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Breaking news! China is investing 3 billion euros in Hungary’s automotive industry in the coming period

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China is investing 3 billion euros in Hungary’s automotive industry in the coming period, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said after talks with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Beijing on Monday. This will further strengthen Hungary’s position as a top investment destination in central Europe, he added.

Szijjártó had talks with the chief executives of five major Chinese companies, four of which will implement investments in Hungary’s electric car industry which supplies German manufacturers, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The new investments will make a significant contribution to Hungary’s ability to maintain its economic growth, the minister said, adding that

the projects would be implemented in the interest of renewing Europe’s automotive industry and meeting the demands of German manufacturers.

Chinese companies, he said, consider the country a top destination for their investments in central Europe, noting that by the end of 2022, Hungary had the largest volume of Chinese investments in the region. “We want to continue maintaining this trend … so we’ll encourage additional investments from China, giving them the maximum possible support,” he said.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, Szijjártó said that among the most negative consequences of the war was the re-emergence of blocs in the world which, he added, went against Hungary’s interests. “We want connections, not blocs, to be a basis on which the world operates in the coming period … We think that China’s global initiatives serve to achieve this goal, so we support these,” Szijjártó said, emphasising the need to build EU-China cooperation based on mutual trust and benefits.

“We do not agree with the position that brands China as a threat. Our position is that there are enormous opportunities in cooperation with China as a partner.”

“For this reason, we’d like to develop steady cooperation between the EU and China, and placing Chinese companies on a list of EU sanctions or introducing restrictions on their exports would be insupportable,” Szijjártó said.

He noted that in 2022 China’s GDP expanded to a new record, exceeding the total GPD of the European Union, while it created 12 million urban jobs within a single year.

“These results indicate that Europe can only benefit from cooperation with China, and this is why we are urging strong cooperation built on mutual respect,” the Hungarian foreign minister said.

As we wrote today, government wants to rely on China’s Huawei for digitalisation, says minister in Beijing.

Szijjártó: CATL battery plant encourages further Chinese investment in Hungary

The building of the battery plant by China’s CATL in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, is already stimulating other Chinese investments in the country, too, Minister Szijjártó said in Beijing on Monday.

This is helping to boost Hungary’s competitiveness within Europe, given that Chinese investments bring the most cutting-edge technology to their new bases, Szijjarto said ahead of a working dinner with CATL CEO Robin Zeng.

Moreover, investments in the electric vehicle industry ensure that Hungary remains a leader in the fight against climate change, according to a ministry statement quoting the minister.

“This is something everyone who feels a responsibility for the environment can be proud of,” Szijjarto said. He noted that 14 percent of global harmful emissions are linked to public road transport, adding that all green and climate goals would remain “a naive illusion” without the transition to electric vehicles.

The minister said competition for Chinese investments in Europe remained fierce.

“It’s clear that besides the competitiveness of Hungary’s investment environment, the excellent political relations between Hungary and China also play a major role in us winning these investment bids over much stronger western countries.” Szijjarto said.

Hungary, China can count on each other on increasing “voice of the peace camp”

Hungary and China can count on each other in “increasing the voice of the peace camp” and the two countries closely cooperate towards achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible and the start of peace talks, Minister Szijjártó, said after meeting Qin Gang, his Chinese counterpart, in Beijing on Monday.

The armed conflict in a neighbouring country poses particularly serious challenges to Hungary which is why Hungary “is arguing for peace” and wants the fighting to end as soon as possible, the ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying.

“Unfortunately, the war rhetoric is extremely strong globally, particularly in the Trans-Atlantic world,” he said, adding that “therefore we need to constantly increase the voice of the peace camp” to make it clear that the global majority support peace. Szijjarto said that Hungary “does attach a due significance to the role of the People’s Republic of China” in increasing the voice of the peace camp and appreciates the efforts China had recently taken towards peace. “We highly appreciate the peace plan China has put forward,” the Hungarian foreign minister said. He welcomed the existence of such a plan in itself, arguing that when it comes to Ukraine, generally everybody talks only about war.

Szijjártó said he agreed with his colleague to closely cooperate in “amplifying the voice of the peace camp”.

The foreign minister met on Monday China’s minister of commerce for talks as well as a number of corporate executives in Beijing before travelling on to Ningbo for the China CEEC Expo.

MEP Gyöngyösi: When will we see “Zeitenwende” in Europe?

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MEP Márton Gyöngyösi’s (Non-attached) thoughts via press release:

Fifty years ago, West German Chancellor Willy Brandt took a revolutionary step by announcing the new “Ostpolitik” concept and breaking West Germany’s isolation from the eastern bloc countries. Although the concept may likely have had something to do with the German Social Democrats’ traditional sympathy for socialist regimes, the initiative grew beyond itself and eventually benefited the West. The softened opposition of the two blocks allowed more and more Eastern European people to travel to the West and see for themselves the huge difference between Western democracies and authoritarian socialism in all aspects of life.

Twenty years later, the Socialist bloc was nothing but history.

Democracy prevailed, Germany was reunited, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Central European nations, getting free of the Soviet grip, were looking towards Europe. Back then, many people believed the Ostpolitik concept would remain successful for a long time, as it offered dialogue and concrete economic advantages in return for political reforms, with larger overall gains for the West, of course.

Unlike Germany’s foreign policy ideas however, times changed.

In the 2010s, it became increasingly obvious that the pragmatic, business-focused policy was no longer able to pacify eastern despots. In fact, it encouraged them even more. While Germany exposed itself to Russian energy import to a dangerous degree, Putin was steering Russia back to the road of Stalinism with an iron grip. While the new EU member states seemed to show a slow but steady convergence to the West according to the statistical data, the period in fact gave rise to such populist politicians who, beside the benevolence of the German government, attempted to build up oligarchies and kept voicing anti-EU messages. The “most successful” of these politicians was Viktor Orbán, who now openly works towards getting Hungary leave the EU and join the Russian sphere of interest.

As an ironic twist of fate, the beginning of the Ostpolitik was heralded by a Social Democrat chancellor and its end was also stated by a Social Democrat chancellor fifty years later, when Olaf Scholz drew the conclusions of the Ukraine war and announced the slogan of “Zeitenwende”, thus making clear that politics can have a consideration for values, too.

Democracy must be protected and if anyone attacks another sovereign state with military force, they must be stopped.

In contrast, Berlin’s Central European policy seems to be frozen in time. Although their relations with Orbán are not nearly as friendly as they used to be, Germany’s business interests still appear to be the dominant aspect at the end of the day, despite the fact that the genie is already out of the bottle, with authoritarian leaders like Orbán now openly questioning democracy and supporting Putin’s war in Ukraine. 

This situation poses an unprecedented internal threat to the European Union. 

Of course, no person with any common sense would wish for the destruction of German-Hungarian relations, but we can reasonably expect the German industry not to do business with Fidesz-friendly oligarchs and serve Orbán’s regime. The reason is simple: the regime they want to be on good terms with now, will eventually turn against them, just as Putin’s Russia did. The more they invest in it, the more damage they will suffer. This is easy to see even with a very pragmatic approach.

Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.

Important: International trains to and from Hungary affected by German rail strike

Keleti railway station Budapest train MÁV

The German Railway and Transport Workers’ Union has announced a 50-hour rail strike. It will start late Sunday night and last until Tuesday next week. According to the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV), the strike will also affect international services to and from Hungary.

“The walkout already affects international trains to Germany on Saturday and Sunday evening. The Deutsche Bahn (DB) advises passengers to postpone their journey if possible,” the statement of MÁV said.

Expect the following changes on Monday and Tuesday:

  • Railjet xpress trains to and from Germany only run to and from Salzburg. On the section in Germany, they will be omitted from the timetable.
  • The Hungária EuroCity trains (EC 252, 253) only run between Budapest and Prague main station (Praha hl. n.). They do not run between Prague and Hamburg.
  • The Metropol EuroNight (EN 476) from Budapest to Berlin on the evenings of 14 and 15 (Sunday and Monday) will only run to the Polish border station of Rzepin. On the German leg, a replacement bus will be available between Rzepin and Berlin.
  • The Metropol EuroNight (EN477) from Berlin to Budapest on the 15th and 16th (Monday and Tuesday evenings) will only run from the Polish border station of Rzepin. The train will not run on the German section.
  • The Stuttgart part of the Kálmán Imre EuroNight (EN 462/236) departing from Budapest on 13, 14 and 15 (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) will not run. The Zurich part of the train is diverted within Austria via Zell am See station and is therefore expected to arrive in Zurich with a 90-minute delay.
  • The Stuttgart part of the Kálmán Imre EuroNight (EN 237/463) from Stuttgart to Budapest on 14, 15 and 16 (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) will not run.
  • The Kálmán Imre EuroNight (EN 467/463) from Zurich to Budapest on 14 and 16 June is diverted within Austria via Zell am See station and is expected to arrive in Budapest with a 120-minute delay.

Tickets already purchased by 11 May for the journey to or from Germany on 14, 15 or 16 May can be refunded free of charge. More information on this can be found on the MÁV website.

MEP Gyöngyösi: It’s time for a Zeitenwende! – VIDEO

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In a debate with Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, MEP Márton Gyöngyösi (Non-attached) recalled the one-time success of the West German Ostpolitik vis-a-vis Russia and the socialist bloc. Yet, according to the Hungarian MEP, now it is time to change, and as Mr. Scholz has already declared the famous Zeitenwende concerning Russia, a new approach is necessary towards politicians, like the Hungarian Prime Minister, who disrupt the EU from the inside.

 

Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.

PHOTO: Germany did not allow 350 Hungarians to enter – their train was unacceptable

Hungarian train Germany (2)

More than 350 passengers found themselves hopeless on the platform of a Czech station after the German crew refused to take a Hungarian train due to its unacceptable technical condition.

According to iho.hu, the Hungária EuroCity was not allowed to enter Germany on 7 May. The Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) thought it was OK that the air-conditioning did not work in a carriage and one of the windows was broken. However, the German crew refused to take over from their Hungarian colleagues. Therefore, the train could not continue its journey towards Hamburg.

As a result, approximately 350 passengers remained on the platform of the train station of Děčín. However, neither the Hungarian company nor the German Deutsche Bahn (DB) offered help to them.

That was not the first time Germany did not allow a train to enter the country due to its technical condition. Last summer DB stopped multiple EuroCity trains coming from Prague because they did not have a dining car or it lacked carriages. Some Czech trains needed to be abandoned in Děčín, so locals are probably aware of why sometimes many people flood their streets asking for help to continue their journey.

Here is a photo:

And this is the train:

Wizz Air cockpit door opened during hard landing, passengers shocked

Wizz Air pilots Sweden

Okosutas.hu, a Hungarian travel news outlet, wrote an unbelievable story about a Wizz Air plane that took off in Budapest and carried its passengers to Berlin. During the hard landing in the German capital, the cockpit’s door surprisingly opened, but that was not the only weird moment during the travel.

Okosutas.hu begins its article with how much the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, was late last year. They wrote that, compared to other airlines, Wizz Air had a hard time dealing with such situations on many occasions. Last summer saw extreme delays and flight cancellations, but the airline promised to organise this summer’s flights better and with higher time margins. As a result, theoretically, it will not happen that, due to the delays, a flight would not take off since the destination airport closed or the crew’s working time ended. That happened multiple times last year: the last round of a Wizz plane was omitted due to the daily lags.

Okosutas.hu wrote about a plane that could not take off from Budapest Airport because the pilot did not arrive in time. The plane arrived from Athens with a one-hour delay, and the company changed its crew for the next flight to Berlin. Before, Wizz Air used the same crew for that four sectors. The modification is probably the consequence of the aforementioned changes aiming to improve service quality and minimise delays.

Wizz Air plane had no captain, cockpit door opened

However, there was no captain, so they needed to wait. The news outlet laments that if Wizz Air needs to carry out such short notice modification regarding the personnel during the preseason, we should expect worse situations in the high season. But the captain missing was not the only odd part of that travel from Budapest to Berlin. During the hard landing in the German capital, the cockpit door opened. Theoretically, that needs a code to open, so such events should not happen because of a touchdown. However, the crew reacted professionally. Two of them jumped to their feet and closed the door instantly.

The flight could not make up for the delay it collected in Athens because of the missing captain later that day. Even the evening flight to Barcelona arrived with a delay. Okosutas.hu says Wizz Air still has problems with keeping turnaround times. Therefore, passengers should calculate with such delays in the case of Wizz Air flights.

Interview with Anthony Radev, President of Corvinus about model-changing, foreign students and new campus

Interview with Anthony Radev, President of Corvinus

We interviewed the President of Corvinus University, Anthony Radev:

Daily News Hungary (DNH): Thank you for accepting the invitation to be interviewed. You are the president of Corvinus University, but there is also a foundation run by a president and then there is the rector of the university. Could you give us a little insight into each person’s individual role?

Anthony Radev: The foundation as operator is responsible for the institutional and financial functioning of the University. The Charter issues the Charter Document of the University, adopts its Organisational and Operational Regulations, Institutional Development Plan, budget and financial report, as well as makes proposals to the President of the Republic regarding the Rector of the University and appoints the President and Chancellor of the University. The operator shall perform its duties related to the functioning of the University in cooperation with the University and its citizens, considering in particular the Senate and the other bodies of the University.

The University is led by the Presidential Board of the Board of Trustees, and it is the decision-preparing, opinion-forming, strategy-making body of the University. It consists of three main positions: the Rector, the President and the Chancellor. The rector is responsible for the educational and scientific research portfolio, leads the academic work at the highest level. The Chancellor is responsible for the university’s financial stability, procurement and infrastructure. My position, the President of the University is responsible for the strategic management, the leading the institutional work organization of the University, and such strategic units as HR, international relations, accreditations, law and communication.

DNH: Corvinus was the first model-changing university in Hungary. How would you assess the change?

Anthony Radev: For Corvinus as the pioneer in model-changing, it is a great success – the first cycle of renewal is completed. We have the dominant market position, and we have massive results in internationalisation of education and international visibility. We have significantly increased the number of our English programs. The number of applicants for English language courses has increased by almost 50 percent. We tripled the number of research publications in the most prestigious scholarly journals. We were the first in Hungary to introduce the academic career model: with a predictable career- and quality-focused performance.

