The Finance Ministry has lowered its projection for GDP growth this year to 6.8 percent against the backdrop of higher energy prices, inflationary pressure and the impact of the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Finance Minister Mihály Varga made the announcement during a conference organized by the Hungarian Insurers Association (MABISZ) on Thursday. Earlier, the ministry had put this year’s GDP growth at 7-7.5 percent. Minister Varga said the rising energy prices would “significantly restrain” the performance of European economies, parallel with higher inflation, while the economic impact of the fourth wave of the pandemic, albeit smaller than that of the second and third waves, would still be felt. He noted that Hungary is one of just ten countries in the European Union whose economies have recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Photo credit: Facebook/Varga Mihály