Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the government has used all possible financial resources to prevent unemployment during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
During an event announcing a HUF 35 billion (EUR 97m) capacity expansion investment by Nestlé Hungária in Bük, in western Hungary, it was announced that 120 new jobs will be created and the state is providing HUF 363 million for a three-year project involving further training for 2,180 employees totalling HUF 726 million. The minister said the new investment would increase exports to represent over 90 percent of total production by the company in Bük, with products sold in some fifty countries. The majority of suppliers are Hungarian companies, selling goods and services to Nestlé at total value of over HUF 50 billion each year, he added. Szijjártó said the planned training programme would enable employees to acquire skills to use state-of-the-art technologies. The Bük plant is already a central European hub for animal food production, and thanks to the new investment, one of Nestlé’s largest animal food plants is being set up in Europe, he added.
Minister Szijjártó said Hungary’s economic performance returned to pre-pandemic level this summer already, whereas the global economy is projected to reach this level only by the end of next year. This was partly thanks to a two-month advantage owed to the fast launch of the vaccination scheme in the country, he added. Meanwhile, the volume of Swiss-Hungary trade increased by 8 percent in the first eight months of 2021, exceeding 1.2 billion euros. Swiss companies represent the 11th largest investor community in Hungary, he said, adding that this was partly thanks to “problem-free political relations”.
Photo credit: MTI