Conditions in place for developing ties, says Austrian president in Hungary

Budapest, October 16 (MTI) – Ties between Hungary and Austria have continued to develop in the proper direction but all steps that have a bad impact on this climate may cast a shadow on good relations, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said.

All conditions are in place for the two countries to develop their relations but they should examine “how to

disperse clouds from the blue sky”, he told public television M1 late on Wednesday.

In the interview, the president said his one-day visit to Budapest aimed to foster diplomatic relations at the highest possible level and boost economic ties. This is why the two countries’ economic players held a business forum simultaneously.

Some sensitive issues have been raised, including Hungary’s new land act and the reasonable level of the bank tax, he said.

Noting that two-way trade exceeds 7 billion euros a year, the president said that Austrian investors also keep in mind the degree of legal security and whether the country they wish to invest in makes every possible effort to improve its economic environment or lets disputes emerge that could have been prevented.

Fischer, however, welcomed the strategic partnership agreements that the Hungarian government had concluded with Austrian investors over the recent period.

Fischer said that although Hungary’s land act affected but “a few hundred farmers”, it generated a sort of uncertainty which should be eliminated.

The Austrian president agreed with the Hungarian negotiators that the two countries would approve the European Commission’s decision.

Photo: MTI – Szilard Koszticsak

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters