INTERVIEW

Orbán: Hungary will change if government ‘gives in to Brussels’

Budapest, September 27 (MTI) – If the Hungarian government gives in to Brussels and its plan to “force uncontrolled migration onto Hungarians”, the country will change, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday.

“We will not allow them to take away our right… to decide whom we want to live together with and whom we don’t want to live with in Hungary,” the prime minister said in an interview with public news channel M1.

Regarding the EU’s proposed migrant redistribution scheme, Orbán said Hungary’s problem was not with migrants themselves but rather with Brussels, arguing that the European Commission “wants to settle people in our country whom we do not want to live together with.”

Orbán said that while the left considers the matter of migrant redistribution an ideological one, the government considers it a national security issue.

He said migrants can only be helped if “we take the help to where they are now instead of letting the problem into Europe.” Orbán said the Hungarian government spends a large amount of money on aiding migrants’ countries of origin.

“If we want to help everyone by acknowledging that they have a universal right to a better life and taking them in . then we will ruin Europe and by default Hungary, too,” he said.

Orbán noted that Hungary had implemented a migration policy focusing on self-defence. But he said Brussels was “applying double standards”, arguing that while the EU had criticised Hungary for installing a border fence to keep migrants out, Greece is never criticised or urged to act on managing the migrant inflow.

Orbán said that the problem of migration would not keep recurring in Europe if Greece fulfilled its international commitments and protected its borders. But it is either unable or unwilling to do this and has thus made Hungary a periphery Schengen country of the EU. “We have become a line of defence against our will,” he said.

“The braver politicians in Germany and Austria” admit that what Hungary is doing also benefits their countries, he said.

Orbán said that if Greece is unable or unwilling to protect its own borders, then the EU should build “a European line of defence” along Greece’s border with Macedonia and Bulgaria. If the EU fails to do so, then the line of defence will ultimately shift northward, making Hungary a frontline country again, he insisted.

“But my counterparts don’t support this [proposal] because they think that if there is trouble then Hungarians will again fulfil their duties laid out in the Schengen Agreement and protect not just their own country but Austria and Germany as well,” Orbán said.

The prime minister also commented on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent admission that she wished she could turn back time to better prepare her country for the migrant crisis. Orbán said there were certain political decisions that could be rectified such as a bad budget or bad policy programmes. But there are some mistakes that cannot be corrected, he added. “This is when they say in the west that they wish they could turn back the wheel of time. Which is a great idea but unfortunately it is impossible.” He said the one thing politicians can do after making bad decisions is to heed the advice that they should not make such mistakes again. Applying that to the situation today, it would be a mistake to approve European legislation that would allow Brussels to resettle migrants in EU member states, he said.

Orbán said western secret services and national security experts had warned policymakers just in time of the risks that uncontrolled immigration carried. Evidence gathered by Hungarian security experts has also revealed that the people responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks in western Europe had arrived on the continent by hiding among groups of migrants that had also passed through Hungary, Orbán added. “We could have saved a lot of European citizens if the EU had supported the border fence from the get-go,” he said.

Orbán said the migration pressure Europe is experiencing now is just the beginning of a mass migration wave. He said the migration pressure will increase once the millions of people waiting to emigrate from the central regions of Africa set off for Europe.

Regarding the proposal to set up a joint European army, the prime minister said genuine refugees and economic migrants should both be stopped outside the EU’s territory. There it should be determined who is eligible for filing an asylum request and only those who request and gain asylum status should be allowed to enter Europe, he said. He said such an area set up for the registration of migrants should also be protected by military forces.

Photos: MTI

September 27, 2016

Referendum – Orbán: Migration ‘ruining Europe’

Budapest, September 27 (MTI) – It is impossible to imagine the integration of Muslims in Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to the website of the Hungarian Reformed Church.

“It is better if everyone stays under their own fig tree,” Orbán said in the interview published on Tuesday. “The best we can hope for is peaceful coexistence, but this is called a parallel society.”

Parallel societies are associated with parallel legal systems, he said, adding that Arab families live in traditional Christian law-governed states and abide by the same laws “on the surface” but in fact live “within the hidden culture and legal systems of their countries of origin”.

Orbán added that he understood if these people preferred to trust in their own faith, and they have the right to do so. But then “they shouldn’t come over here,” he said.

He said Europe’s culture and economic system was under threat from migration, and he slammed the point of view of global leaders who think people should be free to go wherever they please in order to obtain a better standard of living.

“If we don’t chain them down to an object that is hard to remove, they will soon set off to a place where they hope for a better life,” he said.

Photo: MTI

September 27, 2016

Balog: Hungary against migration, not migrants themselves

Berlin, September 26 (MTI) – Hungary is not against migrants as individuals but rather against the global phenomenon of migration as a whole, Human Resources Minister Zoltán Balog told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview on Monday.

Balog said the problem of migration cannot be resolved the way the European Union and some other countries want it done. Hungary will continue to address the problems that trigger migration at the source, he said.

The minister said he had always pointed out that migrants are victims and that national security decisions should be made rationally and not based on hate.

He said the social integration of Hungary’s Roma community is a big enough task for the country that it would have a hard time dealing with the integration of migrants at the same time. The Roma integration strategy Hungary had put together in 2011 was applauded throughout Europe, he said, adding that it would “not be good” if Hungary had to suspend its Roma integration strategy.

Answering a question, Balog said he was not trying to “play” Romas and migrants against each other, stressing that Hungary’s resources for socially integrating different communities were limited.

He said the European Commission had already recommended to Hungary that it should spend part of its EU funds for Roma inclusion on the integration of migrants, but without offering any additional funding for this.

The minister said the challenges countries like France and Germany had faced with the integration of their immigrants have prompted Hungary to “choose a different path”. Although German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded a few years ago that multiculturalism cannot work, Germany has become a multicultural society, Balog said. Hungary has had 13 nationalities living together for centuries, and they were successfully integrated, he said, adding that the country has so far achieved both positive and negative results in the process of integrating its Roma community.

Photo: MTI

September 26, 2016

INTERVIEW – Orbán: Europe at decisive turn, humanity entering a new era

Budapest (MTI) – Europe is going through a decisive turn and humanity is entering a new era involving slower and more difficult processes instead of the turning points of the past, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with the Magyar Kurír Catholic news portal late on Saturday.

Economic tasks include maintaining competitiveness. The main question in professional preparedness is how an old type of approach could be replaced by contemporary knowledge based digital technology. Regarding social trends, he said it is necessary to tackle the issue of “whether we can reverse the demographic decline” or not.