As we gained a strong, reliable budget and self-sustainability, we are building on operational excellence and we spend an average of HUF 2-3 billion per year on investments and improvements, i. e. a unique education and innovation centre in the Ménesi Street Campus. We have increased the base salary by an average of more than 70 percent, almost tripled the non-wage benefits and introduced a performance-related annual bonus. This year the average salary growth is an impressive 15-17%.

We have established the Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability Hub (ERS Hub) to support the alignment of the University’s ethics, social responsibility and sustainability initiatives and have evolved sustainability a priority in our investments and operations. We have digitized student administration, so most processes can be initiated online. We have launched the My Corvinus app, which was 2021’s App of the Year.

We do not lean back seeing our results, we continue looking for the best solutions and best practices in each area that is relevant for Corvinus. 

DNH: What international accreditations demonstrate best Corvinus’ outstanding achievements? How do you score in international university rankings?

Anthony Radev: The Corvinus University of Budapest is the only university in Hungary in the field of economic sciences that has two international accreditations at institutional level: AMBA, and AACSB.  We gained the AACSB accreditation (Association for Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in 2022, which may place Corvinus among the top 900 business schools in the world. The AMBA reflects the quality of our MBA programs as it is the international accreditation of the Association of the MBA programs. In addition, we obtained several international accreditations for programs: EFMD Accredited, BSIS Label, EAPAA, the newest one is the ACCA which is a prestigious professional recognition of our MA accounting.

DNH: Why do prospective students choose Corvinus? What differentiates Corvinus from other universities and in what fields does it stand out particularly?

Anthony Radev: In a nutshell, Corvinus is Hungary’s most eminent university in the fields of economic and social science trainings. Our medium-term objective is to become one of the best institutions of higher education in Central Europe, not only within the country. We prefer quality over quantity, we offer international professional environment with internationally recognised teachers and a vivid social student life, i. e. we have the oldest student organization founded more than 50 years ago, the Studium Generale where the members voluntarily prepare several thousand high school students to the admission exams.

And of course, we know, money talks:  a Corvinus student with a degree in economics can expect to earn a total net salary of HUF 340 million over a full career path, which is HUF 110 million more than the national average for graduates in the same field. The source of the monetary advantage lies not only in the knowledge acquired, but also in the skills and competences that our students acquire here. According to our recently gained BSIS label, The financial impact of the activity of Corvinus University is over HUF 170 billion per year. No other Hungarian university in economic fields undertook such an examination. The label also pointed out that the majority of senior managers at large companies listed on the Hungarian stock exchange are the graduates of this University, so the Corvinus offers excellent career perspectives.

DNH: What further developments does Corvinus aim to pursue in the future? Which are the areas that need improvement in order to reach an even higher international rating?

Anthony Radev: As I mentioned before, our medium-term objective is to become one of the leading institutions of higher education in Central Europe, not only within the country. We want to open the doors even wider to international students and teachers and integrate them with the Hungarian community. We pursue excellence, both in teaching and researching, so we expect to grow our potential in scientific publications, and we want to improve our teacher-student ratio in order to focus better on the development of our students.

We aim to be more transparent and operate in a more sustainable way, and permanently continue to develop ourselves. In these months we are preparing the strategy for the next three years, and we want to bottom-up channel all the valuable initiatives. 

DNH: Can you share some details about the upcoming new campus?

Anthony Radev: As part of the complex renewal of Corvinus University of Budapest – digital, infrastructural and educational – the institution will be equipped with a technology-intensive, inspiringly future-oriented and sustainability-oriented building complex.

Between 600 and 700 students will be able to work on the Campus at the same time, with all the educational and social spaces dedicated to creative collaboration. The building will house the University’s Entrepreneurship Incubation Programme and the Data Space, home to innovative data science projects.

Corvinus University
Source: Corvinus University

There will be 3100 m2 for education, 2350 m2 for sports, dormitory places for 180 students, and a huge park in 11.000 m2. The renewable building complex will also meet Leed Gold’s stringent sustainability certification criteria, as well as AA+, the highest energy efficiency rating, for the first time in a higher education investment in Hungary. The Campus will have an energy system unique in Hungary, using the latest thermal insulation technologies and providing energy supply through solar panels and ground-source solar probes.

DNH: How many foreign students are currently enrolled at Corvinus? What is the number of foreign lecturers? I suppose that the Stipendium Hungaricum and Erasmus are decisive in terms of the number of foreign students.

Anthony Radev: Currently, we have 11.000 students and 20% of them are from abroad. Ten years ago, the ratio was only 10%. And yes, we are a popular destination for students both who gained the Stipendium Hungaricum and the ones who participate in the Erasmus program, several hundred young foreign people come to our university every year. Corvinus is among the Hungarian universities that have made the most of the Erasmus+ program, with around 500 students per academic year.

