Representatives of the Bavarian Christian Social Union in Budapest
Relations between Hungary and Bavaria are based on mutual respect, appreciation and friendship, and so both countries are ready to further develop the cooperation crucial for Hungary, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Monday.
Speaking after a meeting with representatives of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), Péter Szijjártó told a joint press conference that such cooperation was especially valuable in times of crisis.
Szijjártó welcomed both sides’ openness to further developing Bavarian-Hungarian ties, saying that trade and investments between the two countries “fundamentally determine” the performance of the Hungarian economy.
“Hungary’s economic policy has successfully answered the crises of past years, and its economy has returned to a path of growth. As a result, we hit one record in investment, exports, and employment after the other, and we recovered our competitiveness.”
The Bavarian companies investing in Hungary played a vital role in that, he added.
Bavaria is Hungary’s primary trading partner in Germany, and the third most important source of investment among German states, with one quarter of the trade volume between Hungary and Germany linked to it, he said. Some 27 percent of German companies investing in Hungary are Bavarian, he added.
Hungary’s government has signed strategic cooperation agreements with several Bavarian companies, including Siemens, Audi and Knorr-Bremse, he said.
During its upcoming EU presidency, Hungary will focus on improving the bloc’s competitiveness, streamlining regulations and cutting back red tape, he said.
“We are happy to see that the talks with our Bavarian partners are founded on common sense, honesty and clarity,” he said.
read also:
- Surprising: German companies push for euro in Hungary – will PM Orbán introduce it?
- Groundbreaking ceremony for defence giant Rheinmetall in Hungary – photos
German investors fed up with Orbán’s policies: will they leave Hungary?
According to Bloomberg, German investors in Hungary are discontented with PM Orbán’s policies. They say the Hungarian government is trying to oust foreign companies in several business areas. Furthermore, the ever-changing regulations do not provide a favourable background for their long-term plans. Will Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Rheinmetall leave in the long run?
According to atv.hu‘s summary of Bloomberg’s article in the issue, the “love affair” between the Hungarian political leadership and the German investors may end. And that may undermine the economic development plans of the Orbán cabinet.
Cold war starts between the Hungarian government and the German investors?
Based on the American news outlet, after the fall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe, there was a special relationship between the German capital and the Hungarian governments.
Therefore, German carmakers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and weapons maker Rheinmetall came to Hungary and found favourable conditions to generate huge profits thanks to the hardworking, trained Hungarian workforce and the favourable conditions the Hungarian governments created.
However, the Orbán cabinet lately tries to push out foreign companies from “an ever-expanding swath” of the Hungarian economy. And that is what German investors do not like.
“The situation for foreign investors in Hungary is ‘frightening’,” says the deputy chairman of the Berlin-based German Eastern Business Association.
What do they complain about?
German investors are especially “pissed off” because of the ever-changing legislative environment, the extra taxes and regulatory pressure. For example, the Hungarian government started a “cold war” with German retail chain Spar this year. About the last “round” of that “war” we wrote in THIS article.
Bloomberg believes the timing of entering into a conflict with the German investors could be better. That is because the Hungarian economy is struggling (HERE), and German investments plunged by a third between 2021 and 2024. Finally, there is a rising star winning the hearts of the opposition (and even Fidesz) voters. Péter Magyar may even threaten Orbán’s granite-solid system in the long run.
Dobrev-Scholz “summit” is a bad sign for Orbán
There is an additional sign that the German-Hungarian political relationship is dealing with issues. Klára Dobrev, the shadow prime minister of Former PM Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition, met with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
She shared a photo with the chancellor who met with PM Orbán behind closed doors before but did not issue a communiqué about what they talked about. Meanwhile, Dobrev said they agreed they would never become allies with powers building on hatred and division. “Because they are threatening Europe’s unity, endangering democracy and everything we, Social Democrats are fighting for”, Dobrev concluded.
Macron did not meet with opposition leaders “like that”
This is not the first time DK’s European party-list leader and the wife of Gyurcsány met with Scholz in 2022, infostart.hu wrote.
