The finance minister said Hungary’s GDP growth could exceed 6 percent this year “even if not a single cent is received” from the European Union until the end of the year.
During an interview with Origo, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said economic growth could be 5.3 percent next year, and “the economy could make up for the losses suffered during the coronavirus pandemic in 18 months.” Brussels would be unable to hold back the Hungarian economy “even if it wanted to”, he added.
Responding to a question regarding snags in the approval process for Hungary’s post-pandemic recovery plan because of concerns in Brussels over rule-of-law and oversight shortfalls, Minister Varga said the EU was “trying to turn a purely economic issue into a political one”, adding that hopefully a “reasonable” solution could be found. “We are constructive and cooperative, but I must point out that Brussels’s shameful attitude will have no bearing on the Hungarian economy’s situation,” Minister Varga said.