Hungary in trouble? Government sells all Hungarian shares in Austrian bank

The state is selling back a 15 percent stake in Erste Bank Hungary to its Austrian parent company, Erste Bank AG, the economic development ministry said on Friday.

All goals in a strategic agreement signed when the state acquired the minority stake in 2016 “have been fully achieved”, the ministry said. The 15 percent stake, purchased by state-owned Corvinus International Investment for 38.9 billion forints is being sold for 87.5 billion and will be closed by year-end.

The statement said the government regarded Erste Group as “an important partner” going forward, with a “long-term commitment to the country”.

Minister: Domestic livestock must be protected from swine fever

The danger of swine fever entering southern Hungary from Croatia is growing and the authorities are maintaining heightened epidemic prevention measures to minimise the risk of introducing the disease, István Nagy, the minister of agriculture, said on Friday.

Given worsening infection data, pig farmers in medium-risk southern counties must comply with priority epidemic prevention measures, the minister said after discussing the situation with the national chief veterinarian Szabolcs Pásztor and pig farmers in Baranya County.

Strict regulations must be observed in slaughterhouses receiving pigs from Croatia, a ministry statement quoted Nagy as saying, adding that the past few years had seen “outstanding” health data in the domestic pig population which had been protected from the disease.

The ministry “is working to make sure this remains the case,” the statement added.

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