Orbán Viktor és Allan Rasmussen sajtótájékoztatója

Good day, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you on the occasion of today's important announcement. In the previous hour, discussions were held between the Government of Hungary and the leaders of Coloplast, an international medical device manufacturer. First, I would like to invite Mr. Rasmussen, the company's Senior Vice President, to inform us about the results of the discussion.

I also greet you respectfully, good day. I have two reasons to thank Mr. Rasmussen. First, for coming here this morning so we could have a substantive discussion. Second, I must say, perhaps with some exaggeration, that he has in a way turned his Danish company into a Hungarian company. The facts clearly show that 65 percent of their products sold worldwide are made in Hungary. So perhaps it's not an exaggeration to say we feel it is our own — this Danish company, in our hearts and minds, is also a Hungarian company. Ladies and gentlemen, the facts are as follows: 701 new jobs will be created. This is not unprecedented — a company that already employed 2,000 people is creating 701 new positions. A company that made its earlier investment decision in 2001 is now making a new one. This means the company came to Hungary not on a whim but based on its experience operating here, and concluded it is worthwhile to continue the cooperation. The new jobs will be distributed as follows: 426 will be in Nyírbátor — I respectfully greet the Mayor of Nyírbátor, and also the former Finance Minister who clearly played a role in creating those jobs — and 275 will be in Tatabánya. I also respectfully greet the Mayor of Tatabánya and want to thank him for his work in creating those local jobs. The investment exceeds 21 billion forints, and the Hungarian government contributed 2 billion forints toward it. We always run calculations after such decisions, and our estimates show that the government support will pay for itself within five years. Everything beyond that is pure profit. The company benefits, and so do we. I also asked the company's leadership to continue supporting Hungary in future investment decisions and to count on Hungary.

We were curious why they chose Hungary specifically for this expansion. They mentioned the workforce first. I would like the people of Hungary who earn their living through work to see these investments as recognition of their own personal efforts. These investments could not come about — no matter how well a government functions, no matter how favorable a country's location is — if investors did not feel they could find world-class, competitively priced, and capable workers here. These investments, especially those based on the experience of earlier ones, should all be seen as recognition of Hungarian workers' performance. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to highlight one more fact: two-thirds of the employees in these factories are women. This is very important — that there are investments in Hungary that are based not only on male workers but also on women with specific life circumstances, proving that decent work opportunities alongside family life can be created and made accessible. So we thank our Danish friends for bringing a factory to Hungary and expanding one that provides opportunities for Hungarian women, thereby recognizing their performance as well. What is particularly commendable is the good cooperation with local municipalities everywhere. This is important — local governments must be business-friendly. If they are not, they cannot attract jobs to their region. I am glad we can see good examples in both the western and eastern parts of the country. Finally, to praise my own horse, so to speak, I would like to see in this investment a recognition of the success of our current economic policy. After extensive intellectual debates, what we see in Hungary now proves that an economy can be put on a growth path even with low inflation and a budget deficit below 3 percent. In Hungary, inflation will remain permanently low — it is currently below 2 percent — and the budget deficit will stay below 3 percent, while the trade and payments balance remains positive and economic growth continues. We will regain the leading position in Central Europe that we lost in recent years. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish all of Hungary that the week never starts worse than with the announcement of 701 new jobs. Mr. Rasmussen, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for visiting us and for your efforts.