Additional questions Orbán raised include whether religious communities can be saved or “individualism will spread everywhere” and what effects artificial intelligence experiments would have.

“These questions will be decided within our lives,” Orbán said.

Hungary has a political culture that allows open and sincere dialogue about every important issue. “Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore in some parts of Europe,” he added.

In response to a question about the deputy state secretary’s office set up in the Human Resources Ministry, he said Hungary will break with the former approach according to which any document prepared in Europe should only include ideologically neutral statements about people persecuted for their religion.

“Hungary is a Christian country so we must primarily help those that stand closest to us, and they are the Christians,” he said. “Our government is Christian-inspired and this results in certain government obligations,” he added.

He desribed the current situation in Europe as mass migration which involves more than refugees trying to leave crisis-stricken areas. The largest number of migrants flowing into western Europe are not from Syria but from Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the future, the largest problems will probably be caused by people from the inner parts of Africa, he said. This means that problems will not cease even if there is peace in Syria.

“I have responsibility to those that stand closest to me: my family, my friends, my community in faith and my nation,” he said. “There also exist circles of responsibility beyond that, and if I have the opportunity, I should help them, too, but not like the Pharisees,” he added. One-off, large aid schemes are not sufficient and “inviting masses of ill-fated people to our countries” would be impratical and even damaging, Orbán said.

Photo: MTI

September 26, 2016

INTERVIEW – Orbán: Central European leaders will protect their countries

Budapest (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, commenting on the recent meeting of European heads of state and government in Vienna on the subject of migration, said in an interview that central European leaders had formed an alliance to defend their countries and preserve their ways of life. In an interview to public radio on Sunday, Orbán said central European leaders were determined not to fall into the trap of “quite a few other European countries, who may not even recognise themselves in a few years’ time”.

At the same time, he noted progress on the issue of migration. The so-called western Balkan route is now better defended thanks to Europe’s agreement with Turkey and more resolute action by western Balkan countries. He also mentioned Hungary’s “perseverance” on the matter.

But there are still challenges ahead such as the anticipated return of “an influx of migrants” from the Italian route to the western Balkan route in the autumn, he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister insisted that western Europeans were now speaking their minds on the issue of migration, and it was increasingly difficult for political leaders to ignore them.

“Europeans have raised their voices and many now dare to speak up”, Orbán said.

“After forty years of Communism, we were used to the idea that free speech is only possible to the west of us,” he said, adding that people in the west had got used to trusting their leaders to resolve problems “even if their decisions seemed odd.”

“People are now saying there is trouble and the solutions are no good. The trouble is just growing and it has reached people’s personal lives because public security has deteriorated,” he added.

Western Europeans are now realising that they can dare speak their minds and politicians cannot afford to neglect them, Orban said.

“The elite cannot keep their eyes and ears shut on a matter of basic importance,” he said. “When leaders handle their democratic powers badly, the people tend to take them back,” he added.

Orbán said Europeans were finding it hard to come to terms with Europe’s economic and demographic decline and “disturbances in cohabitation” with migrants.

He insisted that Hungarians, “being central Europeans with vigilant instincts”, had seen trouble ahead, but western Europe had ignored them. “Now it is clear that we were right,” he added.

Orbán said that those who had attacked Hungary in the past year were actually afraid of a “Hungarian way of thinking”. But this way of thinking has been vindicated, he said.

The Hungarian government dared to express its views and “an increasing number of people now realise that they share these views”, he added.

Commenting on the Oct 2 referendum on EU migrant quotas, he said its historic importance was comparable to the popular vote on dual citizenship. He called on Hungarians to vote ‘no’ if they agree that it is “our elected parliament, government and state authority” that decides “with whom we choose to live”.

He said the outcome of the referendum would have legal consequences and would become a part of Hungarian law.

“This will be one of the most important laws .. after the referendum,” he added.

Photo: MTI

September 26, 2016

Interview – Orbán hopes referendum ensures “strong sword” against Brussels

Budapest, September 22 (MTI) – Hungary’s upcoming quota referendum will determine “how strong a sword voters can forge” to use in their fight against “Brussels bureaucrats”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to news portal Origo on Thursday.

In his interview, Orbán said should the European Union “force upon us” mandatory migrant quotas, “it would impact each Hungarian municipality”. “Unless we reject the forced quotas, a resettled migrant family might suddenly turn up next door,” he argued.

Orbán said the October 2 referendum is crucial for Hungary’s future, and added that “all voters are needed”. “A single person disinterested in their homeland’s future is a disappointment. I would only be satisfied if a full 100 percent of voters turned up,” the prime minister said.

Concerning migrants, Orbán said that all illegal entrants should be rounded up and placed in camps set up outside the EU, with financial assistance from the community.

“Migrants could then submit their applications, and if they find a recipient country, they could come,” he said.

The EU’s external borders must be protected or else “the problem will reoccur”, Orbán said. Borders should “not be eliminated but used” because they ensure protection, he argued. “I would not like to see… Hungary change its culture. I love this country as it is and would not want anyone to change it on instructions from the outside,” the prime minister insisted. “We will have a referendum so that Hungarians can indicate if they want change under a utopia or if they prefer staying Hungarian as they have through the centuries,” he added.

Concerning the future of the EU, Orbán said that earlier links between member states, such as the euro zone, are “no longer sufficient”. New links are needed, such as a common military, he said, but added that he would not like “some kind of United States of Europe” to emerge.

In his interview, Orbán dismissed allegations that the referendum could pave the way for early elections. Early elections are usually triggered by a “clear, obvious cause”, he said, but added that it was not the case in Hungary, because the country is “going in the right direction”.

On the subject of the presidential election in the US, Orbán said Europe was interested in an American administration which “does not seek to export democracy or destabilise regions, and which promotes the sovereignty of nations in terms of migration”. “That is what Mr Trump talks about, while Ms Clinton talks about maintaining what Europe has been suffering from,” Orbán said.

Referring to parliament recently lifting the immunity of a Fidesz MP on suspicion of graft, Orbán said that Roland Mengyi must provide “clear and straightforward” answers to the authorities concerning the charges. He added it was “reassuring” that “not a single forint” from the central budget had been used illegally.

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Photo: MTI

September 22, 2016

Hungary’s first gendarme exhibition: Interview with the curator

In August, Hungary’ first permanent gendarme exhibition opened in Ópusztaszer. The display entitled “Rooster feathered past” was curated by historian Gábor Vincze, who gave an interview to alfahir.hu about the creation of the exhibition, the gendarmerie’s past, and the prejudices that overshadow its memory.