Scholz’s meetings with Dobrev show clearly that the German-Hungarian relationship could be better. For example, President Macron visited Hungary before the 2022 general elections but met with the opposition leaders only at the French Embassy in Budapest, and they sat on a couch, a symbol that the French leaders did not regard them as the leaders of Hungary.
French-Hungarian cooperation instead of continuing the ‘love affair’ with Germany?
His policy was advantageous for him. After the 2022 general elections, they became allies with Orbán in the European Union. Media wrote about French-Hungarian joint businesses, and Hungary sent a military mission to Chad, one of the last bastions of the former French North African colony.
Interestingly, Gáspár Orbán, PM Orbán’s only son, had been a member of that mission. He constantly tried to hide behind columns and hats from the cameras, but the media managed to take some photos of him in the war-torn African country. We covered that issue HERE.
Read also:
- Hungarian economy minister Nagy meets German counterpart in Berlin – Details in THIS article
- Groundbreaking ceremony for defence giant Rheinmetall in Hungary – click HERE for the photos and the details
Featured image: Viktor Orbán and Olaf Scholz in October 2022 in Berlin. Worried faces.
Surprising: German companies push for euro in Hungary – will PM Orbán introduce it?
German companies in Hungary are unsure about the future, they push for the euro introduction in Hungary and would like a predictable economic policy. They see 2024 as grim, believe that consumption will fall and struggle with a labour shortage. The German–Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s latest business survey did not bring good news.
German-owned companies struggle in Hungary
According to portfolio.hu, the German–Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce found that future economic prospects in Hungary worsened in 2024. In Hungary, 241 German companies filled out the survey’s questionnaires, while the regional number, including 14 more countries, was 1,292.
German companies struggle with weak consumption, high employee costs, labour shortage and euro-forint exchange rate swings. Automation and workers’ training cannot compensate them for the hardships.
Pushing for euro introduction
Furthermore, the CEOs of the German firms believe that the predictability of the Hungarian economic policy decreases and have issues with the rule of law in Hungary, as well. In the latter category, 48% of the leaders are dissatisfied, while that rate was only 36% in 2022. Concerning the Orbán cabinet’s economy policy, the dissatisfaction rate is 60%, while it was only 41% in 2022.
Interestingly, the German company heads regard the Hungarian public administration system as one of the region’s best. Only Estonia, Lithuania and Poland precede our country in that regard. Moreover, they are satisfied with the Hungarian infrastructure, local suppliers and payment discipline.
Because of the exchange rate swings, 73% of the German company leaders would support the introduction of the euro in Hungary. That is the highest rate since 2011. However, the Orbán cabinet made it clear multiple times that they would not like to introduce the common European currency in Hungary even though it has already introduced itself in some shops and cities.
German companies are one of the largest employers in Hungary
There are 2,437 German companies in Hungary, and German-owned enterprises dominate the country’s car manufacturing sector. Their annual investment is 2-3 billion euros, while their added value reaches 10 billion euros. 94% of the Hungarian car manufacturing sector is in foreign hands, and the rate of German companies is 59%.
German companies employ more than 220 thousand workers. That is 10% of the entire workforce active in Hungary’s private sector. In 2024, they plan an average 11% wage increase.
Read also:
- People have spoken: 2/3 of Hungarians would introduce the euro – Details in THIS article
- When will Hungary introduce the euro and what effect will it possibly have?
The world opens up with 141 destinations: new planes from this Hungarian international airport
New planes will carry passengers from Debrecen International Airport to Munich, based on a Hungarian news outlet. Munich is a five-star international airport with 141 destinations, including Transatlantic metropolises.
According to portfolio.hu, BMW Group signed the relevant contract with Lufthansa. Based on that, the German airline will increase capacities from the East Hungarian city with bigger Airbus planes on Mondays and Fridays. The first such plane landed on Friday.
More passengers between Munich and Debrecen
The Airbus A321neo aircraft commuting on the route can carry 215 passengers, Johannes Walter, the deputy president of the Lufthansa Group, announced. He arrived on board one of the new planes to Debrecen on Friday.