 

DNH: Moving on to another subject… You are known to hold several major positions in companies or associations. Can you share us some details about these responsibilities? How do you juggle the heavy workload?

Anthony Radev: My main task is to be the President of Corvinus. The other responsibilities do not require a full-time job, and these few hours per week can be inserted in my schedule. I have excellent collegues who are experts in their profession, which makes the work much easier for me. 

DNH: I know that you have three nationalities. Can you tell us what these are?
Anthony Radev: I was born in Bulgaria, studied and moved to Hungary, later on professionally settled in Germany.

DNH: This question concerns Anthony Radev, a private individual. Can you tell us a bit about your family background? How do you spend your free time? Do you have any favourite pastime or something that you are really passionate about?

Anthony Radev: I was born into a working family. Usually with the 3 F – Family, friends and football. I had a great childhood, fantastic young years, very satisfying midlife.

DNH: I am sure you have travelled a lot before. Which three destinations left the biggest impact on you and why?

Anthony Radev: I’ve been to more than 70 countries in the world, I do not regret any one of those, to do a favorite list would be unfair, because I respect them all.

DNH: Let’s not leave out Hungarian gastronomy either. If you could order anything right now, what would be your instant pick for starter, main course and dessert?

Anthony Radev: Jókai bean soup (Jókai bableves), stuffed cabbage (töltött káposzta), creamy dumplings (túrógombóc).

PHOTOS: International airport reopens for tourists in Hungary

The first charter flight arrived at Lake Balaton’s international airport, the Hévíz-Fly Balaton airport, which ran under the name of Sármellék Airport before. The airport staff and even the mayor of Hévíz, Gábor Papp, welcomed German tourists who arrived by plane and bus from Dresden.

According to a post on the airport’s Facebook page, the charter flight is the first of its kind this summer. It landed yesterday at Hévíz International Airport, near Lake Balaton. The flight took off in Dresden with 138 passengers on board. Furthermore, 50 people came by bus from the capital of Saxony.

The charter flights are scheduled to operate between German cities and Hévíz, one of the favourite Hungarian destinations of German tourists, between April and October. According to the airport, the guests will remain for three weeks enjoying the thermal baths and the beauties of Hungary. Most of them found accommodation in Hévíz. Here is a post from the mayor of Hévíz about the arrival of the first charter flight from Germany:

Hévíz was one of the tourist hotspots for Russians before the outbreak of the war. That is why many inscriptions are still in Russian at the airport. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, no more guests came, so the airport and the city had to find alternatives.

Russian inscriptions on the wall
The Russian inscriptions remained. Photo: FB/Hévíz Airport

They turned to German tourists, and now there are a lot of travel agencies organising regular trips to the gate of the Lake Balaton area. In 2022, Wizz Air established a pair of flights between Dortmund and Hévíz airport, but it seems that was not profitable. Last December, the company cleared that they would not like to restart it in 2023. As a result, Hévíz Airport remained without a scheduled flight this year.

If you check out the airport’s schedule for the summer, it is clear that they expect only flights of the Sundair to arrive from Leipzig, Dresden and Erfurt. And there will not be too many: one or a maximum of two each month. Interestingly, on 2 April, the airport wrote about the arrival of Air Algerie Boeing 737-800 Cargo.

Read also:

Why are thousands of German pensioners moving to Hungary?

German pensioners

More than 3000 German pensioners moved to Hungary in the last couple of years. But why do they choose to spend their elderly years in Hungary instead of their country of birth?

The number of German pensioners is increasing in Hungary, which has picked the interest of German public media as well. The MDR made a report which was looking for potential explanations as to why Germans choose to move to Hungary and the region of Lake Balaton.

Cheap housing compared to Germany

Real estate around Lake Balaton has been especially popular among German pensioners. There is no doubt that it is much cheaper to buy property in Hungary, especially in rural areas, than in Germany. A German real estate agent showed a recently renovated house, 10 kms from Lake Balaton for HUF 18 million (EUR 49,000) to prospective buyers before talking to MDR.

“You can’t even buy a garage for that price in Germany,” the agent told MDR, who also mentioned that they felt the increased demand from Germans. Search for houses exploded in the area, with three to six showings a day.

Read also: Which nations do Hungarians like and dislike the most?

Cost of living

The cost of living plays a huge part in moving to the cheaper Hungarian countryside. According to fintech bank N26 the average cost of living in Germany is EUR 2073 per month. Meanwhile, according to the German real estate agent, for German pensioners, EUR 800 is more than sufficient to live a well-balanced lifestyle in Hungary.

A German lady from Dresden said that in Germany, she would be homeless, even though she had worked for 55 years. “I just want to live in peace on my pension and I can do that in Hungary,” she argued.

Despite the high inflation in Hungary, which is still higher than in Wester-Europe, services are still cheaper in Hungary than in Germany. The report notes that in Hungary, EUR 1 gets you EUR 1.67 worth of services, making it the second cheapest in the EU after Poland.