How did the gendarme exhibition come about?

Gábor Vincze: The story spans some six decades. The Hungarian Royal Gendarme Veterans’ Association (MKCsBK) was founded in 1949 by sergeant major Jegenyés Pál, and it aimed to unite those 1500 gendarmes who escaped to the West at the end of the war. The gendarmes, pursued by the Russians, tried to take as many personal items as they could: besides their uniform they took their decorations, documents, photographs, etc. From these items a gendarme exhibition was put on display in Toronto. In the ‘90s, this considerable collection was taken back to Hungary – and it has waited in storage in the Museum of Military History ever since.

The Hungarian Royal Gendarmerie was created in 1881. The gendarmerie was a militarily organized corps entrusted with guaranteeing public safety in the rural parts of Hungary, which at the time accounted for 90% of the country. (wikipedia.org)

Is everything original at the exhibition?

Gábor Vincze: No, but that was not our intention either. It would not have been possible to do it since there are no original pieces of furniture left. What [the visitors] can see here are authentic replicas. The great advantage of these is that visitors can sit down at the desk, look through the documents, or even try on a uniform. We couldn’t allow this with the original items.

What was the everyday life of a gendarme like?

Gábor Vincze: For the most part, gendarmes walked. Their most important job was patrolling the area. There were mounted gendarmes but most of them were on foot – although most of them already had a bicycle in the ‘30s. Not only was their route strictly assigned, they also had to arrive at certain places at a specific time. They never knew when they would be inspected, so they had to follow their schedule very closely. In snow, in pouring rain, in the blazing sun they did their rounds every day. It was hard work. The image of the gendarme as a person who sat around with locals, eating and drinking, often appears in literature, but the reality was very different.

The most distinctive feature of the gendarme, whose uniform was nearly identical to that of army soldier, was a large rooster feather plume affixed to the left side of a black bowler hat. (csendor.com)

When it comes to today’s police, corruption is often mentioned. What was this like with the gendarmes?

Gábor Vincze: Corruption was minimal, basically non-existent, for a very simple reason: gendarmes could not serve in their hometown. For instance, if a lad from Ópusztaszer applied to be a gendarme, after passing his exams, he was stationed in the other side of the country, in Zemplén or Zala county. There, he didn’t have any acquaintances or relatives towards whom he could be biased. To prevent such connections, gendarmes’ stations were often changed.

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The gendarmerie is a controversial topic even today. Many consider them the tools of the Horthy era who oppressed the public. How much of this is true?

Gábor Vincze: This false opinion originates from the fact that, besides maintaining public order and public safety, gendarmes has another role: overseeing political events. They could be ordered to watch over political meetings or other gatherings, or to disperse unauthorized gatherings. If the crowds did not cooperate, gendarmes could resort to violence, which lead to fatal injuries on a few occasions. As for oppressing the public, it is undeniable that there were dishonest or violent members in the gendarmerie, but their numbers weren’t higher than in today’s law enforcement. It was not in the organisation’s interest to turn the local population against themselves through unnecessary violence, since their effectiveness in uncovering criminal activities depended on people’s trust and their willingness to share information. It took a stupid gendarme to ruin these good relations with aggressive behaviour.

What became of the gendarmes after the Second World War?

Gábor Vincze: As I have mentioned, a part of them, about 1500 people, fled the country. Those who stayed had to stand before special screening committees. The “unbiased” nature of these committees is reflected in the data, according to which 98% of gendarmes were not accepted into the then established State Police. The remaining 2% were discharged in a few years as well. Many gendarmes were prosecuted, and a few were executed too. The communist rule considered the former gendarmes reactionary, most of them were under observation and often harassed even decades later.

All in all, were the six decades of the Hungarian Royal Gendarmerie a success or a failure?

Gábor Vincze: Their investigations were incredibly effective. 85-90% of criminal acts were discovered. Due to the constant patrols, gendarmes knew their place of duty and the local population very well. If there was a burglary, or someone stole a horse, the gendarmes almost always knew immediately where to look for the culprit. Another important aspect was the high level of professionalism. Most of the gendarmes were from poor peasant families who completed only a few years of elementary education, but they were continuously trained. They had to have an understanding of contemporary forensic science and law. They needed efficiency to advance. If it took months, or even years for a station to uncover a crime, the commander could hardly expect a promotion. This method could be applied to today’s police as well.

Photos: alfahir.hu

Copy editor: bm

September 19, 2016

An online brand thrills Hungarian young adults

Hundreds of thousands of Hungarian teenagers enthuse over the High School (Középsuli) online series and its stars, several videos have been viewed over a million times. We talked with Robertina Kovács, the managing director of Középsuli.hu and High School series.

How many people watch the High School series?

R.K.: There aren’t too many youngsters who don’t watch or haven’t heard about High School. Generally, one episode gets around half million views, but some episodes have been viewed over a million times.

What’s interesting is that foreigners also watch us, even in the USA.

But High School is not only a series, kozepsuli.hu is also a website, we have a daily High School TV, Instagram page, ask.fm page and a Facebook page, where all of the posts are liked by at least a thousand people.

What is the key of your success?

R.K.: Creativity, honesty and that we openly talk about different matters from homosexuality to money, from education to love, while using the language of young adults, because we realised that this generation is way different than what older people think about them. Many people think that teenagers read compulsory books, do their homework, play cool in parties, and do everything just like former generations did.

But this has changed as I understand.

R.K.: Less and less people read books as they can find the essentials online. Virtual reality is what defines their everyday lives. That is where they communicate as well. High School series stars and YouTubers are the stars, there are separate castes. We realised that society has split into two parts according to age. By forming a bridge between them, High School connects different generations.

Some people said that you achieved a revolution among teenagers. Do you agree with this statement?

R.K.: We brought about a great change with the website, the series and our community powers. Most of the stars are talented actor pupils. We have funny figures like Krisztosz, the P.E. teacher who talks shoutingly, teen stars such as Olivér, the rascal, Bende, the macho, Barbi, the girl from Tata or Rozi, the clumsy beauty. This is a very consciously built up brand. We received the silver Play button from YouTube’s American headquarters and we are kept count of as one of the most valuable brands on Instagram. We started bringing the same into effect in Slovakia and Romania, we are launching in Russia in September and the Roman Noi liceenii has already reached a hundred thousand views.

