Hungary’s economic achievements recognised even by former critics, says Minister Varga

Hungary’s economic achievements have been recognised even by those that used to be the harshest critics, the finance minister said in parliament on Monday commenting on the country’s recent credit ratings.

Fitch Ratings raised Hungary’s Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB-‘ at a scheduled review last Friday, a week after Standard and Poor’s improved its rating of Hungarian long- and short-term government debt to ‘BBB / A-2’.

The trends projected by the ratings agencies coincide with the government’s expectations, Mihály Varga said.

He also noted Statistical Office figures showing that Hungary’s economy expanded by 5 percent in the last quarter of 2018 while euro zone and Germany expansion slowed down. Hungary is among the leaders both in European and regional terms, he added.

Last year’s 4.8 percent growth resulted from an economic path that pushes growth in every sector, unlike during the Socialist-led governments of the past that achieved growth through privatisation, Varga said.