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Business support - Hungary

Updated 01/2011

Helping businesses

Private organisations

Companies operating in different fields group together in national bodies to ensure support and development of their work.

The national interest protection associations help their members in their work by means of different services, including consulting, representing their interests, vocational training, events organisation and partner searches.

Organisations operated jointly by the State and competitors

All Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the country are members of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The main services of the chambers are:

  • consulting about domestic and cross-border trade and business law, and questions relating to industrial property protection, how public administration works, and education;
  • vocational training activities ;
  • improving the business environment with professional events and fora, offering administration services, and writing publications;
  • running the Széchenyi Card scheme, which provides access to low-interest loans.

Foreign chambers of commerce and industry operating in Hungary represent the interests of their countries, investors, and their companies.

The Hungarian Foundation for Enterprise Promotion runs programmes that target the following areas: financing, education, training and the provision of information. The basic activities of the Foundation's network of Local Enterprise Agencies are as follows: consulting, training, insuring property and micro-loans, and development programmes.

The SEED Foundation provides adult education, advisory and events organisation services.

Public-sector organisations

The main task of the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency is to promote the external trade ambitions of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as foreign investment in Hungary The Agency’s main activities are:

  • it makes recommendations for the development of short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for trade development and investment stimulation, the direction to be taken by the development of conditions to ensure that the goals are achieved and the development of other conditions, and participates in the implementation of the foreign trade strategy, as well as assisting the Minister responsible for trade development and investment stimulation in the performance of his activities;
  • it collaborates on the compilation of professional materials for trade development and investment stimulation, and prepares recommendations for individual decisions relating to investment in Hungary by foreign investors;
  • it participates in the preparation and implementation of ideas relating to trade development and investment stimulation, and also prepares governmental decisions relating to support for highlighted investment projects ;
  • as part of its trade development activities, it helps to uncover export opportunities, mediate between trading partners and organise meetings between businessmen for Hungarian enterprises, and gathers and disseminates to small and medium-sized enterprises information relating to opportunities for tendering in the European Union and in Hungary that are available for export and capital-investment activities.

The fundamental aim of the National Office for Research and Technology is to stimulate the creation, dissemination and use of new knowledge and new technological know-how, and to encourage research and development, innovation and collaboration.

  • National Office for Research and Technology magyar

The European Consumer Centre Hungary provides information to consumers on Hungarian and EU consumer protection provisions and how to enforce them. The Centre only deals with cross-border consumer complaints, and its operation is supported by the European Commission.

Other organisations

The National Interest Reconciliation Council is a trilateral conciliation forum for employees, employers and the government. The parties exchange opinions and conclude agreements on national economic and social questions and draft legislation of decisive importance for players in the world of work.

  • National Interest Reconciliation Council magyar

The Hungarian Centre for Economic Development is a service company that performs extremely important public duties by efficiently making European Union aid for enterprises available to companies.

  • Hungarian Centre for Economic Development magyar

Companies in different sectors create sector associations, and assist with their members' operations by means of advice, representation of interests, specialist training and organising events. Such associations include:

Access to finance is crucial for setting up and running a business.

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

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Further help

SOLVIT helps businesses deal with problems that arise when national authorities wrongly apply EU market rules.