Photos: www.facebook.com/Középsuli.hu

Copy editor: bm

September 7, 2016

The African-Hungarian Union is 10 years old – Interview with Sándor Balogh

The African-Hungarian Union (AHU) was founded 10 years ago in Budapest. 10 years in the life of a non-profit organisation is a long time, and many do not manage to last a decade, either for lack of money, or what is worse, lack of enthusiasm. Yet the AHU seems more energetic than ever. Globoport.hu has asked AHU president Sándor Balogh about their secret.

balogh-sándor-african-hungarian-union — Photo: globoport.hu

Globoport: Hungary does not have a colonial past, there is no significant African community in the country, and when the AHU was founded, relations with Africa were at their lowest. What inspired you to start a non-profit organisation focusing on Africa?

Sándor Balogh: Particularly this lack of information, which is so characteristic of Hungarian society. Hungarians basically have two equally false ideas about Africa. One is that “there are wars going on there”, and “people are starving there”, so it is a bad place that’s not worth visiting. Quite often even those who visit the tourist resorts are regarded as though they were brave adventurers, even though they were welcomed by services of European quality and many friendly faces. The other, romanticised image originates from nature documentaries that make it seem like there are no people living on the whole continent, only cute animals. What was missing 10 years ago was the portrayal of the authentic, living, human side of Africa, a continent which is far from idyllic, has its own, often serious issues, but is not entirely defined by wars and famine, and where the majority of the population is working, living their lives, and always striving to get a bit further ahead.

G: After 10 years, are you satisfied? Has your goal been accomplished?

SB: We can never be satisfied, but many things have changed, partly due to the progression of the world. Today Africa is present in public discourse, even if not necessarily in a positive context, and more and more people feel like it’s worth talking about, since they feel like the events there can directly affect us, too. And we have done a lot to help people see past the stereotypes. An important milestone was the creation of the African Database, where practically all scientific materials regarding Africa are freely available for those interested. And we have found that people are indeed downloading and reading these works. We appear in the media, partly on our own platforms, partly in big national newspapers, on television, and to mention another milestone, we also have launched our own courses with the help of the best experts on African studies. It is a recognition of our work that less than a month ago an Africa-group has been formed at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

G: Still, nowadays most of the news about Africa focus on the refugee crisis. Your organisation is in a peculiar situation: you’re representing Africa, but you’re speaking from a Hungarian point of view. Do you sense contradiction, tension regarding this issue?

SB: Not at all. I do not think Hungary’s and Africa’s interests differ in this question. The refugee crisis made it all the more topical what we have been talking about for a decade. There is huge potential in Africa, in every respect. If developments can begin, if African economies can get a boost, that is going to positively affect the whole world, since huge new market will appears where even those goods and services will be needed which are in an abundance in the developed world. At the same time, if we abandon Africa, if things take a turn for the worse, either because of climate change, or ethnic and religion conflicts, then this huge potential can become a huge destabilising force. Of course, the progression of the world will not be defined by non-profit organisations like us, but Hungary, as a developed country – as strange as that sounds, Hungary is a developed country –, and as a member of the European Union can in fact do much good to help Africa on the right path, so those living there will feel like it is worth staying, it is worth developing their homeland, the land of their ancestors, because it will produce results. And we are really glad that what we are saying is being listened to on many levels, since the government’s policy of opening to the south is exactly about establishing stronger ties with regions outside Europe which will benefit both parties.

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G: I’m guessing this involves changing your own strategy as well. What is the next step for the African-Hungarian Union?

SB: After spreading general information, we would like to focus on specific fields. After 10 years of work, we know our strengths. One of the fields we will concentrate on is health care. We’ve been looking for a place where a permanent base can be established for Hungarian health care professionals who want to educate themselves on tropical diseases, gain experience working in the field, and who are, of course, motivated to help others. As it stands, we seem to have found the right place in Uganda, where a medical centre is opening with Hungarian help. This involves not only a lot of organisation and volunteer work, but donations as well, which we are also working on. The other [field we focus on], in collaboration with the Hungarian Trade and Cultural Center, is giving advisory services and building connections for those who want to contribute to the development of Africa. The aforementioned dynamic development is a double-sided matter: on the one hand, it creates huge opportunities for small and medium-sized Hungarian enterprises, on the other hand these are appealing circumstances for any adventurer. Our experiences and local knowledge can help those Hungarians who are motivated to work abroad, to navigate between opportunities and dangers, and achieve their goals.

G: Do you think that in 10 years’ time you will still be talking about Africa?

SB: Absolutely. Once you’re captivated by Africa, it doesn’t let you go. Africa is a love of a lifetime, and there is so much left to do.

Copy editor: bm

August 14, 2016

Dream come true in Congo – Interview with zoologist Cintia Garai

She just arrived from Candamo, Peru in March, and already she is saying goodbye to friends and loved ones to spend a year in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I’m smiling as soon as I step off the plane and smell that sweet, smoky, humid scent,” says the young zoologist who is studying bonobos, a species of great apes in Congo.

Did you have time to get used to everyday life in the two months that passed between your travels?
No. Especially since now I came to stay in Congo for a year. A lot of things need closure, and I didn’t manage to finish everything completely. I should have finished a short film about our journey to Peru, and a nature film, which I’m working on with a colleague, also about Peru. But the hardest part, of course, is saying goodbye to loved ones.

The film Gorillas in the Mist about Dian Fossey inspired you as a child to become a zoologist. Today, you’re not only a researcher but a filmmaker as well. What can you tell about your current project?
John and Terese Hart are an America couple who have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 40 years. They would like to establish a national park so the animals living here would be protected from poachers. I would like to help them in this endeavour by making a film about environmentalism for the Congolese government and the local authorities to win their support. I will also do some volunteer work to help educate the local communities about protected species, the aims of a national park, and the alternatives to illegal hunting.

How did you become a filmmaker?

I wanted to do something to help save the animals since poachers are rapidly reducing the population. Research is necessary, but I feel like we are running out of time. I started making films because I think you can evoke empathy in people through them. I approached Attila Dávid Molnár at the Filmjungle.eu Society and they taught me what I know.

This is not the first time you visit Congo. You arrived for the first time in 2007 as part of a research team. What are your memories about your time there?
This is my sixth time being here. On my first visit, I lived in a tent in a remote location, away from the world, for 5 months. I fell in love with this damp, humid weather and the bonobos. When I returned 3 years later I was already filming, and I wanted to combine that with environmentalism. But I didn’t want to get stuck here as a simple activist, so to speak. I went to Japan to complete my doctorate, which took me back to Congo for a couple of times. I feel like I’ve found happiness here what I was missing at home; I always wanted to come back. Of course, when I’m here I’m missing the people at home, but such is life.

