Pilisborosjenő, 4 July 2014
Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Thank you for having invited me here to this birthday gathering. My fondest birthday wishes to you. I am glad that I arrived here on time. This was by no means certain, and the reason for this, my dear Hosts, is that just a few minutes ago parliament decided on an important issue; we had to determine our standpoint on the bill, the bill put forward in Parliament, that now includes the court rulings on foreign currency debtors in the law, and so we did. We are here on this historic day for two reasons: firstly to take part in this short inauguration ceremony, and secondly because it may easily be the case that we have embarked upon a new era today, in which people will finally feel that it isn’t always the stronger who are right, but even the weak can be right and justice and the law are on their side after all. It might even be the case that the era of fair banks will eventually begin in Hungary. This is what I wish for those who make investments, for the banks who provide loans to them and to all of us, both ourselves and the country’s citizens.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please allow me to send a special greeting to those who are standing outside this tent and who are from here, who live here in this village. Thank you for coming. I wish you much strength and good health. As you have heard, we have also contributed to enabling today’s gathering to take place and to the realisation of this project. But our profession is one in which if we do not receive the support of the people of Pilisborosjenő, for example, then we are also unable to help others. For us to be able to provide support, we too need to receive support. Thank you to the locals for always having stood by us in recent years, for supporting us and for having given us their votes of support at the most crucial moments. May God keep you in your good habits!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When I heard that the invitation was to Pilisborosjenő, what first came to mind was family excursions. I don’t know if it is still the fashion, but when we were children our parents often brought us here, so that we could later bring our own children to the area, to see the prop castle which, if I am not mistaken, was perhaps built for the filming of the Eclipse of the Crescent Moon. This is a famous place, because not many settlements can say that a castle was built on their outskirts as late as the second half of the 20th century, even if it is just a prop castle. But these days, it is not the prop castle, but the very much real pharmaceuticals factory that comes to mind when people think of Pilisborosjenő. Today, this pharmaceuticals plant is being expanded with a new production line, and as a result with new jobs; this is why we are here today. It is to this that we wish to congratulate our kind hosts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being present at the inauguration of a huge Hungarian poultry processing plant, two days ago I was a the inauguration of a Hungarian chocolate factory, and today I am here as your guests. These are encouraging events. It fills one with hope and encouragement when such events take place on consecutive days, and especially because in all three cases we are lucky enough to celebrate the success of Hungarian enterprises. We all know that the huge foreign investments and development projects that bring a lot of capital to Hungary and create new jobs, including in the pharmaceuticals sector, are important, and in fact indispensable. But why should we keep secret the fact that we are happiest when Hungarians provide jobs to Hungarians? These events, including today’s, are events of this kind. I would like you to know that small and medium-sized enterprises provide jobs and a livelihood to seventy-five percent of the Hungarian workforce, which is equivalent to some 3 million people. The production figures are of course on the side of the large international investors, but the employment figures show that the scales are tipped in favour of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises. Hungarian employers provide a living to more than three million families in Hungary. This is a huge achievement if we think back on the events of the past 24 years.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition, Meditop is a company that provides income within a small community, and if I remember rightly to over 150, perhaps one-hundred and seventy or so people. The workforce will now expand thanks to the new development project. This expansion will be around 10 percent, which means a further 12-15 families will have a dependable livelihood in future.
You could say that this isn’t a lot, and on its own, 12-15 families indeed doesn’t sound like very many. But I would like you to know that the country and the country’s economy is built up out of plants, production lines and business units like these that provide work for 12-15 families, meaning that the Hungarian economy wouldn’t exist without plants such as this one and production lines like the one that we are inaugurating today and the jobs that they create; they are vital to us. This is one of the reasons why this development project, the total cost of which was some 700 million forints, received some 200 million forints in development funding as well as receiving a loan within the framework of the National Bank’s Growth Loan Programme. The Government will continue to do its best to link government funding to initiatives such as this one, because what we profess is that if a country has limited resources, and Hungary has limited resources, then we must primarily support and reinforce those who themselves do much to achieve success, because it is through them that the country can also gain strength. We think that small and medium-sized enterprises are the engines of growth in Hungary, and if this sector is capable of developing father, and today’s example shows that it is capable of doing so, then it will also be capable of generating greater profits. And if the sector generates greater profits then Hungary’s long-term prosperity will also be assured. My wish for our hosts, the owners, and this is our hope, is that they do not stop expanding and continue along the path they have followed until now, which has been hallmarked by growth and development. What I can undertake in the name of the Hungarian Government is that we will continue to do our utmost to provide you with all possible support over the coming year.
