Sweden and Hungary: long-lasting partners

The January issue of Diplomacy and Trade featured a Nordic Focus on the relations between the Scandinavian countries and Hungary. Here, you can read the piece that the Swedish Ambassador, Karin Olofsdotter contributed to the section.

Hungary and Sweden have historically had strong bonds of friendship, ties that became even stronger after the revolution of 1956 in Hungary when many Hungarians migrated to Sweden. Those who chose to stay assimilated naturally into Swedish society and those who chose to return brought some Swedish values and traditions with them. This, combined with the Swedish positive view of the Hungarian nation and its citizens, has made Hungary an attractive country for Swedish students, artists, companies and investors.

Swedish companies in Hungary

Trade between Hungary and Sweden has developed very positively in recent years and Hungary is seen as a country that enables companies to prosper. There are a number of successful Swedish companies established in Hungary, employing – directly or indirectly – more than 17,000 people. Furthermore, Swedish companies in Hungary have a reputation of representing good work ethics and have several times won domestic awards for their care of employees and working environment.

Defense cooperation

Hungary and Sweden have a highly developed defense co-operation, characterized in many ways by the concept of “pooling and sharing”, especially regarding the Strategic Airlift Capability at the Pápa airbase in western Hungary. Common education and training between Hungarian and Swedish military units strengthens the defense of both countries and prepares for joint future peace promotion activities. Moreover, in the year of 2001, Hungary became the first NATO member to obtain the Swedish fighter aircraft Jas 39 Gripen. The offset deal signed in connection with the Gripen contract contributed as significant support to Hungarian industries through direct investment and promotion of Hungarian export.

Students

There are around 500 Swedish students who have chosen to complete their higher education in Hungary. Every year, several new students are settling in Budapest and other cities to attend Hungarian universities with the most popular studies being in medicine, veterinary science, psychology, dentistry and economics. The fact that Swedish students choose to educate themselves in Hungary is bound to further strengthen the relationship between our two countries. In addition, it makes future co-operation and mobility easier and more natural. Since my arrival in Hungary, I have talked to a lot of Swedish students living in Budapest. They all have one thing in common: they don’t want to leave! I think that is a true evidence of how easy it is for Swedes to feel at home in Hungary – myself included (although I am hardly a student, anymore).

Culture

During 2012, it is the aim of my colleagues and myself to make Swedish culture even more present in Hungarian society than it is today. The year will contain celebrations in the memory of Raoul Wallenberg and a special exhibition highlighting the life and work of August Strindberg. In April, Sweden, together with the other Nordic countries, is the honorary nation at the Budapest Book Festival and there will be even more opportunities to discover a smorgasbord of Swedish culture as the A38 boat will host a Swedish week showcasing Swedish music, food and photography. And that is not the end of it! We are continuously working to find new exhilarating ways of mutually introducing and interconnecting Swedish and Hungarian culture. The year of 2012 will surely be a marvelous year for fostering Swedish-Hungarian relations in culture, economics and politics.