What does your daily routine look like? How much time do you spend in the jungle?
I can’t talk about the current project yet since I’ve just arrived, but, as a researcher, my day usually goes like this: the bonobos leave their nest when the run rises, so I have to get up around 3:30-4 am. We observe them for half a day, mark their position on GPS, then we switch shifts with a colleague. If this doesn’t happen, we stay with the bonobos until evening and only return to camp afterwards. So far I’ve lived in tents and clay houses, this time I’ll be put up in different villages. Environmentalism is mainly about communication, so I’ll have less time to spend with the bonobos, which I will miss.

The coming expedition is a significant milestone in your career since you’re participating in a high budget project for an exceptional cause. What are your plans for the future?
I would like to stay in Congo after the year is over, if I can, and combine environmentalism with research. I would like to help the people living in the forest. Overpopulation is a huge issue as well, and I would like to be involved with family planning. I love teamwork and I will keep in touch with people at home and Japan, hopefully, not just personally but professionally as well.

May 28, 2016

Portuguese paper interview with Orbán : Hungary cannot be forced to receive migrants

Budapest (MTI) – No one can force Hungary to receive migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with the Portuguese paper Expresso.

Orbán said his position on the migrant situation completely differs from the European Commission’s because he does not believe that demographic and economic difficulties could be resolved with the help of migration.

Despite Hungary’s efforts to protect the European Union at its borders with Serbia, Croatia and Romania and enforce the Schengen treaty, the country is subject to criticism, Orbán said. Hungary did try to resolve the situation without sealing the borders but the migrants “did not accept this”, forcing the country to build “walls”, he said.

Orbán called the EU-Turkey deal a necessary move, adding that he supported all bilateral agreements with states from where migrants can be expected to arrive in Europe. It was also a good decision to pay the Turks because they cannot handle the pressure of migration without help, he added.

Outlining the essence of his Schengen 2.0 proposal, Orbán said that all reception centres and refugee camps should be located outside the EU, and the quota system should be a voluntary option.

“We have sent money to the Turks and Hungarian border guards to Greece. We are ready for anything, except being part of the scheme”, he said.

“All rules and laws must be respected and if somebody wants to come to Hungary, they must go to an official border crossing and present their identification documents. Those who try to enter Hungary in another way commit a crime,” he said.

Orbán emphasised that there is a connection between migrants and terrorism. He said that Europeans are involved in fighting in the countries where most migrants come from. Even Hungarian troops are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“They are not present in Syria but [troops from] other European nations are. Many of the people who live in those countries consider us, Europeans, an enemy, whether we like it or not. … Such people want to take revenge on European nations. They can use the wave of migrants, as demonstrated by the past terrorist attacks,” he said.

Photo: MTI

May 2, 2016

Interview – Vona: Hungarians fear ‘return to one-party rule’

Budapest, April 11 (MTI) – Commenting on a government proposal to amend the constitution with the aim of tightening anti-terrorism laws, Jobbik leader Gábor Vona told public radio on Monday that support from his party for the measures that require a two-thirds majority would be contingent on guarantees that the ruling Fidsez party would not amass powers under the changes which could return Hungary to “one-party rule”.

Referring to cross-party talks held on Friday, Vona told Kossuth radio that whereas it is true that Hungarians fear migration and terrorism, they also fear a return to authoritarian rule. Whereas it is true that counter-terrorism measures do inconvenience society, for instance in the area of human rights, there must be limitations on the powers of the state and legal guarantees that all parties can support, he said.

He also criticised the way in which the government’s proposals were being handled, noting that both the interior and defence ministries were managing the process “chaotically and through several channels”.

The government wants sole power to declare a state of emergency for 60 days. Jobbik wants to shorten this period to only 3 days and to include various other authorities besides the government in any decision to lengthen this period, Vona said.

Commenting on recent polls showing the opposition Socialists have gained a lead over Jobbik, Vona insisted that respected pollsters still find Jobbik is the second strongest party after ruling Fidesz.

Asked to comment about the foreword he wrote in the Hungarian edition of the volume of an Italian anti-Semitic author, Julius Evola, the Jobbik leader said he did not understand the critics since he had written it to a book by “one of the most influential Italian philosophers of the 20th century”. He added that because he had written a foreword to the book did not mean that he agreed with all his ideas, though he sympathised with some.

Photo: MTI

April 11, 2016

“Being a film junkie has occupational hazards!” – Interview with the program-director of Titanic Film Festival

We have a good news for movie lovers in Budapest: this year’s Titanic International Film Festival will start in just 3 day, on the 7th of april and will last for 9 days. Just like last year, we made an interview with the program-director of the festival, Allan Sørensen.

Daily News Hungary: What do you think how this year’s Titanic will differ from the previous one(s)?
Allan Sørensen: We have trimmed the program, which means fewer sections. For instance, I decided to combine music documentaries and ‘regular’ documentaries into just one section this year. In addition, we are very pleased to be able to present a Hungarian film premiere at the festival this year – it will be Liliom ösvény. I have had my eye on Bence Fliegauf’s new project ever since I saw his previous film Csak a szél for the first time at a film festival in Copenhagen in 2012. Finally, I am extraordinarily proud to have such a fresh and exotic film as Tanna as the opening film this year as well as a highly anticipated title as closing film: A Bigger Splash, which boasts a stellar cast of fascinating actors.

Daily News Hungary: Being the program-director of this festival, you probably have some thoughts about the changes in the film industry. What kind of tendencies do you see these years?
Allan Sørensen: That is a really tough question to answer, as the world of movies consists of many different levels. There is the studio, meaning, the blockbuster level, for instance, which has its very own trends and tendencies, whereas the pool of mostly independently made films that I select for the purpose of presenting them at Titanic is on an entirely different level and very much inhabit a corner of its own, but with no other distinguishing traits in common as such. Thus, it is nearly impossible for me to point out any general tendencies in movie making these years.

Daily News Hungary: Which festivals did you visit, what kind of experiences did you get there?
Allan Sørensen: As I have a daytime job and only work for Titanic as a freelancer, there is unfortunately a limit to how many festivals I can visit. But I did attend the London Film Festival in October, which serves as a good starting point for my selection process, as it includes a lot of the films that have premiered at leading festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto and others over the course of the year. For instance, both Tanna and A Bigger Splash were featured in London, as well as a host of other films in this year’s Titanic program.

