“Hungary is not simply following, but is shaping changes within the infocommunications sector; Hungarian inventiveness and industry have already achieved many important leaps in the development of IT, creating the foundations for Hungary’s high level of digital development”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stressed at the closing of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Conference in Budapest on Thursday.
“The most important players at the four-day mega event included many for whose investment projects there is cutthroat competition. In the interests of enabling Hungary, whose performance depends to a great extent on the quality and quantity of foreign investment, to stand its ground in this competition, we must maintain its competitiveness, one of the most determinative elements of which is digital development”, the Minister added.
Mr. Szijjártó also pointed out that the Government launched the Digital Hungary programme in the interests of furthering the potential of Hungarian enterprises, which programme stands on four main pillars: the establishment of superfast broadband infrastructure, the introduction of intelligent city services, the provision of IT equipment to those in need and the adaptation of model training programmes.
“The digital economy requires a suitably trained workforce, which in turn requires a suitable level of digital knowledge, and accordingly the Government is providing at least 1 billion euros – including EU funding – over the upcoming years to increase the quality of secondary school education via the IT development projects realised within the framework of state reform”, the Foreign Minister said.
Minister of State for Security Policy and International Cooperation István Mikola from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed the important role played by info-communications and the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the Hungarian economy, adding that Hungary wishes to be in the forefront of the European Union’s ICT sector.
Mr. Szijjártó, Mr. Mikola and the Ministry of National Development’s Minister of State for Info-communications Ákos Kara thanked the ITU’s Budapest team for the high quality for the event. Mr. Kara stressed, however, that the success of the event was due not only to the host country, but to ever country represented at the Conference.
“The well-known products of large corporations often stem from idea that were born in university departments or college halls of residence. Without new ideas there is no innovation, no progress and no digital economy, only repetition”, he added.
Students were allowed free entry to the event on the ITU World Conference’s open day, within the framework of which young people from some 30 institutions had a chance to find out more about the culture and IT performance of other countries and the latest developments by Hungarian and foreign enterprises.