Sense of security in Hungary

An evangelical pastor serving in Keszthely, Rita Mick-Sole, says that Germans are moving to Hungary in enormous numbers because the German political developments have made people feel insecure and dissatisfied, but in Hungary, they can be happy.

Read also: French survey: Hungary is one of the safest places in Europe

Football: Hungarian coach to save top German club

Dárdai Pál, footballer, coach

Former Hungarian ex-football player turned coach Pál Dárdai is to return to the bench of Berlin-based Hertha BSC. This was confirmed on the official website of the sports club on Sunday afternoon.

This will be the third time Dárdai is appointed as head of the team in the last 8 years. He first led the German top club between 2015 and 2019 and was then appointed later again in 2021. Now, his job is clear, but the task is rather hard to tackle. He is to save Hertha from relegation from the German Bundesliga, according to Nemzeti Sport.

Club and national football legend

Dárdai’s history with Hertha Berlin goes back all the way to 1997. He transferred to the club at the age of 21 and spent the rest of his professional career here. With a grand total of 373 matches, he holds the title in the team’s history for most appearances. In addition, Dárdai also debuted countless times on the international stage, playing 61 matches in the colours of the Hungarian national football team.

After retiring in 2011, he worked as part of the staff for the junior teams at Hertha, before being promoted to head coach of the adult team in 2015. Originally meant as a temporary position, he fulfilled the role until 2019. In these 4 years, the club regularly finished in the first half of the table, even reaching Europa League qualification in 2017.

In 2019, he returned to working with the youth team. However, this did not last long, as in early 2021 they called him back to save the team from relegation to the second league. He managed to achieve this but was sacked regardless after less than a year for unsatisfying performance and his feud with the sports director of the club, Fredi Bobic.

Potential saviour

It looks like the leadership in Berlin expects Dárdai to perform yet another miracle. The outlook is bleak, to say the least. Hertha BSC currently occupies the last place (18th) on the Bundesliga Table, with only 22 points after 28 matches. With just 6 matches left, the club must reach at least the 15th spot if they want to avoid relegation.

“Everyone knows what I feel towards Hertha. I didn’t hesitate a second when they called me. We have 6 matches left in the season, possibly 8. I will do everything in my capacity to keep the club in the Bundesliga. It won’t be an easy task, but I am looking forward to the challenge”

– Dárdai proclaimed.

According to him, the management of the club convinced him for hours to take the role. He finally agreed and promised to coach the team until the summer. After that, the future is yet uncertain.

Read also:

No stopping: Wizz Air leaves hundreds of passengers in Berlin

Runway Wizz Air

The Wizz Air flight from Berlin was scheduled to take off at 2:45 PM on Wednesday. The Hungarian low-cost airline’s plane is scheduled to depart for Budapest almost 24 hours later on Thursday at 2:00 PM.

A Hungarian stranded in Germany spoke to napi.hu about the ordeal of his journey. Wizz Air wrote in response to napi.hu’s inquire that the plane could not take off for indirect reasons, due to bad weather conditions.

The low-cost airline left about 200 passengers at Berlin-Brandenburg airport on Wednesday, napi.hu learned from a Hungarian working in Berlin. The man had wanted to return to Budapest for the Easter holidays, but the airline said his plane would not be leaving until Thursday at 2 PM.

Wizz Air rescheduled the flight 6-7 times

He told the news portal that on Wednesday, he and several colleagues working in Germany went to Berlin airport to catch the Wizz Air flight W62316. The flight was due to take off at 2:45 PM. After the check-in, the airline changed the departure time of the flight six or seven times.

They were informed by SMS and given two vouchers for 4 euros during the time they were at the airport. A sandwich at the Berlin airport costs EUR 6.5 to 7.5 and a half litre of mineral water or soft drink costs EUR 3 to 4, napi.hu recalls.

They waited in vain for their flight to depart until half past eleven at night, the Hungarian man said. Some of the passengers wanted to travel to Budapest with babies in swaddling clothes and others with children aged 3-5.

Circling, waiting, but not take-off

At 10:30 PM on Wednesday, the passengers were finally allowed to board the Wizz Air plane. After another 30-40 minutes of circling and waiting on the runway, the crew said they would check something and take off. However, at 11.30 PM they were again disembarked, as Berlin does not allow planes to take off at this time of day, only to land.

Passengers stranded in Germany who had nowhere to sleep were accommodated, the man stranded in Berlin told napi.hu. This morning, he received another text message from Wizz Air saying that his flight to Budapest leaves at 2:00 PM on Thursday.

The man told napi.hu that he left his accommodation for the airport at 11 AM on Wednesday and returned at 2.30 AM on Thursday.

Wizz Air’s flight between Berlin and Budapest on 5 April could not take off due to bad weather conditions, the airline told napi.hu. The aircraft, which was supposed to take the passengers to Hungary, was previously stuck at Iași International Airport in Romania, where a snowstorm prevented take-off.

Replacement plane

The airline sent a replacement plane to Berlin airport, which arrived successfully. However, it was unable to take passengers to Budapest before the facility closed. Therefore, the earliest the Berlin-Budapest flight can take off is expected to be at noon on 6 April, Wizz Air said.

They added that passengers will be compensated in accordance with the relevant legislation, the extent of which will be assessed in the coming days. Wizz Air apologises to all affected passengers for any inconvenience caused.

Not the only problematic Wizz Air flight this week

This is not the only problematic flight Wizz Air has had in recent days. As we reported earlier today, the earliest Wizz Air passengers stranded in Madeira due to bad weather could return home will be with Saturday’s scheduled flight.

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Hungary received even more weapons from Germany than Ukraine

weapon, Hungary, arms, trading, explosives, army

The German government approved slightly fewer arms exports in the first three months of this year than in the same period last year. Hungary received much more arms from Germany than Ukraine.

The German government has approved slightly fewer arms exports in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year, Portfolio reports, citing an article in the Taggeschau.

According to preliminary figures, the total value of the shipments approved from January to March was EUR 2.4 billion, with half of all export licences issued for weapons to be used in the Russian-Ukrainian war. In the first quarter of 2022, which largely covers the pre-war period, the value was EUR 2.88 billion.

Ukraine has reportedly received more than EUR 497 million worth of licences to defend itself against Russian aggression. The only country with a higher value was Hungary, with some EUR 765 million.

The ministry said the supplies approved for EU and NATO partners were mainly ammunition, Portfolio writes.

The Ministry of Economy underlined that almost 90 percent of the total value of the approvals concerned close partner countries. This includes not only EU and NATO countries, but also their equivalents such as Japan and Switzerland, as well as third countries, Ukraine and South Korea.

Featured image: illustration

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Spiegel: Orbán used mafia methods to chase German companies out of Hungary

Viktor Orbán Huxit EU

In a long article, the German magazine Der Spiegel described how Viktor Orbán is increasingly pushing German companies out of Hungary. It was described that he used to help them explicitly, he was very accommodating to German capital. This has now changed.

Orbán is chasing away German companies

“German companies have long been active in Hungary. But now, Viktor Orbán is trying to force some of them to leave. And when they do, his closest allies stand to profit,” the article begins. The article notes that Orbán was previously accommodating to German capital, especially in the electronics and automotive industries. Several German companies were lured to Hungary by various tax breaks and helpful government officials.

However, this has changed, and these German companies are experiencing signs of the end of this era. For instance, Heidelberg Materials and Schwenk Zement, two construction supplies companies, got a letter from a Hungarian entrepreneur. The person is not named; however, Transparency International believes he is close to PM Orbán. The letter stated that the entrepreneur’s “rapidly expanding group” would acquire the Hungarian subsidiary of the two companies, Duna-Dráva Cement Kft.

“In the way of the interests of the government”

The German side concluded that Duna-Dráva Cement Kft. is in the way of the economic interests of the Hungarian government. Thus, it wants to eliminate it as soon as possible. According to the paper, the government is also trying to squeeze foreign capital out of the Hungarian market with legislation that puts German firms, among others, at a disadvantage.

Examples include the prohibition of Duna-Dráva Cement Kft. to export abroad without a licence, or the introduction of an extra mining fee. This resulted in every bag of cement sold by the subsidiary making a loss.

They also mention the retail sector. “The prime minister is likewise frustrated by the fact that German supermarket chains like Lidl, Aldi and Spar dominate the market in Hungary,” the German news portal writes. According to Der Spiegel, the government is trying to thwart them as much as it can. For example, the price freezes and the frequent inspections and fines they entail serve this end.

“Mafia methods”

The article also cites German politicians who have already spoken out against Orbán’s “mafia methods”. These are primarily used to secure his power while fattening the fortunes of his own people.

“Orbán is penalising European companies that have done nothing wrong in order to solidify crony capitalism in his country,”

the portal quotes Daniel Freund, MEP for the Green Party, as saying.

Gunther Krichbaum, the European policy spokesman for conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in German parliament, said outright that Orbán is using “mafia methods”.

“It has been made clear [several times] that the goal is that of pushing current owners out of the company and forcing them to sell,”

he wrote in a letter to Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration. “I never imagined that such practices would be conceivable in the European Union,” he added.

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Three German nationals wanted by Budapest police for violent attacks

hungarian police drug dealer caught in Budapest

Budapest police on Friday said they have issued arrest warrants for another three German nationals in connection with organised armed attacks against alleged participants of a far-right commemoration in the capital last month.

The Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) referred to the incidents as “Antifa attacks” in a statement posted on the website police.hu.