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, please allow me to say a few words about the links between the pharmaceutical sector and the Hungarian economy, because the pharmaceutical industry is one of the traditionally most successful sectors within the Hungarian economy. We have given the world pharmacists such as Antal Bayer and Gedeon Richter, whose work affected not only the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry, but that of the world. 64 pharmaceutical plants were operating in Hungary between the two world wars, and at the time Hungary was regarded as one of the world’s pharmaceutical super powers. Later, however, to use the usual turn of phrase of the Hungarian history books, the communists arrived and reduced this number of 64 to only five, of which a mere four survived the regime change; this is the state of affairs we arrived at. But despite this, Ladies and Gentlemen, perhaps there is something in the air here in Hungary that predestines us to eventually be one of the world’s pharmaceutical super powers, regardless of the difficulties encountered. It is hard to comprehend, but already it the early nineties many small and medium-sized enterprises were established within the pharmaceutical industry, of which some, including Meditop, have since grown to play an influential role within the sector. And so we have known for a long time that the best medicine for the ills of the Hungarian economy lie, amongst others, within the pharmaceutical sector. According to the figures I have seen, today the sector provides work to some 14,000 people in Hungary. And in addition, it not only provides work to 14,000 people, but this sector also represents one of the most important workshops for innovation. It is relative to this importance that the Government must pay attention to this field of industry. It is no accident that the Hungarian Government has already concluded Strategic Partnership Agreements with the four largest pharmaceutical companies in Hungary.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The walls of our post regime change world were constructed by those of our compatriots how wanted and dared to go into enterprise. People such as those who invited us here today, and who established Meditop Limited.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the time, and I am sure you all remember the early nineties, we were living in a period of privatisation fraud, trickery and speculation, when making a living through work seemed to be the hardest path to follow. But this is the path that the company’s founders chose. The fact is, and this is why we are all able to be here today, that time has shown that You, the company’s founders and our kind hosts, were right. Let us remember how many fraudulent, speculative, trickster and quick-to-achieve-success companies we have seen disappear during the past fifteen years; how many powerful entrepreneurs who we thought were eternal stars disappeared like shooting stars into the uncharted depths of the universe. We have no idea what has become of them, although the names are perhaps still familiar, but neither these companies that were built on speculation not their owners are now present within the Hungarian economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
And so let us be proud of this example, which our kind hosts provide, and let us declare that the history of Meditop is a lesson for the whole of Hungary. A lesson which shows that success can also be achieved in this way, and in fact we can venture to say that if one wants to achieve permanent success, then this is the only way to do it.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It seems to me that Hungary’s entrepreneurs have perhaps understood that a new era has begun throughout the world and Hungary is also doing its best to adapt to these changes. The time has come, and in Hungary certainly, for those who want to achieve success through work and through their knowledge and industry. I am not saying that this is the only thing that is characteristic of Hungary today, but I see more and more positive examples. Today’s project is also an indication of the fact that there are increasing numbers of people who recognise that Hungary still has plenty of hidden strength and reserves.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
And now to the future. I would like to say a few words about this too, because there will be developments within the Hungarian economy that will also affect our hosts and their businesses. According to our forecasts, it will be those countries that are capable of providing their enterprises with cheap energy that will enjoy a competitive advantage within the European Union in the upcoming period. Hungary is striving to achieve such a competitive advantage and accordingly our plan, in addition to providing direct funding to medium-sized enterprises such as this one, it to eventually also introduce an industrial utility charge decrease and also make cheap energy available to our enterprises. With regard to how we will achieve this, during the upcoming weeks and months you will be hearing how the Hungarian Parliament racks its brains on the issue.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We would also like to make sure that we can direct the majority of development funding received from the European Union towards the real participants of the Hungarian economy. We have seen enough of showpiece development projects, we now need projects that create real and actual economic power and production, because that is the only way that the economy can also remain on a growing trajectory. And accordingly between 2014 and 2020, because the EU works according to seven-year financial periods, priority will be given to all projects that are aimed at giving Hungarian enterprises a competitive advantage. I would encourage the owners of such enterprises to be so kind as to initiate relations with the Hungarian Government so that was can also be a part of many more events such as the one we are celebrating today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are also working to ensure that the drawing down and accessing of funding involves less bureaucracy and that as large a proportion as possible, 60% of all development funding according to plan, goes to Hungarian enterprises. Please help us to achieve this!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here with you today. My wish for you is that your continued work and effort be crowned with success and to this end I wish you much strength and perseverance.
We are proud of your success!
Thank you for your kind attention.