Daily News Hungary: How did you collect the movies for this year’s festival?
Allan Sørensen: I do research all year around and keep a continuous and ever-growing list of films of interest. It is an occupational hazard of being a film junkie anyway!

Daily News Hungary: How successful was the festival last year and, speaking of which, how do you personally measure the success?
Allan Sørensen: If you measure success as sold-out screenings, we had some very successful films at the festival last year, for instance Ex-Machina and Still Alice, to name a few. Not all films have the potential to be sold-out, and that is okay, but naturally my aim is to see as many people as possible at the cinema screenings, because that is the whole point of selecting films – to transfer the joy I have felt in discovering these films to film lovers here in Budapest, and to see each of the films appeal to and find their respective audiences here.

by Noémi Gangel

April 8, 2016

Interview with Dr. László Gergely Vigh, the Representative for International Education at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics

The “Study In Hungary” education service (www.study-hungary.com) made an interview with Dr. László Gergely Vigh, the Representative for International Education at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics which you can read here.

Study In Hungary: Dear Dr. Vigh, please introduce yourself to our readers.
László Gergely Vigh: I am László Gergely Vigh. I graduated from and working at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Faculty of Civil Engineering. From September 2015, as the representative of the Education Directorate of the university, I am responsible for the coordination of international education in foreign languages.

Study in Hungary: How would you briefly define BME in 3-4 sentences?
László Gergely Vigh: The basic task of BME is to provide engineering education, well balanced with high quality courses in economics, natural sciences and humanities as well. We are aware of the expectation: beyond the production of graduates who can excel in their professional fields at an international level, we have a strong intention to educate intellectual adults having the talent, diligence, devotion and creativity to contribute to the future development of both their native countries and Hungary. We are working hard to meet these expectations, and to ensure that our graduates are highly valued on the job market and can compete at the highest level in companies and institutions. To meet these expectations BME shall continue to act as a key institute in the national and international scientific, technical and economical fields and maintain its close relations with the community.

Study in Hungary: What are the competitive advantages of your university compared to other Hungarian and European universities?
László Gergely Vigh: BME is the leading institution in technical higher education in Hungary, the degrees of which are recognized and acknowledged all over the world. BME, founded in 1782, is one of the largest higher educational institutions in engineering even in Central Europe, and is considered the world’s oldest Institute of Technology, which has university rank and structure. BME is a key role player in strengthening the competitiveness and sustainable development of the country. Curricula of the academic programs cover nearly all fields and disciplines, which is unique in Hungary.

The quality of education, research and service at BME meets European standards and requirements, which is proven by the university’s position in various international rankings. In the latest, internationally acknowledged rankings Budapest University of Technology and Economics takes the 819th position in the CWUR ranking, 395th in Webometrics and 677th in the SCImago Institutions Rankings. Most of such rankings create sub-rankings for regions and specialities as well; in all QS University Rankings by Subject BME is the best university in Hungary and it is the 254th world wide in Engineering and Technology subject.

BME programmes are listed in numerous professional world rankings, as well. As an example, QS rating places several of our courses (i.e. civil engineering, electrical engineering and informatics) among the best 201-250 and 251-300 positions. In the NTU ranking BME’s mechanical engineering programme takes the 300th position. The university actively contributed to creating the European Union’s U-Multirank listing published in spring 2014 for the first time by providing data about its courses and results. The university has been awarded excellent rating in several categories (i.e. research income), while its performance in none of the given categories has received poor rating.

Obviously, BME’s location is excellent, because Budapest is a wonderful city.

Study in Hungary: Which programs does BME offer for foreign students and what are the languages of instruction?
László Gergely Vigh: Besides education in Hungarian, programmes in English language are available in nearly all disciplines and certain specialties programmes in German or French are also offered.
Faculties of BME (in sequence of their foundation) and the programmes currently offered in foreign languages:
Faculty of Civil Engineering (ÉMK):
BSc in Civil Engineering (Branch of Structural Engineering, Major of Buildings),
MSc in Structural Engineering (Major in Computational Structural Engineering)
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (GPK):
BSc with specializations:
Process Engineering Specialization
Engineering Design and Technology Specialization
MSc in Mechanical Engineering Modeling, with specializations:
Fluid Mechanics module
Solid Mechanics module
Thermal Engineering module
Design and Technology module
Faculty of Architecture (ÉPK):
BSc and MSc in Architecture and Architectural Engineering
Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (VBK)
BSc and MSc with specializations:
Analytical and Structural Chemistry Specialization;
Chemical and Process Engineering Specialization;
Industrial Pharmaceutics Specialization;
Polymer Technology Specialization;
Textile Technology Specialization
MSc in Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (VIK)
BSc in Electrical Engineering
BSc in Engineering Information Technology
MSc in Engineering Information Technology, with specializations:
Applied Computer Science Specialization
System Development Specialization
MSc in Electrical Engineering, with specializations:
Embedded Systems Specialization
Infocommunication Systems Specialization
Electrical Machines and Drives Specialization
MSc in Business Information Systems (Analytical Business Intelligence Specialization)
Faculty of Transportation Engineering (KJK)
BSc in Transportation Engineering
BSc in Vehicle Engineering
BSc in Logistics Engineering
MSc in Transportation Engineering
MSc in Vehicle Engineering
MSc in Logistics Engineering
Faculty of Natural Sciences (TTK):
MSc in Physics
MSc in Mathematics
MSc in Applied Mathematics, with specializations:
Specialization in Applied Analysis
Specialization in Operation Research
Specialization in Financial Mathematics
Specialization in Stochastics
MSc in Cognitive Science
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (GTK)
English language courses as compulsory or elective subjects for students of BME
Language courses

We also provide two preparatory courses for training, prior to the admission to our academic programmes.

Note that the number of programmes available in Hungarian is much larger.

Study in Hungary: Could you give us information about the university campus?
László Gergely Vigh: BME campuses are located in a wonderful environment, in the heart of Budapest, next to the Danube river. The campus is beautiful, with old historical buildings and large parks; it is a pleasant place all year round. We have new sport centers at convenient spots. Budapest is an exciting, vibrant city, where something always happens. I can proudly say that current and former students all love Budapest and the campus, it is common to return for short visits even after many-many years.