He expressed happiness that the new planes will carry hundreds of engineers and innovation managers between the Bavarian and Hungarian cities. Thus, the agreement signed is a long-term one.
Passengers can get from Munich to Debrecen in just 1.5 hours with the new planes. That route via Budapest would take 3-3.5 hours. Thus, we can say that a direct flight helps the operation of the BMW plant in Debrecen considerably.
The world opens up from Debrecen with new planes
Mr Walter hopes that tourists will also travel on the new planes. The five-star international airport from Munich will be reachable in just 1.5 hours, from where you can travel to any part of the world.
The deputy president of the German airline said their commitment is unchanged towards Hungary. For example, 141 destinations are reachable from Budapest with their flights.
Liv Eske Herrström, the financial director of BMW Manufacturing Hungary Ltd., called the capacity increase a milestone and praised the work of Lufthansa and the Debrecen International Airport. He express gratitude for the infrastructure developments at Debrecen Airport, making it possible to welcome bigger planes on its runways.
More developments announced at Debrecen Airport
He said they already had more than a thousand employees working in Debrecen preparing the new plant for its start next year. The employee number is constantly growing, he added.
László Papp, the mayor of Debrecen (Fidesz), said trust is the basis of their cooperation with BMW and Lufthansa. He said the developments would increase the competitiveness of their airport. Therefore, they plan to extend the passenger terminal and would like to build a new one with a new runway.
Here are the new planes:
Lufthansa carries passengers on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between Munich and Debrecen. On Mondays and Fridays, Airbus A321neo planes will serve the passengers with 215 seats.
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- First Wizz Air flight from Debrecen to Rome launches tomorrow – Read more HERE
- PHOTOS: Hungary’s newest luxurious Hilton hotel to open soon in Debrecen
Hungarian economy minister Nagy meets German counterpart in Berlin 🔄
Márton Nagy, Hungary’s national economy minister, has met with Robert Habeck, Germany’s minister of economic affairs and climate change, as well as with state secretaries Florian Toncar and Heiko Thoms.
The economy ministry said on Tuesday that the talks focused on the German economy’s prospects and competitiveness, as well as car-making with a focus on electric vehicles.
The statement quoted Nagy highlighting Germany as one of Hungary’s main economic partners. In 2023, he said
Germany was the country’s largest trading partner, accounting for 24 percent of Hungary’s foreign trade turnover.
German companies “are the most dominant investors” in Hungary, with their capital investments totaling 18.7 billion euros in 2022, equalling 18.6 percent of Hungary’s FDI portfolio, he added.
Nagy said that Hungary has a vested interest in a strong European and German economy, adding that the European economies must contend with the economic boom in the US and China.
He added that European competitiveness would be a central topic during the upcoming Hungarian EU presidency. He called for greater digitisation and more focused subsidies, adding that a new industrial strategy based on input from the various sectors was needed.
The minister said the Hungarian government had reacted in time to the spread of EVs, with 21 projects now linked to the sector. He said those projects, some of them completed and others in the construction phase, are worth a combined 16 billion euros. Fully 25 percent of Hungary’s exports are batteries and electric cars, he said, adding that “the future of Hungary lies in green energy”.
Nagy noted, however, that electro-mobility needed new momentum and called for an EU-level subsidy program. Increased focus should be paid to cutting red tape and improving the charging infrastructure, including the provision of individual chargers, the ministry said in its statement.
read also:
- Groundbreaking ceremony for defence giant Rheinmetall in Hungary – details and photos
- Fidesz: Brussels applies double standards to Hungary and Germany
Update
Later in the day, the minister met executives of German car makers BMW, Audi and Mercedes in Berlin, his ministry said in a statement. He held talks with BMW VP Glenn Schmidt, Audi Head of Government Affairs Brian Ramp and Mercedes-Benz Group board member Jorg Burzer, as well as with Hildegard Muller, who heads the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
The sides addressed the future of electric vehicle production, the impact of international trends on the automotive industry and potential challenges and opportunities posed by regulatory issues. They discussed the planned ban on internal combustion engines from 2035 and stressed that agreements on earlier EU regulation needed to be revisited.
