Gergely Gulyás, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, reported after the government meeting that it had been working on the budget, which will focus on families.
Gulyás reiterated Hungary’s hopes for peace in Ukraine to help fuel economic growth, Magyar Nemzet reported. He also said he hopes as many Hungarians as possible will send in their vote on whether or not Ukraine should be allowed into the EU following the announcement by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of a national consultation on the issue.
“The difficult years are behind us. We are presenting a budget that is built on peace, and also a budget to support families raising children,” he said.
National defense will also be a priority, which requires an adequate army. Hungary expects to maintain the NATO-required defense spending of 2 percent of GDP.
Regarding the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs’ (LIBE) request regarding Pride — that they would like the pro-LGBT parade to be held in our country — Gulyás said that there is no legal possibility for the committee to raise such an issue in Hungary.
National Economy Minister Márton Nagy also chimed in with some economic numbers. Next year, real GDP is expected to grow by 4.1 percent versus 2.5 percent in 2025, with inflation of 3.6 percent, after this year’s 4.5 percent.
The public finance deficit will be further reduced from around 4 percent this year to 3.7 percent next year.
Regarding expected EU funds, the government is counting on EU funds of HUF 2,360 billion (€5.8 billion) in 2026. They are counting on this money for weapons, a 13 percent increase in the minimum wage, and a salary raise for teachers.
Nagy added that the extra-profit tax will remain in place as long as the economic actors concerned realize the extra profit.
The 2025 budget was designed as a peace budget, he noted, so they calculated with higher macroeconomic figures. They thought that after Trump’s election, he would bring economic security in addition to physical security, and they still think that Hungary will stay out of the war, and peace will follow, which would put the economy on a growth path.
“If this year had not been a peace budget, the pension and wage increases would not have been possible,” Márton Nagy pointed out.