Study in Hungary: What are the tuition fees, dormitory costs and other living expenses of your students?
László Gergely Vigh: Tuition fee is normally 3,200 EUR/semester at our preparatory courses and at the BSc programmes; varies between 3,200-3,800 EUR/semester at the MSc programmes, and 4,500 EUR/semester at the PhD programmes. Regarding accommodation, regular foreign students are normally advised to rent apartment; we provide assistance in finding proper places.

Study in Hungary: Do you plan to launch new programs in near future – upcoming September?
László Gergely Vigh: Our programmes are now under revision. We intend to extend the foreign language education to further fields that are already available in Hungarian and to new fields specifically designed for foreign students, the revision process is long and may only have an effect in the next year. Accordingly, the programmes listed in the actual bulletin will be only launched this semester.

Study in Hungary: Do you have any scholarships or discounts for prospective students?
László Gergely Vigh: Most faculties have introduced tuition fee discount programmes. As an example, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Civil Engineering reduction is provided on the basis of GPA. Faculty of Architecture has a special award, with full tuition fee waiving for an academic year for the best students.

Study in Hungary: What are the current and the new target countries for BME to recruit new students?
László Gergely Vigh: BME’s student life is colorful; we welcome students from all over the world.

Copy editor: bm

March 19, 2016

Atlantic Council head: 2015 Europe’s hardest year in decades

Budapest (MTI) – The past year was Europe’s hardest one in decades, and the European Union has failed to listen to its citizens concerning the handling of the migrant crisis and the threat of terrorism, the president of the Hungarian Atlantic Council said in an interview to MTI.

Szilveszter E Vizi said that in 2015 the EU and Europe as a whole found itself facing challenges that its society was not prepared for. He said the challenges Europe faces today can all be traced back to the north-south divide.

The gap between rich and poor countries has continued to widen over the past few years while at the same time the Arab Spring brought about changes in the Middle East and North Africa that led to the rise of Islamic extremist groups, he said. Countries like Libya, Egypt and Syria, which were “stable dictatorships” before the uprisings, were destabilised by the Arab Spring, and people in those countries have been forced to flee terrorism, Vizi said. This led to a mass migration wave into Europe which the continent is incapable of managing either from a social, economic or cultural standpoint, he said. Vizi added that the EU has long “given up” its Judeo-Christian roots, which are not even mentioned in the bloc’s founding documents.

Vizi expressed the conviction that Europe can overcome its problems but said it was “surprising” how difficult it has been for the EU to manage the migrant crisis.

He said Hungary, like other EU member states, was also caught off guard by the massive influx of migrants, but the government, the police and the army were all quick to respond. Germany, Austria and Sweden, however, are still struggling to stem the migrant flow. Vizi noted that US Ambassador Colleen Bell has also recently praised Hungarian policymakers and the army’s swift response to the crisis.

Concerning Russia, Vizi said it has become clear to the US that it needs the help of Russia to stabilise the Middle East and North Africa, which he said will require the two countries to strengthen ties.

Vizi said Hungary plays a key role in NATO’s military and political tasks. He noted that as a civil organisation established to bring society, the military and the government closer together, the Atlantic Council is in constant contact with the councils of other NATO member states, NATO civil organisations as well as the ambassadors and defence attaches of NATO member states to Hungary.

The Hungarian Atlantic Council supports the government’s push to expand the role of the military in protecting the country, Vizi said.

Photo: MTI

January 31, 2016

Radio interview – Orbán: Austria’s decision to restrict migrants “victory for reason”

Budapest, January 22 (MTI) – Austria’s decision to restrict migrants is a “victory for reason”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a regular radio interview on Friday morning.

“Dogmatic thinking has capitulated to reality and common sense,” Orbán told public Kossuth Radio. Europe cannot receive a huge mass of foreign humanity without restrictions or checks, he added. Hungary’s standpoint is that it would be better were no migrant to arrive in Europe, he added.

Orbán said it was certain that whatever plans migrants may have to take new routes into Europe, “it is absolutely certain they won’t be going through Hungary”. He noted that preparations have already been made along a section of the Hungary-Romania border to build a fence, and the capacity is there to seal off that part of the border if necessary.

The prime minister reaffirmed criticism he has already made of Brussels and what he termed “Brusselsisation”, saying that nation states are not given the option of finding their own solutions to problems. Instead, common European solutions are mentioned but nothing is properly done, he said. Withdrawing powers from nation states while being incapable of providing alternatives will weaken Europe, Orbán insisted.

On the topic of plans to amend the constitution in order to create the conditions to handle a terrorist threat, the PM said Hungary merely wants the possibilty to take action against terrorism that most western European countries already have at their disposal. In order to make the amendment, the votes of opposition lawmakers are required, he noted, adding that “this is not yet in the bag”. He said opposition criticism of the government’s proposed measures are not rooted in fact. If a fraction of what the opposition has said about the emergence of a dictatorship were true then “we’d be under the yoke of tyranny”. Yet Hungary is “one of the freest countries in Europe,” he said.

Orbán also spoke in support of Poland in the interview. He said Poland had not done anything to warrant the criticism coming from Brussels. The prime minister added that it irritated Brussels that there exist strong nation states and these speak straight down the line. “A pavlovian negative reflex has emerged from European bureaucracy,” the prime minister said.

Central Europe does not lag behind in terms of the requirements of democracy, as viewed by the western half of the continent, he said. Referring to the events in Cologne and how the media and the authorities there handled them, he said that certain manifestations witnessed in western Europe are not present in central Europe. “How many days would I have been able to stay in office?” Orbán said, referring to the Cologne events. “Hold your horses, the westerners have no moral or factual basis to ask us to accede to the criteria of democracy,” the prime minister said.

On the domestic front, Orbán noted that although “the first results of Hungarian reforms measures will be evident this month,” the government is already working on the rough outlines of the 2017 budget, which is expected to be adopted by June.

The priority of the next budget is to support families as well as reduce the public debt not only relative to economic output but also de facto. The opportunities which an expanding economy are opening up will allow the government to strengthen Hungarian families and their homes in the next few years, Orbán said.

On the topic of this week’s taxi demonstration against ride-hailing company Uber, the prime minister said the government position is that the taxi drivers are in the right. He said it is clear that there is a need for a relevant uniform regulation which is expected to be introduced in the next few days.

Commenting on the financing of public transport in the agglomeration of Budapest, Orbán said “cooperation in this area has not been resolved”. He said he was in agreement with Istvan Tarlos, the mayor of Budapest, that “in the case of such difficulties a new leaf should be turned and everyone should see to their own tasks”. Ensuring public transport services in the administrative area of Budapest is the duty of the municipality, whereas ensuring interurban services within the agglomeration area is that of the central government, Orbán said.