They agreed that EVs were “the future of Europe” in which cooperation between Hungary and Germany’s automotive industry played an “important role”.
All three of Germany’s premium car makers already have or are building manufacturing capacity in Hungary, while four of the biggest Asian battery makers have picked Hungary for production bases.
The Hungarian government, as well as car makers and the German government, are opposed to punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs, the ministry said in a statement. Protectionism is not the solution; progress requires global competition, it added.
Hungarian minister had talks with top German company leaders
Márton Nagy, the national economy minister, and a delegation from his ministry is traveling to Germany for talks with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, Federal Ministry of Finance parliamentary state secretary Florian Toncar and senior managers from BMW, Mercedes and Audi, Hungary’s national economy ministry said on Sunday.
The purpose of the delegation is to further strengthen Hungarian-German economic relations and to increase the proportion of Hungarian domestic suppliers working with German firms.
The ministry noted in its statement that it is in the interest of Hungary to further improve the economic performance and competitiveness of Germany, as it is Hungary’s most important foreign market, and to strengthen economic relations.
One of the central topics of the discussions will be the future of the automotive industry, with particular regard to the large German car factories present in Hungary and the production of electric vehicles. Hungary aims to set up a uniform EU support program that will significantly increase the demand for electric cars.
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Mercedes plant expansion in Hungary progressing on schedule
The expansion of the Mercedes facilities in Kecskemét, in central Hungary, is progressing according to schedule, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Monday.
The 400 billion forint (EUR 1bn) investment will double the plant’s capacity, “adding to Hungary’s weight in shaping modern car manufacturing,” Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook.
Production at a chassis manufacturing and assembly plant is expected to start at the end of 2025, creating new jobs in the process, Szijjártó said.
He also said Joerg Burzer, the board member in charge of the Production, Quality, and Supply Chain Management Division, had praised the Hungarian workforce and the operational environment.
As we wrote earlier, for the first time in Hungary, about a hundred different classic Mercedes cars from the past 60 years will be displayed together in Szeged in April, details HERE.
As we wrote today, over 2 million euro expansion of Autoflex-Knott handed over, details HERE.
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Fidesz: Brussels applies double standards to Hungary and Germany
András Gyürk, an MEP of ruling Fidesz, said on Friday that a response he received from an EP official to his inquiry concerning a tax imposed by Germany on exports of natural gas to other countries has revealed the “double standards applied by Brussels” on the matter.
Fidesz MEP: this is double standards
Gyürk said in a statement that in the response he received from the EC’s energy commissioner, Kadri Simson had acknowledged that the tax could make gas exports of the four Visegrad countries including Hungary and Austria more expensive, the EC had however failed to take any action, such as launching an infringement procedure.
This case reveals the double standards applied by Brussels, Gyürk said. Hungary has faced continued attacks ever since it introduced utility price cuts while Brussels has failed to take action against other countries that jeopardise with their measures the energy security of the [central European] region, said Gyürk.
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Groundbreaking ceremony for defence giant Rheinmetall in Hungary – photos
“We are working to win the future for Hungary,” the defence minister said at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new Rheinmetall plant near Szeged, in southern Hungary, on Tuesday.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in his address that although the German company “is known as a defence investor, and the project is linked to the defence industry, it goes beyond it.”
He added that the new plant, creating 300 jobs, will produce equipment for electric and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.
The minister also said the project would dominate Europe’s research and development sector, adding that he was proud the company had chosen Szeged for the investment.
In cooperation with Szeged University, Rheinmetall will build “an ecosystem and knowledge base offering unique opportunities for many Hungarian and foreign youths,” he said.
“Hungarians doesn’t need to go elsewhere as the world is coming here,” the minister added.
As we wrote earlier, Hungarian and Turkish defence companies are establishing a joint venture to develop the Hungarian assembly and production of Turkish Gidran armoured fighting vehicles in western Hungary, details HERE.
- also read: First Leopard 2A7, Leguan 2HU tanks inaugurated at Tata base – VIDEO
Hungarian stand at Leipzig Book Fair 2024: German editions of recent titles to be showcased
Hungary will present the German edition of titles published over the past years and four programmes at its own stand at the prestigious Leipzig Book Fair running between 21-24 March, the Petőfi Cultural Agency (PKU) said on Wednesday.
Leipzig Book Fair 21-24 March
On Thursday morning, a discussion will be hosted by PKU on Vojvodina Hungarian writer László Végel’s 2015 novel Balkan Beauty at the stand, the agency said in a statement. The event will be moderated by Annamarie Turk of Wieser Verlag, the book’s German publisher, with Christina Kunze, the its translator, acting as interpreter, the agency said.
Hungarian stand
The Hungarian stand’s programme will continue in the afternoon with the presentation of the anthology Die Ruckeroberung des Reservats by Panni Puskás and Norbert Vass published in partnership Klak Verlag and Collegium Hungaricum in Berlin. At the event, Regina Gisbertz will recite parts from the title in the presence of the two Hungarian authors. Later in the afternoon, Zoltán Lesi’s anthology on Hungarian emigration entitled An unseren Grenzen haben wir Angst will be presented.
On Friday evening, a round-table discussion will be held with poets Kinga Tóth and Franziska Dehkordy, the agency said.
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Michelin’s Hungarian factory enters from the Age of Steam to the Electrical Age
A major development has been introduced at the Michelin plant in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. The sports car tire factory is modernizing its curing equipment by replacing the existing steam presses with electric ones, and thereby reducing its energy consumption.
Curing (or vulcanization) is the final stage in the tire manufacturing process, during which the tires are getting their final geometric form. The chemical reaction that creates cross-linkages between the polymer chains of the rubber compound takes place in curing presses holding the tire molds, under the influence of heat.
Michelin developed its first electric curing press in Germany in the early 2010s. This technology is considered unique as it is not typically used by other suppliers in the production of tires for passenger cars. In Germany, this first electric curing press was equipped with Siemens technology, and Michelin is implementing this control technology as company standard for all its factories for the installation of new presses.
Pilot project precedes the Hungarian development
Michelin installed the prototype of the electric curing press in Nyíregyháza in 2021, and in the following year, 6 new electric presses were commissioned in addition to the first one. Based on the positive experiences, the replacement of all 40 presses in the plant has begun in 2023, and all curing presses are scheduled to become electric by the end of 2024.
By replacing steam presses with electric production technology, the Nyíregyháza factory is expected to increase its energy efficiency by 7 times and move closer to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by reducing its environmental footprint and CO2 emissions.
The Nyíregyháza plant is the first Michelin tire factory to use Siemens PLCs to control not only the electric curing presses but also the robot that operates them. In addition to that, Siemens Zrt. provides spare parts for the machines and training for Michelin’s local engineers. This cooperation is not new: production at the Hungarian tire factory has been supported by Siemens drive technology solutions, frequency converters and electric motors for quite some time.
Making tires for super sports cars
The Nyíregyháza plant started its operations in 1962, and the Michelin Group acquired – as it was called at that time – the Taurus company in 1996. Today, the factory, which employs more than 1,000 people, manufactures high-performance tires for sports and super sports vehicles. Its customers include Porsche, Land Rover, the AMG Group and Ferrari. The tire factory is the largest company in Hungary’s Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, and has cooperated with more than 1,700 local suppliers in the last five years.
With a portfolio of more than 10,000 active patents worldwide, Michelin is a leader in research and development. The company’s goal is to have its tires 100 percent meet their sustainability requirements by 2050, meaning that they should be made entirely from renewable, recycled, bio-based, or otherwise sourced, sustainable materials.
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PHOTOS: Breathtaking hotel awarded title of Hungary’s Leading Luxury Hotel 2024
The 31st World Travel Awards ceremony was held in Berlin on 6 March, where the world’s best hotels were honoured. The prestigious event recognised the most outstanding travel organisations, airlines, hotels and other tourism players.
The World Travel Awards
The World Travel Awards were founded in 1993 to recognise and reward key players in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. This year’s winners were selected by online votes from international tourists, hotel guests and industry experts, with awards in a wide range of categories, turizmusonline.hu reports.
Hungary’s Leading Luxury Hotel 2024
During the evening,
the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest was awarded the title of “Hungary’s Leading Luxury Hotel 2024”.
The hotel is a member of the Hyatt hotel chain. The Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest has 110 individually designed rooms, including 18 suites and 2 presidential suites. The building also houses a restaurant and café serving classic Hungarian dishes and iconic desserts, Budapest’s only champagne bar and an exclusive spa.
With its unique interiors and last-century atmosphere, it is the perfect destination for a few days or even a longer trip, turizmusonline.hu writes.
The Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest
Andrea Schwindt-Kiss, Hotel Manager of the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest since 2019, said the following in response to the recent recognition:
I’m truly delighted that our hotel and our services were so highly appreciated by the voters, as this is the reason why we were voted the best luxury hotel in Hungary. I believe that luxury is not only in the qualities of the location, but also in the attention to detail. We offer the highest standards in every area, whether it’s the comfort of our rooms, the service of our hotels or the expertise of our staff.
Hungary’s leading boutique hotel
As we reported earlier, the 5th district’s iconic Aria Hotel Budapest was chosen again as Hungary’s leading boutique hotel in an online voting of the World Travel Awards. The Wall Street Journal regularly mentions the award as the ‘Touristic Oscars’.
According to a statement they released, Aria Hotel Budapest is part of the New York-based Library Hotel Collection group. They won the prestigious prize of Hungary’s leading boutique hotel for the second time consecutively on the online voting of the World Travel Awards. The hotel’s unique service includes a special musical theme. The four wings of the building are dedicated to jazz, opera, classical and pop music.
“As a boutique hotel, Aria Hotel Budapest is able to pay great attention to each guest, offering individual rooms and personalised service. Our job is to make our guests feel that they are our priority and remember how it felt to be treated with care and sincere kindness by our staff. The award is a positive confirmation for us in this work,” said Máté Tolnai Tolnai, hotel manager, in a statement.
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More Lufthansa flights cancelled between Budapest and Germany, strike on Tuesday and Wednesday
The German airline’s flight attendants have called for a strike in Frankfurt on 12 March and in Munich on 13 March, with Lufthansa cancelling flights between Frankfurt and Budapest on Tuesday, and between Munich and Budapest on Wednesday.
The union’s call for strike action has forced the airline to cancel flights and change its timetable on both days.
According to Budapest Airport‘s flight information page, Lufthansa has cancelled all flights between Frankfurt and Budapest on Tuesday and will not operate flights to Munich on Wednesday.
As we wrote today, the train drivers’ union is also on strike on 12 March, with train services across Germany completely stopped, so the German airline is suggesting that passengers who choose to use the rail vouchers offered as an alternative should do so on Wednesday 13 March. Details – Delays expected: German rail strike to affect trains running via Hungary
Lufthansa on strike
The UFO union, which represents 19,000 Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cityline flight attendants, is calling its members out on strike over the inconclusive outcome of the labour dispute over inflation-related pay rises and bonuses.
As we have reported on several occasions, the German airline’s traffic was also disrupted by large-scale industrial action in February, with employees striking on 7 and 8 February and from 19 to 21 February. Last week, from 8 PM on Wednesday 6 March until 7.10 AM on Saturday 9 March, technical, logistics and ground handling workers represented by the Verdi union did not start work.
The Lufthansa Group last week published its financial results for last year, showing that all its airlines ended the year in profit, with a total of 123 million passengers carried in 2023, revenue up 14.6% to EUR 35.4 billion and profit after tax up to EUR 1.67 billion, almost double the previous year.
The Lufthansa official page said the rebooking of the affected passengers is currently in progress, and they will be informed by email or via the Lufthansa app.
Delays expected: German rail strike to affect trains running via Hungary
Traffic information service Mavinform, citing German railway company Deutsche Bahn, said on the MÁV Group’s website on Monday that travelers should expect longer travel times in the case of several international train services running through Hungary due to a rail strike by German train drivers.
