Trade and Membership Directory 2008-2009 [antikvár]

When I first arrived in Hungary in 1989, the numher of British companies operating here was tiny. But before I left in late 1992, the British Chamber of Commerce had been founded and business was burgeoning. It was encouraging to come back after a 15 year gap and find it in such good shape - with around 180 members, respected, influential and lobbying the Hungárián authorities on important issues. The previous Chairman, István Varga, who served an unprecedented 3-year term, played a key role in raising the profilé of the Chamber. But there is still plenty for his excellent successor Gergely Mikola to do. This Embassy witl continue to work closely with the Chairman, the Executive and the Members to advance the position of British companies here. The political and economic situation in Hungary is difficult at present, though far from being in crisis. This is precisely the time when Chamber Membership can bring extra value-added for companies struggling to succeed. Overall, UK plc. continues to be well positioned in the markét. We are the fourth biggest investor here and our bilateral trade continues at around a substantial L3 biliion annually. Somé 400,000 British tourists visited last year, somewhat down on peak years but still very healthy. There are excellent relations between Hungárián Ministers and their UK counterparts and between professional organisations in the two countries. The past year has seen a welcome focus on transparency issues. This Embassy and Chamber have worked closely with counterparts and with Transparency International to highlight the importance of transparency in the markét and to recommend ways in which this might be improved. This is still work in progress, but in terms of raising the issue up the agenda and engaging the relevant authorities in the debate we are doing well. The next step is somé actual implementation. Beyond that, we continue to lobby on a wide rangé of matters of generic interest to British companies - high taxatíon, unpredictability of policy making, inconsistent application of the rules and over-regulation. I use every suitable opportunity I have, with Ministers, officials and the média to flag up such problems and the difficulties they cause to businesses. Hungary has many attractions as a base for British companies, but it cannot rest on its laurels when other countries in the region are going fiat out to make themselves attractive to investors. The UK Trade and Investment team in the Embassy, led by Deirdre Brown, is here to help you. Do please make use of them. I look forward to another year of close engagement with the Chamber and its members.