January 22, 2016

The director of Son of Saul says more and more strange things

Although Son of Saul won a Golden Globe and has been nominated for Oscar as well, the director seems more paranoid as happy, valasz.hu wrote.

The Golden Globe award and the Oscar nomination is a huge success, since Istvan Szabo’s Mephisto was the only Hungarian film until now that got this most prestigious prize, in 1982.

Valasz.hu collected a couple of strange comments that were said by the director.

He told about The New York Times that the American paper

“wrote two paragraphs about the Jewish genocide during the WW2 between two advertisements on the 17^th page. This is their old innervation.”

Nemes Jeles told that it seems like the whole German film production was based on revisionism to calm the Germans down. He called it a falsification of history. He also said that, in Cannes, the German journalists turned away from his actors when they learned in which film they played.

The director said Downfall was “a perfect Third Reich propaganda”. According to him, Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not congratulate him. He commented on an Austrian’s damning critique about his movie: “Obviously, this is not a coincidence.”

He also stated in an interview that the French intellectual community has Maoist and Anti-Semite intellectual roots.

According to valasz.hu, Nemes Jeles resents the Germans because they do not distribute his film, but his reasoning, according to which they did not face their past, seems entirely without rhyme or reason.

To think that The New York Times and the French newspaper, Liberation, are Anti-Semite is incomprehensible. Moreover, the American daily published a long and basically positive article about the movie.

The remark in connection with the Austrian critic is also hard to understand. The director might told it because Hitler was Austrian as well, valasz.hu wrote. Actually, the expert just criticized the movie’s “atrocity-exhibitionism” and the protagonist’s motivation.

In addition, Viktor Orban congratulated him on Facebook, so his post could reach a lot of people quickly.

Valasz.hu hopes Nemes Jeles will not go crazy at the peak of success. Naturally, it is also true that he has to give a lot of interviews these days and he cannot give the same answers all the time.

Photo: MTI

Copy editor: bm

January 21, 2016

“It’s a tough field.” – The experiences of a Hungarian businessman in Africa

Globoport.hu talked with Kálmán Képes, the director of the Hungarian Trade & Cultural Centre (HTCC) in Ghana, about opportunities for Hungarian enterprises in Ghana and the difficulties one has to face if wanting to do business in Ghana.

Globoport: How did you end up in Africa and what motivated you to live and work in Ghana?

Kálmán Képes: I ended up in Africa by an accident and I’ve been living and working here for almost 12 years. Earlier I worked in Vietnam and other countries. Now I am the director of the HTCC in Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana. I came here 5 years ago, before that I worked in Kenya for 6 years. I left Kenya at the time of the terror attacks.
I came to Ghana at the suggestion of a friend. First I only came for ten days but I really liked the country and I saw great opportunities here so I decided to move to West Africa from East Africa. After a year of gathering information, I made an arrangement with Sándor Balogh, the president of the HTCC network, that we would open a trade office and go in quest of Ghanaians that once studied in Hungary. Before the change of regime, many people came to study in Hungary from Ghana, and then returned to their homeland after graduating and some of these people had a very successful career.

Globoport: Professionals and businessmen dealing with Africa have been saying that Hungary should renew those relations that flourished in the 70s and 80s but later discontinued. Some people have been also referring to those African students that spent a few years at Hungarian universities and even speak our language. This seems like a serious possibility to enter the African market. What are your experiences about Hungarians in Ghana?

Kálmán Képes: Basically, I was the first in Ghana to find and get in touch with these people. I tried to gather them and wanted to get to know them. I organised dinners for them at the HTCC in Accra. In the beginning it all went well. Many of them hardly believed that there was Hungarian representation in Ghana again, but they were very happy about it, because they felt very offended when Hungarians just simply left Ghana in the 1990s. Unfortunately, other people took our positions in our absence which makes our situation harder.
This wasn’t necessarily successful because we had to experience that for them cooperation with Hungary would have meant something different than what we wanted. In the future we might prefer relations based on professionality, not on emotions. What I mean by this is that in the future, we would like to work with Ghanaians that are reliable and honest but are not connected to Hungary. However, we should keep in mind that personal relations are still very important in Africa, so we are trying to look for the right people.

Globoport: What is the situation like in Ghana, what kind of business opportunities could be attractive for Hungarian investors?

Kálmán Képes: Ghana, just like Africa generally, is a tough field. Elections are coming up which makes the political and economic atmosphere complicated, you can feel the uncertainty. The standard of living has been worsening since the time of my arrival. Wages are low, unemployment is high. At least 240 thousand graduated young people don’t have a job. The local currency is also declining. Not to mention exterior factors that hit the country and made its development more difficult.
The lack of energy is a serious problem throughout the country. There are days when even the capital lacks electricity. People can’t turn their computers on, can’t send emails or charge their phones. And all of this makes doing business harder. The factories near the capital are supplied with electricity by one power plant. River Volta hasn’t had enough water for 8 months so the biggest power plant of the country can only function on minimum level. This power plant should provide the 60-70% of the country’s energy supply but it can’t function at its maximum capacity due to the lack of water. Another serious problem is the decrease of the oil prices, as many people don’t know that Ghana is a fossil oil exporter. The production of cacao has also decreased by 30% due to several problems. The decline of the price of gold is also worsening the situation of Ghana’s economy.

Globoport: What kind of opportunities can Ghana offer to Hungarian enterprises, investors?

Kálmán Képes: First of all, you really need to think doing business in Ghana through. There are many humbugs and defrauders. I know of Hungarians that went bankrupt because they were ripped off. Besides the capital, there are two cities in Ghana with an infrastructure that makes doing business possible.
The biggest problem with Hungarian products is that they don’t know about them and we don’t produce enough of them. For instance, it would be easy to endear and spread the wines of Tokaj. Wine consuming is quite new in Ghana and the neighbouring countries. Nobody drank wines a few years ago but now they are very interested in it. They drink more and more wine in bars, restaurants and even at home. Sweet wines are their favourite and that is why they would fancy the wines of Tokaj. But the problem is that we cannot serve the Ghanaian market. A Lebanese tradesman wanted to order 150 thousand bottles but nobody could’ve delivered an amount like that. We simply cannot compete with wines from Chile, South Africa and Germany. They flood the market. There is also Moldova who successfully broke into the West African market with its sweet white and red wines. Their business is now flourishing.

Copy editor: bm

January 16, 2016