The strike from Tuesday 2am until Wednesday 2am will affect the Budapest-Stuttgart-Budapest, Budapest-Vienna-Salzburg-Munich-Budapest, Budapest-Berlin-Budapest and Budapest-Hamburg-Budapest services, Mavinform said.
Tickets purchased by March 11 for train services running to, from or via Germany on March 12 can be refunded free of charge.
As we wrote earlier, there are more trains to commute between Budapest and Vienna; details HERE.
German rail disruptions expected due to strike, Hungarian trains affected
Several international trains departing from or arriving in Hungary are expected to have longer running times from Wednesday to Friday due to the planned walkout on German railways, the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) said on its Mávinform website.
Mávinform reported that a walkout will be held on German rail from 2 AM on Thursday until 1 PM on Friday. This is expected to cause significant disruption and longer journey times.
Trains affected
The strike will affect the Kálmán Imre EuroNight with direct trains to Stuttgart, the Railjet xpress to Munich, the Metropol EuroNight with direct trains to Berlin and the Hungária EuroCity trains to Hamburg.
The German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) advises passengers to postpone their journey if possible or to choose an alternative travel option. Travellers heading for Germany should consult the DB and MÁV information platforms and customer services.
Tickets and reservations purchased by 4 March for Thursday or Friday (7 and 8 March) for travel to, from or via Germany can be returned free of charge or used until 15 March. Tickets can be validated for other dates at international ticket offices.
Tickets purchased online can be redeemed in the mobile app and by emailing es********@ma*******.hu.
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Strike: Lufthansa flights cancelled, Budapest affected – UPDATED🔄
Due to a walkout by Lufthansa ground handling staff in Germany, the airline has cancelled a number of flights in the coming days.
Please read the updated information about the cancelled Budapest flights below.
Lufthansa ground staff will hold a warning strike from Thursday, which will also lead to flight cancellations. The union has been unable to reach an agreement with the airline since February, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) reported.
Budapest Airport asks passengers to check the current status of their flight before departure on the airline’s website or on bud.hu.
Passengers whose tickets are affected by cancellations should contact the airline for more information on their options, Budapest Airport said on its Facebook page.
The walkout of Lufthansa ground staff
The walkout announced by the Verdi union on Monday will start at 4 AM on Thursday and end at 7.10 AM on Saturday.
UPDATE🔄
According to Budapest Airport’s flight information system, no flight cancellations are expected on Wednesday due to the walkout. However, on Thursday, the airline cancelled all but one flight from Frankfurt and Munich to Budapest, AIRportal.hu reports.
According to current information, only LH 1344 from Frankfurt at 17:40 and LH 1345 returning at 18:25 will operate on Thursday.
Affected passengers were notified by email or via the mobile app, which offered free rebooking and vouchers redeemable for train tickets on domestic flights. Passengers on cancelled flights are asked not to go to airports.
Verdi has also called for a new strike on Thursday at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports involving workers carrying out security checks on passengers and luggage.
Demands
Around 25,000 ground staff are demanding an increase of EUR 2.8 per hour, in addition to higher overtime rates.
To back up their demands, Verdi has already held two recent warning strikes, which we have reported on. First on 7 and 8 February, which resulted in only 10-20% of the German airline’s flights being operated. On 20 February, Lufthansa cancelled all its flights between Frankfurt and Munich, and the Hungarian capital.
The union will hold further talks with management on its demands between 13 and 14 March.
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Hungarian dual nationals illegally receive social benefits in Germany as Ukrainian refugees
Several persons with dual Hungarian-Ukrainian citizenship have applied for protection and social benefits as Ukrainian refugees in Germany. According to newspaper reports, some of them do not speak Ukrainian at all. Germany also offers Ukrainian refugees an exceptional procedure and a social benefit called Bürgergeld. However, EU citizens, including dual nationals, are not eligible for these benefits.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has investigated thousands of cases in which people with Ukrainian passports may have received social benefits in Germany without authorisation, German newspaper Der Spiegel reports.
