Il 2008 e il 2009 resteranno nella storia come gli anni della crisi economica mondiale ed è giusto che sia così. Per costruire un buon futuro sulla Terra, infatti, dobbiamo sapere come sono fatte le sue fondamenta e quali pericoli possono mettere a rischio la tenuta del palazzo. Mi avvio a raccontarvi come si vive la crisi in un paese dell'ex-blocco sovietico, l'Ungheria, nella cui capitale Budapest sto vivendo da alcuni months as a journalism student and worker. Budapest in spring is a marvel, not only with the Danube and the architecture of its buildings, but also for the liveliness of tourists and students crowding. Considering it as a city in decline, as reflected by some recent articles and television commentary, it means distorting the truth. The crisis is there and there will be, as in Europe and the United States, but that does not mean that Hungary is still watching.
I talked to people who work in Hungary for years, know how and if they have changed the outlook in their fields.
Realty
Stefano Accornero, Tecnocasa Manager for Hungary, said the property market in the Hungarian capital is not likely to collapse. "At the beginning of March was held in Budapest Fair building. Our stand has worked tirelessly for the duration of the event, always crowded by visitors to the fair. At the end of the event we recorded 300 requests for apartments in Budapest. "
Accornero said that the offer has increased, but at the same time it has been a decline in the number of sales compared to last year. Hungarians prefer to invest in brick, in a time when the currency is volatile, so the sales have not decreased. To be in decline are the buyers who use a mortgage. Completely understandable after the heavy reliance by the Hungarian mortgages foreign currency, Swiss franc or euro, left them with enormous difficulties in repay the installments due to the collapse of the forint in October 2008. A Hungarian forint receiving the salary has to pay higher rates now that the forint fluctuates around 300 against the euro. "Hungary - explains Accornero - is a country that has not been able to manage well the output from the system. There are many families who have used loans to buy a car or a television, unnecessary goods that you can do except when you have to pay the installments of a loan or otherwise it is hard to make ends meet. "
Proper management of expenditure and a reduction in consumption can help not just Hungary to the crisis. A necessary step in this direction are the reforms by the government, a newly formed executive after the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany denied. The new Prime Minister is the quarantunenne that Gordon Bajnai, Minister of Economy and Development under Gyurcsany, has already announced cuts in public spending and measures concerning taxes to jump-start the economy.
hotels, events and opportunities
Budapest is the capital city for cheaper apartments, but not all. Trivago, the online service center for European travelers, the public price of the hotel market for the 50 most popular European destinations. Budapest, with an average cost of 83 euro per night, is the cheapest city in Europe at this time, not only for tourism but also for conventions, conferences, corporate events and fairs. This is confirmed by the holder of Eventonetwork, Luigino Bottega, Italian entrepreneur who chose Budapest as the headquarters of the franchise network of companies organize events in Europe. Speaking of the crisis, said: "The crisis opens up new opportunities and who knows how to pick them can get the benefit as of now, reposition itself more competitively for the future. The crisis in fact - still the holder of Eventonetwork - is a phase of change where innovative ideas can emerge in different sectors, while those who are anchored to the past patterns suffers the most. "
Required steps must change course, but this does not mean that in Hungary there is no longer economic life. In early April, for example, took place Construma, the exhibition sector Construction, Building and ceramics, which this year has seen an increase of its visitors.