BRFK said earlier it was investigating assault and other crimes committed as a group against alleged participants of a far-right commemoration marking the anniversary of the Nazi breakout of the Castle District during the siege of Budapest on Feb. 11, 1945. It said the evidence gathered so far suggested that the perpetrators had attacked people unknown to them, whom they picked because they were wearing clothing indicating far-right views.

Police said that 7-8 people had carried out attacks using telescopic stun batons and knuckle dusters over a number of days in Budapest. Some attacked a group of Polish tourists, two of whom sustained grave injuries. In the other attacks, a man was assaulted on the outskirts of Budapest, a couple was beaten in downtown Pest and another, a German couple, in the Castle District.

BRFK said on Friday they are working in close cooperation with German police.

Two of the four suspects in the case, a German and an Italian national, have been taken into custody. A third suspect, also a German national, has been placed under criminal supervision and the fourth, a Hungarian national, is out on bail, BRFK said.

“The message is clear: we will not tolerate any attacks on people in the capital, whether they be on an ideological basis or not,” BRFK said, adding that they will use all legal tools at their disposal to identify the perpetrators and carry out the necessary procedure against them.

BRFK has already issued arrest warrants for another three suspects, all of them German nationals.

Hungarian AI ecosystem presented in Germany

Bódis László

The Hungarian artificial intelligence ecosystem was presented at the Hungarian embassy in Berlin on Thursday.

“The goal is to build cooperation between research institutes, universities, and businesses of the Hungarian and German ecosystems,” László Bódis, deputy state secretary at the cultural and innovation ministry, told MTI from Berlin by phone.

Hungary’s National AI Laboratory and the AI Coalition representing over 400 Hungarian organisations were presented at the event attended by Hungarian ambassador Péter Györkös, as well as German scientists and representatives of universites and businesses.

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Roland Jakab, head of the AI Coalition, highlighted the cooperation between Hungarian research institute SZTAKI and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, and said the goal was to “build even closer ties with German partners and launch joint projects”.

Many Budapest flights cancelled due to widespread strike

airport budapest planes

Ground service staff of the Düsseldorf, Köln/Bonn, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports went on strike on Friday. As a result, many Budapest flights were cancelled.

According to airportal.hu, Eurowings cancelled all its flights to and from Budapest concerning the Düsseldorf, Köln and Stuttgart international airports. The only flight from those airports was the EW 9782/3 from Düsseldorf on Friday night.

That is the second time the members of the Ver.di trade union stopped working. The strike meant the airports had to cancel almost 700 flights. For example, in Köln/Bonn, 144 flights were cancelled out of the 148. In Düsseldorf, that figure was 264/391. The measure affected approximately 89 thousand passengers, based on the estimates of the operating companies.

The last time such a strike took place was on 13 March. We wrote about that HERE. Then, the Ver.di wanted a pay rise at the Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, and Hannover airports.

German Antifa viper attackers arrested

Crime

Germans have been caught attacking people with vipers in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. They were ambushed by elite police in Germany.

Clara Judith Wittkugel, 22, and Moritz Christian Leopold Shroeter, 20, were on the police list for violence against a member of the community. The two Germans were wanted by Hungarian police for street attacks on the Day of Honour, writes 444.hu.

On Saturday 11 February, several masked viper attacks were carried out against far-right extremists in Budapest. Several foreigners claiming to be antifascists were arrested in the case. Four of the suspected perpetrators were arrested, including a Hungarian, 42-year-old Krisztina D., who was arrested in the case of the suspects.

The Hungarian woman denied any involvement in the attacks and was released, but remains a suspect in the prosecution.

Another perpetrator, Tobias E., was linked to a far-left anti-fascist group accused of serious crimes, 24.hu reports.

hungarian slovakian drug distribution gang busted police
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Many Budapest flights cancelled due to strike

Budapest Airport new airlines

Washington Post writes that due to a Monday strike concerning multiple German airports, many flights have been cancelled. Among them, there are several Budapest ones.

According to telex.hu, the Monday strikes concern Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover and Bremen airfields. The delayed and cancelled flights affect tens of thousands of passengers.

The strike call came from the Verdi trade union headquarteres in Berlin. The security staff of the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport will not work tomorrow because their trade union could not sign an agreement with the management about the extra money for night and weekend shifts. Therefore, the airport had to cancel more than 200 flights. As a result, the plane to Budapest will not take off tomorrow at 6 AM.

On the official website of the Hamburg airport, we can read an announcement that passengers should expect delays and cancellations from Sunday 10 PM until Monday 11 PM. That affects more than 30 thousand passengers, including Hungarians and foreigners, who would have come to Budapest with a flight regularly arriving at 7 AM.

Lufthansa informed passengers in an email that they should expect frequent cancellations on Monday. The company offered train tickets for the flights. A Lufthansa spokesman said the strike’s reason was a quarrel between the airports and the Verdi trade union. He added that from Tuesday, everything would settle into a rut.

Budapest Airport passengers
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