Hankó: Success of young people is the success of the nation
Balázs Hankó, the minister of culture and innovation, said Hungary's interest lies in the success of its university students 'because the success of young people is the success of the nation'.
Speaking at a press conference on the results and future plans of the Pannonia Scholarship Program launched one year ago, Balazs Hankó said 3,042 students participated in the program in the first semester. They studied at leading universities in the United States, Japan, China and the United Kingdom. With the number of participants set to reach 5,000 in the second semester, at least 8,000 students, instructors, and researchers a year will gain experience thanks to the programme, he added.
Hankó said 'Brussels failed to exclude Hungarian students from international relations without any moral and legal basis' because 'we are successful, and we came up with something better, something new'. This is the Pannonia Program, which 'showcases the excellence of Hungarian higher education and Hungarian students', he said.
Because the government wants to provide every opportunity for university students, it will spend 10 billion forints (EUR 25.1m) on the program this year, just as in 2024, the minister said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Budapest Times
11 hours ago
- Budapest Times
State Secretary meets with National Security Council official in Washington
State Secretary Levente Magyar has met with Charles McLaughlin, the senior director for European and Russian Affairs at the National Security Council, in Washington, D.C. According to MTI , Magyar, a state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the sides had discussed mainly bilateral matters, adding that ties between the two countries were 'excellent' in spite of the complicated international situation. He noted the US administration's recent decision to lift sanctions related to the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant, at the request of Hungary, and said the US had also asked that Hungary be open to the American nuclear industry as well as the Russian one. 'We can comply with that request as it dovetails with our intentions,' he added. Magyar acknowledged that 'America first' was a basic condition of US foreign policy, but said the Americans also accepted that Hungary took a similar approach. 'For us, Hungary is first, and we try to assert Hungarian interests,' he added.
Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Budapest Times
Final details confirmed for 3% housing loan program, new state support for public employees
Key eligibility criteria include being over 18, having two years of continuous income and social insurance contributions, which may include employment in a neighboring country for Hungarian commuters. Applicants must not have held full ownership of an urban residential property in the past ten years, with partial ownership capped at 50% or HUF 15 million in property value. The loan is capped at HUF 50 million with a fixed 3% interest rate over a maximum of 25 years. It may be used for buying or building new or used homes, including farmhouses. Price limits are set at HUF 100 million for apartments and HUF 150 million for detached homes or rural properties. A 10% down payment is required, and although beneficiaries must reside in Hungary, permanent residence at the purchased property is not mandatory. Usage rights may not be transferred, but rental is permitted. In addition, the government has introduced an annual HUF 1 million housing support for public service employees—such as teachers, doctors, police officers, and soldiers—which can be applied to mortgage payments or down payments. The benefit will be tax-advantaged, aligned with existing cafeteria rules, and final regulations will be determined at next week's cabinet meeting. The cabinet also extended the rural grocery store support program to settlements with under 5,000 residents. All eligible applicants will receive their requested funding, despite demand exceeding available funds by over HUF 6 billion. Addressing international affairs, Minister Gulyás strongly criticized the recently announced EU-U.S. customs agreement. He argued the deal contradicts Europe's strategic and economic interests, stating that if Hungary had negotiated independently, it would have secured better terms. He criticized the European Commission for overstepping its mandate by committing to investment concessions without proper authorization and labeled the agreement as an example of 'unauthorized administration of power' that also binds the EU to obligations it cannot fulfill.
Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Budapest Times
Industrial producer prices up by more than 5 percent
Industrial producer prices were 5.1% higher on average in June 2025 than one year earlier. Domestic output prices were 3.3% and non-domestic ones 6.0% higher than in June of the previous year. The price rise was primarily caused by the annual weakening of the HUF exchange rate against the EUR, as well as by the increase in production costs. Compared to the previous month, domestic output prices went up by 0.6%, non-domestic output prices lessened by 0.5%, as such industrial producer prices as a whole were 0.1% lower. In June 2025 compared to June 2024 domestic output prices increased by 3.3% on average, within it they rose by 3.3% in manufacturing, representing a weight of 62.7%, and by 2.7% in the energy industry (electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply), with a weight of 35.4%. Food industry output prices were up by 7.0%. Prices in Hungary rose by 2.4% in energy and intermediate producer branches together, by 4.0% in capital goods producer and by 5.6% in consumer goods producer branches out of the end-use groups of the producer branches of industry. Industrial non-domestic output prices were 6.0% higher, within it the prices increased by 2.6% in manufacturing, representing a weight of 91.8%, and by 14.7% in the energy industry, with a weight of 8.0%. In January–June 2025 compared to January–June 2024 domestic output prices were 4.5% and non-domestic output prices 8.8% higher, in consequence industrial producer prices as a whole went up by 7.4%.
