The Budapest-based EuCham Central and Eastern Europe - in cooperation with Transparency International Hungary - organizes its Business Integrity Forum in the Hungarian capital on March 23 on the importance of compliance and integrity in business.

The Hungarian Association of Executives, which celebrates its 25th anniversary, handed over the Manager of the Year, the Young Manager of the Year and the Leadership Excellence awards on February 28 during the 21st Executive Ball and Awards Gala.

In its recent country focus on Switzerland, Diplomacy & Trade included a piece on the role, the objectives and achievements of the Swiss Contribution Program in Hungary. The main aim of the Program is to reduce economic and social disparities.

This year, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (SwissCham) celebrates the 20th anniversary of its foundation. In the recent Swiss Focus of Diplomacy & Trade, the President of the organization talked about the past two decades and the years to come.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (CCCH) that celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013 promotes business for both Canadian and Hungarian companies. Diplomacy & Trade has recently carried this interview with its President, Nicholas Sarvari.

The Deutsch-Ungarische Industrie- und Handelskammer (German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce – DUIHK) looks back at a history of over two decades. Diplomacy & Trade carried a recent interview with the President of the Chamber, Dale A. Martin.

Representatives of the ruling party Fidesz and its small satellite partner Christian Democrats voted this Tuesday to prohibit large-size retail shops from opening on Sundays. No impact study has preceded the ban that is believed to be leading to layoffs.

Compared with its very high October value, the GKI-Erste economic sentiment index adjusted for seasonal effects decreased slightly in November. Expectations remained unchanged in the business sector, whereas they declined among consumers.

Hungary’s gross general government debt was 85.1% of gross domestic product at the end of the second quarter of 2014. It is believed to be related to the peculiar course in Hungary’s debt financing and a correction of the end-2013 doctoring of debt figures.

The Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture says direct effects of the Russian measures on Hungarian agricultural exports are negligible, and primarily cause actual difficulties only to enterprises that export exclusively or to a major extent to Russia.

The recent Dutch country focus of Diplomacy & Trade featured an interview with the head of the Political and Economic Department who says the Embassy is prepared to act as an interlocutor between the Dutch business community and the Hungarian authorities.

The European Commission announced the first results of its new EUR 3 billion SME Instrument program, launched under Horizon 2020 to help innovative small firms get ideas from the lab to the market. The first winners include three Hungarian firms.

The Hungarian European Business Council, incorporating the most important international companies present in Hungary, has published its 16th annual report, calls on the Hungarian government to create "sustainable and inclusive growth".

Foreign-currency denominated loans will be eliminated from Hungary's lending market by way of converting them to Hungarian forint (HUF) loans before the end of this year, Minister of National Economy Mihály Varga told public media on Monday.

After one and a half years of spectacular rise, the GKI-Erste economic sentiment index reached a peak in April. After a decrease in May, expectations improved slightly in the business sector in June, whereas the consumer confidence index continued to decline.