Social benefits without authorisation in Germany
The investigation is based on reports from the provincial immigration offices. These show that people with recently issued Ukrainian passports, who only speak Hungarian and may have dual citizenship, have applied for social benefits as Ukrainian refugees, raising questions about their origin.
In response to an inquiry by rtl.hu, BAMF spokesperson Christoph Sander confirmed that a procedure has been launched to clarify the doubts about the citizenship of the Ukrainian-Hungarian applicants for temporary protection.
In the framework of this procedure, a total of 5,609 suspicious cases have been reported from the provinces until 19 February this year.
Ukrainians are receiving temporary protection and social benefits because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. They do not have to go through asylum procedures and are entitled to a citizenship grant under German social welfare law, known as Bürgergeld, which is available to people on low incomes. Last year, this amounted to EUR 502 for a single person. Hungarian dual nationals, being EU citizens, do not receive these benefits directly.
Only people with Ukrainian-Hungarian ties are concerned
A special procedure to clarify doubts about the nationality of applicants for temporary protection is currently only carried out for persons with Ukrainian-Hungarian ties,
Christoph Sander told rtl.hu. BAMF coordinates the citizenship checks by liaising with the Ukrainian and Hungarian authorities. According to their spokesperson, 1,258 people have been verified as Ukrainian citizens and 208 people have been found to have Hungarian citizenship. This is important because if you are also a Hungarian national, you cannot get a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection, as this benefit does not apply to EU nationals.
The results of the checks will be passed on to the provincial authorities, who will decide how to deal with these cases and whether there will be any consequences in terms of residence permits.
The authorities in Baden-Württemberg had previously discovered that many of the people concerned had obtained their passports in Berehove (Beregszász), Transcarpathia, a settlement with a significant Hungarian population.
The German Merkur quoted reports in the Schwäbische Zeitung confirming that in Baden-Württemberg, Hungarians and Romanians, mostly from Transcarpathia, have been found to be dual citizens and do not speak Ukrainian. Merkur points out that it is not yet possible to know exactly how many of the suspected cases of fraud will be confirmed.
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Hungarian vizsla is so popular that criminals started to steal and breed it in Western Europe
Hungarian vizsla has become so popular in Western Europe that criminals began to steal dogs, even from shelters. The price of a purebred puppy is EUR 2,000. Thus, it is not surprising that somebody stole three puppies from the dog shelter of Heilbad Heiligenstadt in Türingia, Germany. The puppies were found near a road, where probably smugglers left them afraid of police control.
According to Blikk, the criminals took only the three Hungarian vizsla puppies (a male and two females) from the dog shelter even though more than 100 dogs were there. Police issued a warrant to catch the perpetrators.
Attila Szabó, an animal rights activist, said demand is vast for Hungarian vizsla dogs in Western Europe. Therefore, illegal breeders switched to breed this species. Fighting against them is shadowboxing because if people keep buying illegally bred vizsla dogs, there will always be a supply. Illegal breeders do not care for the troublesome consequences of their deeds: harming the reputation of the Hungarian vizsla, the species’ gene pool, and the honour of the legal breeders.
A well-trained Hungarian vizsla costs more than EUR 20,000
The heyday of the Hungarian and Romanian illegal breeders is Christmas and Easter. On the market of the Italian Tarvisio, they regularly appear with Hungarian vizsla puppies even though the dogs do not have a chip or a register.
On the illegal dog market of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, Hungarian vizsla is also on the top. Legalising the business is easy; the illegal breeders say they found the puppies. As a result, the dogs can acquire a chip, a passport and even a register, provided they are at least 90% purebred.
A purebred puppy costs EUR 2,000 currently in Western Europe, and the price is only expected to increase. On the black market, you can acquire a puppy for only 1/5th of that sum, but you will not get a register.
The Hungarian vizsla is a hunting dog. However, if you acquire it illegally, you cannot send it to official trainings or exams. Andrea Varga, a Hungarian vizsla trainer, said a trained vizsla can cost even EUR 20,000. Their nose is excellent, and they are the most reliable dogs a hunter can wish for, so demand is huge for them among professional hunters.
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