At a ceremony held in Esztergom to mark introduction of the new Suzuki model, Viktor Orbán said that it is thanks to companies like Suzuki that in Hungary today 455 000 more people are in work than were in 2010.
Emphasising the significance of the company, the Prime Minister said that Suzuki has been a partner of the Hungarian government since 2010, directly employing 3 100 people and indirectly providing work to another 30 000, and dealing with 74 Hungarian suppliers. He added that Japan is one of the main investors in Hungary and noted that the 149 companies with Japanese interests that are active in the country jointly employ 25 000 people, thus providing a living for 25 000 Hungarian families. Mr. Orbán said that Hungary is proud that Japan – with gross investment of EUR 3.5 billion – is the largest investor in Hungarian greenfield projects.
The Prime Minister stressed that the objective is for those who want to work to be able to prosper. Having work means everything; it is only jobs that are able to ensure sustainable success and prosperity for the Hungarian people.
He reiterated that the aim of the Government is to reach full employment by 2018. He thanked the factory’s employees for their work since, he said, the Hungarian workforce is investors’ most important reason for choosing Hungary.
The Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Osamu Suzuki, who comes to Budapest every year to share his invaluable economic experience. According to Mr. Orbán, what Hungary can learn from the Japanese is that everyone should be given the respect they deserve.
In his speech, the Prime Minister promised the Mayor of Esztergom that in the name of the Government this year he will return to the city and sign an agreement which will guarantee long-term development for the city.
Talking about the Hungarian history of Suzuki, Mr. Orbán said that to date eight models have been manufactured at the Esztergom plant and 2.5 million cars have come out of the factory. The Prime Minister said that the last 25 years have created strong ties between Suzuki and Hungary, and when the company arrived in Hungary at the beginning of the 1990s a Hungarian automotive industry as such did not even exist. On the roads Suzuki became a symbol of the fall of communism, which is why Hungarians feel that Suzuki cars are theirs.
“I wish for all of us that Hungarian workers, companies in Hungary and the Government of Hungary will always find a common voice to ensure a successful economy,” Mr. Orbán said.
He also mentioned two promises that the Government had made earlier: firstly, that within three years the heavy transport bridge over the Danube at Komárom will be opened. “Preparations for this are ongoing, and we will be able to fulfil our commitment within the deadline,” Mr. Orbán said. The second promise is that the express road connecting Esztergom with the M1 motorway will be constructed and opened in 2018, if possible. There is still a chance for this deadline to be met , but the work in progress must be speeded up in order to finish on time, the Prime Minister stressed.