Category: Hungary

More than just the proverbial Hungarian blues Clichés and perceptions do not change fast; it was not long ago that Hungary ceased to be seen as a most successful ‘Transition’ country. In fact, Hungary was the first EU member state to turn to the IMF for financial support in 2008.

“…the Union shall establish an internal market. It shall work for the sustainable development of Europe based on balanced economic growth and price stab ility, a highly competitive social market economy, aiming at full employment and social progress…” (From Article 3 of the Lisbon Treaty) The principal conclusions of this

The angry woman spoke in a shrill voice to the television reporters. “The country should speak out against these measures, they go against the development of society!” she cried. Then, in a voice a bit quieter, but with the same vehemence, she tried to explain her position. “We will live

NT:Hungary was struck last October by a serious chemical disaster, when a reservoir containing red sludge from an alumina plant burst at Ajka in the midwest of the country. Are you any closer to finding what or who was responsible? ZI: I have emphasized from the start that responsibility lies on

In recent months Hungary has figured prominently in the news, partly as the country that currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, but also because of issues of domestic policy, which usually do not arouse much international interest. In general only negative headlines create a big stir. Frequent

It is proper to claim that 2011 is the “year of Europe” in Hungarian economic policy making, and only partly because of the Hungarian presidency of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2011. Subsequent government initiatives, such as the fiscal consolidation plan named after Kálmán Széll (a

In the second decade of the 21st century Hungary faces the challenge of growth on at least three levels. First, economic growth, which grew by an annual 3.9 per cent in 1996–2000 and even by 4.2 per cent in 2001–2006, decelerated to a mere 1 per cent in 2007, i.e

A personal tribute to Ferenc Mádl, on his 80th birthday In one of the rare moments when Ferenc Mádl spoke of the important influences in his life – perhaps in the biographical film made in the summer of 2000 – he mentioned that in his childhood he could see on

In Defense of Tipping Physicians In recent years the practice in Hungary of routinely tipping physicians has come under much deserved criticism. The so-called “hálapénz rendszer,” or “gratitude money system” (though it is hardly sufficiently codified to merit the word “system”), originated under communism as a means of compensating for