William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2010-01-01 / 1. szám
Magyar Matters^ Hungary aims for economic recovery after rough period BUDAPEST — Hungary, plagued by a bad reputation in the handling of its financial affairs, went a long way in 2009 to changing that image to set the stage for next year's hoped-for start of an economic recovery. It's a stark contrast to 2008, a year when Hungary confirmed its bad reputation in financial circles by becoming the first EU country to require an international bail-out amid the global financial crisis. But the country closed the year with one of the EU's healthiest budget balances, potentially giving it a head start when the economy finally begins to pick up. The crisis management has been painful, however. At the grassroots level, there have been protests against cutbacks from rail workers, firefighters and teachers-and even a threat by hospital directors to go on hunger strike over cash shortages. Moreover, the finance ministry predicts the economy will have shrunk by a whopping 6.7 percent by the end of the year, and it is not expected to start growing again before 2011. Meanwhile, unemployment has climbed above 10 percent. While some countries were trying to spend their way out of recession by pouring money into fiscal stimulation packages, strict conditions attached to the bail-out by the International Monetary Fund meant Hungary had little choice but to retrench. After Socialist premier Ferenc Gyurcsany stood down in March, a new interim government headed by Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai immediately took an axe to public spending. Drastic pension cutbacks and the abolition of "13th month" payments to public sector workers were combined with a hike in sales tax from 20 to 25 percent. The 2010 budget bill means further cuts next year, with local authorities, ministries and the stateowned railway network all on the chopping block. AHF honors three at annual awards dinner NEW YORK CITY - The American Hungarian Foundation honored three outstanding individuals with its annual George Washington Award during a blacktie dinner Nov. 18 a the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The award honors those who have made eminent contributions to the arts, society, commerce, industry, the broad fields of human knowledge and understanding among men and nations. Honored were H. Kirk Brown III and his wife Jill A. Wiltse. Together, they have assembled a major Hungarian art collection and founded On Screen, a non-profit organization which produces films on architects and designers. The third honoree was Christian L. Sauska, founder of Light Sources, Inc., of Orange, Conn. One-fourth of Hungarians got H1N1 vaccination BUDAPEST - One in four Hungarians has been inoculated against the HINI virus, placing Hungary behind only Sweden and the Netherlands, Health Minister Tamás Székely said Dec 22.. The number of residents consulting doctors about HINI symptoms dropped at the end of December thanks to the vaccines. National chief medical officer Ferenc Falus said 2.5 million people have been inoculated in Hungary against HINI and an estimated 500,000 have contracted the virus. A 48-year-old man became Hungary’s 45th fatality attributed to the new flu at Nagykanizsa’s Dorottya Hospital. He had not received the vaccine. William Penn Life, January 2010 5 Slovak minister regrets tensions from Hungary Around The Clock The past six months in relations between Hungary and Slovakia were especially hard and unpleasant "and what happened damaged both countries in the eyes of the world," Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcák said in an interview with a Slovak website. "It would be irresponsible of me to blame the Hungarian side exclusively for the worsening atmosphere," he said, adding that the presence of the far right Slovak National Party in Slovakia's ruling coalition is "an umbrella under which many people could put many things." Lajcák said Hungary had used adjectives in regard to Slovakia that do not belong in the vocabulary of EU and NATO allies. "Some mentioned Nuremberg laws, racism, fascism, and I have to draw attention to the emotional campaign waged against us in the European Parliament." He blamed among others the Hungarian media, intelligentsia and civil society for the present tensions between the two nations. Lajcák underlined that intergovernmental relations should be rationalized after parliamentary elections in both countries next year. "We cannot allow ourselves to have such a bad four years as the past half year was, because then both countries would hurt their international reputation," he said.
