BUDAPEST OPENS NEW RESTAURANT NAMED LISZT MENU MERGES HUNGARIAN CULINARY TRADITIONS AND CONTEMPORARY CUISINE

The restaurant’s name, Liszt, is a playful nod to two distinct and crucial elements of its foundation: it refers to Franz Liszt, one of the world’s greatest classical pianists and renowned Hungarian musician, and its literal meaning of ‘flour,’ an important ingredient in the bread that is freshly baked on the premises.

The Aria Hotel Budapest, an awardwinning member of the Library Hotel Collection, is inspired by music. Guests will find that no two rooms are alike, with each honoring the world’s greatest musical legends from Tchaikovsky to the Rolling Stones. Much like the hotel,itself, the menu at Liszt has a music theme. The seasonally-changing, a la carte menu was developed by Executive Chef Gergely Kövér and pastry chef Zsuzsanna Karádi. When creating the dishes for Liszt, chef Gergely researched historic cookbooks and worked with a young historian to gain insight into the gastronomic customs of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. This knowledge of the region and its culinary history paired with contemporary cooking techniques and the hotel’s love of music form the core concept for the creative menu. Appetizers are listed as ‘Prelude’ and soups are ‘Symphony'. Main courses, known as ‘Concerto,’ feature dishes like fillet of herring, a fish that was once popularly caught in the Danube River before regulations were placed on fishing these waterways, served alongside a purple potato salad, marinated red onions and mustard seeds. Other traditional entrees include a Hungarian consommé made with four types

of meat, and a cured tenderloin partnered with a caramelized onion purée, polenta and a red wine gravy. Menu items are created with fresh ingredients from farms and purveyors across Hungary, Transylvania, the Dalmatian coast and parts of modern-day Ukraine and Slovakia. Staying true to the values of quality food production using traditional ingredients and methods, the chef and his culinary team produce a sourdough bread made with a base of grape seeds, grape skins and a special flour to develop the restaurant’s own unique recipe… and the inspiration for the menu’s ‘Overture’ course of freshly baked bread and salted butter.

The ‘Paraphrase’ of the menu is the in-house filtered water, a reference to the mineral-rich waters that Hungary’s landscape has long been known for.

When it comes to the ‘Encore’ – or desserts – pastry chef Zsuzsanna Karádi has created an original

menu including hand-crafted bread crust ice cream, apricot jam, acacia flowers and the crust of Liszt’s special in-house bread. Chef suggests pairing this creative frozen treat with Hungary’s most famous alcoholic export, the sweet dessert wine from the Tokaj region. To complete the culinary experience, an inventive cocktail menu includes special aperitifs concocted to complement the modern Hungarian menu by the hotel's mixologist duo Péter Gózon and Richárd Mihály.

This gastronomical exploration of Hungarian history enjoys a luxe environment, too, separated

into three different rooms: one featuring the Chef’s Table and a view of the kitchen, another decorated by the signatures of the world’s biggest musicians, who have visited the hotel in the past few years, such as Lenny Kravitz, Sting and Plácido Domingo, and a third, which was conceived by the designer Zoltán Varró, who cites the atmosphere of elegant libraries and cigar rooms as its inspiration. The recognized designer, a recipient of the most prestigious award in hospitality design, the Gold Kew Award, was hired to design Liszt’s regal look.

DNB Budapest DNB BUDAPEST OFFERS THE MODERN TASTES AND FLAVORS OF HUNGARY. The restaurant’s farm to table concept highlights the best Hungarian products and ingredients, and celebrates the different wine regions of the country. The restaurant has 210 seats plus its terrace with a spectacular view on the Danube.

The menu changes four times a year following the seasons, enlisting fresh and modern dishes.

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BALKÁNYI, WWW.TAMASPAL.HU, DNB BUDAPEST

1052 Budapest, Duna korzó • +36 1 737 7377 dnb.budapest@marriott.com • www.dnbbudapest.com

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• Venison tartare with quail egg • Saddle of venison • Rizi-bizi • Lecsó and breaded egg • Chimney cake

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wine

EGRI CSILLAG SHINES THE BRIGHTEST IN SUMMER

The Eger wine region is characterized by cool climate and lower than average precipitation.

This is a combination that benefits both red and white varieties of which there is a large selection.

This diversity is the reason crafting blends has a longstanding and venerable tradition in Eger.

Almost half of the vine-growing area is planted with white varieties so it was a timely decision in 2010 to work out the regulatory guidelines for a white blend that would act as the counterpart of the red blend Bull’s Blood. “Today practically all Eger wineries produce Egri Csillag, there are several events focusing on this type every year, and the wines are widely available in supermarkets, wine stores and in restaurants,” János Bolyki notes. “Our aim is to produce sprightly, juicy wines with cool labels, bottled under screwcap, fit for everyday consumption.”

THE COUNTERPART OF EGRI BIKAVÉR IS MORE AND MORE POPULAR

The winery of the Juhász brothers (Juhász Testvérek Pincészete) is best known for its light and easy-drinking wines and Egri Csillag is one of their most popular products. “Our main goal is to offer a dynamic and fruity wine to our customers, something that is an excellent choice to weather the summer heat. Young people have also come to like it, partly because Egri Csillag has become trendy, and partly because it represents a very attractive quality-price-ratio,” says Ádám Juhász.

photos by

BUSAKATTILAFOTO, WINEGLASS COMMUNICATION

In spring or summer when looking for light and refreshing wines it’s worth considering Egri Csillag (the name translates as ‘Star of Eger’), the leading white wine of the Eger wine region, that is best known for its red cuvee Bull’s Blood. This easy-going and thoroughly trendy white blend is gaining traction beyond the boundaries of its home.

Egri csillag is a blend of at least four varieties, and at least half of the varieties must be indigenous to the Carpathian Basin. There are three categories (all of them dry): Classicus, Superior and Grand superior.

Classicus is a light, crispy wine with intense fruit and floral aromas and, should it receive oak ageing, marked toasty character is undesirable. These light and refreshing bottlings are everyday wines. They are perfect accompaniments to a quick weekday dinner and are similarly suitable when friends turn up unexpectedly, you can take it along on a picnic, a bike tour or a visit to the lakeside or simply as a companion to chilling out after a hard day at the office. Spring and summer dishes have just the right style and weight for these wines. Simple pasta dishes, roasted chicken, seasonal vegetables, spicy sandwiches, fish burgers, salads, sea food – there is no reason to think of complicated dishes to pair with Egri Csillag Classicus.

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­­cBORN TO PERFORM

Val. Max. consumption in mixed cycle (l/100 km) 9,8. CO2 Emissions (g/km) 227.

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ALFA ROMEO STELVIO IT’S FAST: 283 KM/H. IT’S POWERFUL: 510 HP. IT ACCELERATES FROM 0 TO 100 IN 3.8 SECONDS. IT MOVES AS FAST AS A FLEETING INSTANT. AND THAT’S HOW A MILLISECOND CAN LAST FOREVER.

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