Economy: And then it turned out: for Hungarians, Lake Balaton is not the Riviera

Hungarians have so far debated the government’s measures against the coronavirus, but this week’s move generated more resentment than ever: Viktor Orbán announced in a Facebook video on Wednesday that the price of coronavirus tests had been capped at 19,500 HUF. . Because public tests are limited to a narrow range, and this is why they stumble, many are forced to undergo a health check in a private laboratory, priced just below the 30,000 price level. in the market.

However, a health economist also noted that official prices could be counterproductive, as this price does not include sampling and improper self-testing can lead to false results.

In any case, the vast majority of hvg.hu readers believe that the government should fund the tests for all Hungarians instead of the official price. Respondents in our survey agree with the rules on wearing masks, but are also highly critical of the new measures, which will go into effect on October 1.

Ursula von der Leyen is not very satisfied with the Hungarian government either. Although the President of the European Commission, who took office at the end of last year, did not mention the names of Hungary or Viktor Orbán in his first annual evaluation speech, he addressed some of their criticism, especially in regards to the violations. of the rule of law and misuse of EU funds.

However, this was not the main thrust of Von der Leyen’s speech: on behalf of the EU, he made an even more generous commitment to the fight against climate change, meaning that by 2030 EU countries will cut their emissions. by 55 percent.

György Matolcsy is working on greening the economy with a completely different tool. In the week-long article, the Governor of Magyar Nemzeti Bank launched a new central bank housing program: A system called the New Housing Program would offer cheap 0 percent loans to builders and buyers of new green homes with a ten-term years. Although a new loan would be more advantageous than a chocolate since it does not require a child, it is not available to everyone due to its short term. However, it would be unbeatable in terms of costs: according to Bankmonitor’s calculations, debtors would have to repay 4-5 million HUF less than a market mortgage loan.

At the moment, the central bank program is just an idea, even if its terms are quite influential in decision-making, but the VAT refund offered for real estate developments in the rust zone is already present. The flats to be built in the old industrial estates could also function as rental flats, which could trigger serious processes in the domestic market, but at the moment there is only certainty, money, there is no guarantee that it will be spent well.

Picture of the week: The largest bridge on the Danube in Komárom was delivered

Although the capital’s management is thinking on a smaller scale, this week it carried out an important innovation: it will create specially shaped bike lanes on the southern stretch of Grand Boulevard. We reviewed it and found that the new order is not pedestrian friendly, not bike friendly, and even more prone to accidents. A solution has been implemented between the Blaha Lujza Square and the Petőfi Bridge to ensure 2×2 lane car traffic, which has not been used in Budapest for many years.

Balázs Fürjes, the Secretary of State for Development of Budapest and the Agglomeration, who expressed his opposition on Twitter, does not like the bike path that runs between the sidewalk and the road. Another problem is that the capital city management chose exactly the solution it had previously proposed.

Apparently this year’s adventure tour has turned into cycling rather than actual sightseeing. Slower data shows that Hungarians visited their favorite destinations in fewer numbers than last year. According to data from Croatia, the number of overnight stays by Hungarian tourists in the country decreased by 57 percent compared to 2019, to a greater extent than the average for foreigners. However, this does not necessarily mean that, as the prime minister said in the summer, “less Adriatic, more Lake Balaton”, as according to CSO data, domestic tourism has also decreased.

Ferihegy isn’t doing very well either, especially since the introduction of new travel restrictions. According to the latest data, in the first two weeks of September, traffic fell by 90 percent at Liszt Ferenc airport, where a car park has already been closed behind several passenger areas.

Instead of traveling, Hungarians spent the most on food this year, especially since its prices have risen sharply in recent times. Eurostat data revealed this week that Hungarian inflation actually became the European champion in August, and we beat the rest of the EU to a small extent: we recorded 4 percent, the EU average was 0.4 percent. in the same period.

It is a pleasure to say that at least the increase in pig prices, which is significantly driving the average price level, can stop in the next period. The reason for this is that the African swine fever also affected Germany, which is why China, after the Hungarians, also banned the purchase of German products. That is, a significant amount of goods stuck in Europe, this can lower prices. Another problem is that this is not good news for domestic producers.

Of course, there are those who have no problem in that the price of Paris has risen almost twenty percent annually. They are the ones who would pay up to ten thousand dollars for a Gucci dress, even if it doesn’t really exist. While the idea of ​​anyone paying for clothes online may seem surreal, Gucci is by no means a pioneer of the idea. They have already designed a digital copy of their current collections for an online game, and will launch a new platform later this month through which users will be able to design and test shoes with augmented reality solutions (online, of course), or even exchange them. . And this is not an actual production, as these products are only designed for people to post to them.