Hungarian PM visits Vilnius

The Hungarian government is fighting to reduce public debt to below 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and looks to Lithuania's economic growth as a model, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said during his visit to Vilnius.

After talks with his Lithuanian counterpart Andrius Kubilius on Monday, PM Orbán was of the view that “we are waging a day-to-day war against debt", the Hungarian Prime Minister said, adding that Lithuania's 38% public debt rate was – in comparison to close to 80% in Hungary – "freedom itself".

He stated that his government would like to follow the same path as Lithuania, claiming that Central Europe was looking ahead to a fantastic decade, with prospects of belonging to Europe's future success zone. At the moment, this is better reflected in Lithuania's economic indicators than Hungary's, he said.

International observers note that instead of cutting expenses, Viktor Orbán’s government decided to increase revenues by taxing the finance, energy, and telecommunication sectors and renationalizing private pension funds.

The two Prime Ministers discussed EU matters such as energy security, the Eastern Partnership and the settling of EU disputes as soon as possible. They also signed an agreement on youth cooperation between the two countries.