Stefano Destro, director of consulting Hydea Consulting, is in Hungary since 1998 and notes that it is true that Hungary's public debt is 65% of GDP, that Italy has more than 100% of Gross Domestic Product. "Facts and figures must be contextualized. - Right Notes - Houses for sale in Budapest I've always seen these in years, not are an indicator of the economic crisis. The same goes for racism. "Reforms are now pressing for Hungary and include cuts, a closer look, but does not mean sacrificing standardization. At present, the wastes are too many, starting with paid maternity leave for three years. theory, a worker who gives birth to three children can stay at home for years, using for each child of a very long period of maternity. "Approximately 50% of mothers Hungarians make this choice." A recount is Andrea Varga. Andrea Hungarian expert in the field of human resources, as well as the mother of a girl of 11 years. Civil servants, explains Andrea, have a long list of benefits that supplement il loro stipendio. Di questi molti non sono tassabili, come ad esempio i voucher turistici che consentono di viaggiare all'interno del paese. Introdurre nuove tasse, ridurre benefit e congedi per malattia, non è facile, sono misure impopolari per il Governo, ma in questo momento è necessario affrontare la crisi anziché fingere che non ci sia o nascondersi dietro al pessimismo tipico degli ungheresi. Si possono prevedere proteste e scioperi, ma le misure devono essere intraprese e occorre anche educare gli ungheresi al risparmio. "Molte famiglie non hanno i soldi per arrivare a fine mese ma decidono comunque di comprare una bella automobile, tanto possono pagarla a rate." spiega Andrea Varga, aggiungendo che non è insolito sentir parlare di auto da payable in 10 years. There is also use to buy a rental rate, so it can happen that a family has 4 or 5 debts at once, perhaps to be added to the mortgage on the house. This desire for luxury and leisure is a legacy of Communism. The country has suffered for decades the lack of free choice and now that Hungary is available all the assets of the Western world are attracted to the Hungarians. The luxury shopping, according to many Hungarians can mask a dignified poverty. Health and work
salaries of doctors in Hungary are very low and the only way to stay is to stretch the bribes by patients themselves. This happens for ordinary visits, but also to share and operations of all kinds.
Andrea Varga said that the method of the bribes is common practice in Hungary. Certainly not the custom for honors, but not an indicator of the crisis. At the end of a visit is normal stretch a handful of notes to the doctor, who pockets, usually singing a protest so weak because of circumstance.
Business and development plans
There is still life in Budapest, where layoffs and closures are also accompanied with investments and openings. Many companies try to avoid staff reductions by reducing the work week waiting for the period of greatest impact of the crisis has passed. It should be added, for having the record that there are openings for new agreements and investments. The Italian Coin is just to open in Budapest, as explained by the CEO of Gruppo Coin Stephen Belanger interview for "The Bridge", is a challenge and an opportunity. The German firm has GUNTNER inaugurated Thursday a new plant that will employ 170 people. The news was given by the Hungarian for the promotion and development of investment ITD Hungary, which also informs the opening of the new service center of the Swedish Scania and the expansion of Infineon. I speak with Andrea Agus, in Hungary for 9 years, working in a Convergys service center in Budapest: "Our center is a really healthy, which has suffered layoffs as a result of crisi, ma anzi è pronto ad assumere." A proposito di nuove assunzioni, Agus ricorda l'espansione dell'impianto di IBM a Székesfehérvár, che porterà almeno 290 posti di lavoro e dovrebbe essere seguita da una serie di nuovi progetti che potrebbero impiegare circa 3.000 persone. Oltre a IBM anche Tondach, l'azienda di piastrelle in ceramica e tegole per tetti, si è ampliata fino a creare in Ungheria il suo più grande impianto in Europa.
Oltre alle aziende anche i piani di sviluppo per il paese, sostenuti dall'Unione europea, vanno avanti, e non solo nella capitale. Il Piano di Sviluppo Nuova Ungheria sta infatti procedendo. Lo dimostra la decisione di modernizzare il Parco Industriale a 2 km dalla città di Pécs, where 20 companies are already active. A grant of 126 million guilders will transform the park into one of the centers of development in the area of \u200b\u200bre-industrialization. Another sign that Hungary is taking steps to manage the crisis is given by the Government's decision to defer 13 of the 335 priority projects in Hungary, the most difficult to achieve, for spending much of the funds available to firms in difficulty because the economic crisis. This is important but not urgent plans, such as the restoration of the royal castle of Buda, the building of the government quarter and restructuring Moskva Ter.
Inside the crisis should be able to track down the opportunity to understand where and how to invest. See all black at a time like this can only hinder the return of colors. We'll see how it goes forward the country, trying to help him overcome the crisis without forgetting its wealth and development opportunities that Italy has always seen in this land.
The Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has stepped down, albeit slightly, the situation is changing. The country is suffering but not silent.
