Lauding the factory, Mr Orbán added: We are proud, the size is fantastic and impressive, the quality is fantastic and impressive. He recalled that when they announced that BMW was building a factory in Debrecen, they thought it was “sure to be a success” because only good things had ever come, going back several decades, of cooperation between German automotive manufacturers and Hungary.
BMW is a popular make in Hungary, he observed. “We Hungarians love speed and brave changes, we love crossing paths, but in the meantime, we also expect stability and security. And BMW is a car just like that. BMW is a cool car, and we love to think of ourselves the same way,” he said, wishing that ever more Hungarian families can afford to have BMWs.
He also mentioned, however, that the structure of the world economy was changing, Europe was undergoing shocks, both countries and automotive companies were being put to the test. There is a process of natural selection not only in the automotive industry, but also in other sectors; in fact, the same process is catching up with countries as well, he warned.
“There will be companies which will stay on their feet, and there will be others which will be brought to their knees. There will be countries which will stay on their feet, and there will be countries which will be brought to their knees,” he said. Both Germany and Hungary are facing serious questions: Will they be able to make their production competitive? Are their citizens still able to work? Do they have a brave leadership? Will they stand up for the protection of their own economies and industries on the issues of tariff policy, the green transition and energy prices? – the Prime Minister listed.
He added that today Europe was weak, we were unable to make good deals even with our own allies. Therefore, today, there is a 15 per cent tariff on cars exported to the United States, while there is none on cars coming from there. This means that we must be at least that much better, he stated.
In his view, there is a path which is enough not only for staying alive and staying on our feet, but one that will lead to success, growth and a safe future. “We believe that we Hungarians are on such a path, and from today, we can proceed on this path together with BMW; in fact, the entire BMW concern can join us,” he said.
Mr Orbán described the Hungarian path as follows: connectivity instead of isolation; acceleration instead of braking; and remaining flexible instead of overregulating. In continuation, he said, rather than increasing taxes, taxes must be reduced; rather than ordering companies about, we must cooperate with them; and rather than conducting the green transition against them, we must conduct it together with them.
He said the Hungarian government is keeping taxes low for both families and businesses, and is maintaining a predictable environment. Those who invest in Hungary can be sure to benefit, while regulations do not change overnight, from one month to the next, the Prime Minister pointed out.
Mr Orbán said in Hungary this is ‘Willkommenskultur.’ Here, there is no ideology, only results, what matters is what there is at the end of the business year. Rather than penalising work and investments, we reward them, and we allow businesses to re-invest their money, he said.
The Prime Minister said what is the most important is that the Hungarian path does not lead to war. He added that there would be no military administration here; the defence industry is important and so is the protection of the borders, but “we will not allow the money of the Hungarian people to be spent on the war of others.” We will use the Hungarian people’s money to build the Hungarian economy, Hungarian industry, Debrecen, for instance, he laid down.
He argued that the BMW investment was a sign and seal of the success of the Hungarian response. He said that one of Europe’s oldest, most prestigious and most innovative automotive companies brought its latest plant to Eastern Hungary in order to manufacture the car of the future, the Neue Classe model in Hungary. This is proof of the fact that the Hungarian path is not only navigable, but also leads to a good place, he added.
He recalled that the factory in itself would create three thousand high added-value jobs in Hajdú-Bihar County. He added that in cooperation with local schools and Hungarian technical universities, BMW had also established a training centre, in the summer, a logistics centre had been commissioned in the vicinity of the factory, while a business service centre was also being built in the city.
He said in the past two years, funds in excess of a thousand billion forints have come to Hajdú-Bihar County from private and state sources; no other region has made this much progress in such a short time. Infrastructure elements and roads have been refurbished, while the expansion of the Debrecen airport is next on the agenda, he added.
He also highlighted that the Debrecen industry developments, automotive factories, battery manufacturing plants and logistic projects had been implemented in such a way that in the meantime, the city had made it to the top three in the competition of Europe’s green capitals.
The Prime Minister wished BMW all the very best, saying “your success is our success; your innovation is our advantage; your jobs are the security of our families.” He wished the investors that, similar to their German predecessors, may they turn every euro cent into a euro.
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