Diplomacy & Trade 2018 June

JUNE 2018 HUF 1710

VIRTUOSOS GOES INTERNATIONAL! "I AM CONVINCED THAT THE VIRTUOSOS TV SHOW WILL OPEN THE EYES AND EARS OF MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AND WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO LEARN TO PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OR PERHAPS TO TAKE SINGING LESSONS."

SEE MORE on pages 30-31

(P L Á C I D O D O M IN G O )

Diplomacy-n-Trade.ai 1 2017. 02. 27. 11:22:30

Denmark

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FOCUS

Denmark and Hungary celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations this year. Over these many years, collaboration between the two countries has strengthened significantly according to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Hungary, Kirsten Geelan. In an extensive interview with Diplomacy&Trade, she highlights, in particular, the increased interest of Hungary to know more about the ’Danish model’ in terms of diversity and trust and she also talks about political and economic ties.

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Much more than cosmetics

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Extensive renovation work started at the Budapest Marriott Hotel this year.

The first phase was completed just recently, fully transforming all guestrooms, while the final phase will be finished by 2019. In a dual interview, two general managers at the Marriott Group, Arne Klehn and Rick Enders share us their insights to new design trends in hospitality, and more. see article on pages 36-37 18006 9

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letter from the publisher

Astana International Financial Center

Record year at the Hungarian operations of Mercedes page 22

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­­ contents 05 ON THE RECORD 06 COMPANY BRIEFS 07 ANALYSIS

28 DIPLOMACY

08-21 DANISH FOCUS

30-32 CULTURE

The ‘reggae ambassador’ of Indonesia

29 WITTYLEAKS by the Ambassador of Switzerland

Window dressing in Cuba?

Interview with Ambassador Kirsten Geelan; Interview with Deputy State Secretary Kristóf Altusz; Grundfos; DBO projects; Scandinavian House; Soft Flow; Xellia; Chef Kamilla Seidler; Pandora; JYSK; Nilfisk; Weco Travel

Peter Freed PUBLISHER

22-23 BUSINESS

monthly in print - daily on the web

www.dteurope.com

33 EDUCATION Happy Kids

34-35 WHAT’S ON

Concerts, festivals, events and exhibitions in and out of Budapest

SwissCam; Mercedes, AIFC

AND DON’T FORGET

VirtuInterview with Mariann Peller; Interview with Plácido Domingo; India Festival

24 FAN ZONE

36-37 HOSPITALITY

World Cup fan zone at MOM Sport

Interview with Rick Enders and Arne Klehn of the Marriott chain; Clark Hotel

25 STYLE

How to keep looking like a million dollars in 35 degrees

26-27 SOCIETY

39 GASTRONOMY & WINE Riso; Budapest Bisztró

PUBLISHER: Peter Freed EDITOR: Sándor Laczkó COPY EDITOR: Joyce Freed PHOTO EDITOR: Dávid Harangozó SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Tamás Varga DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Tibor Ocsenás ADMINISTRATION: Judit Ludányi ASSISTANT: Ágnes Rapaport CONTRIBUTORS: Sándor Laczkó, Tamás Magyarics, Réka A. Francisck, Peter Burkhard PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS: Gyula Bartos (Cover), Depositphotos.com, Can Stock Photo Inc., AIFC, Mercedes-Benz Hungary, Budapest Airport, UPC, Budapest

FRENCH FOCUS - COMING SOON

Stock Exchange, Heineken, Grundfos, Soft Flow, DBO Projects, Szabolcs Bánlaki, Krisztina Máté, Presidencia El Salvador, Pandora, Embassy of Switzerland, David Venni/Chilli Media, Reid Rolls, Greg Bojorquez, Live Nation, Mykola Matsenko, Sándor Csudai, Paloznak Jazzpiknik, Gábor Dusa, Tamás Végh, Shauna Regan, László Emmer, Judit Marjai, Enikő Bianka Dancs, Happy Kids International Kindergarten, Marriott International, Bianka Májay, Tamás Bujnovszky, Jan Prerovsky, PIXELTASTER, www.afstudio.hu, István Király/www.kiraly.hu, Riso, Bálint Hirling, Tamás Szigeti/HAO, Enterprise Hungary, Egy Csepp Figyelem Foundation, Balázs Szecsődi, Dave Buranits, Tom Linboe, Nilfisk, Kaori Suzuki, Judit Marjai, Kriszta Bujdosó, MTI Photos: Tamás Kovács, Balázs Mohai

It was the first time in many years that the Hungarian Prime Minister had a chance to talk with the President of France when they met this May at the Western Balkans summit in Sofia. The French Ambassador to Hungary, Éric Fournier says he is working on bringing about as many official encounters as possible in bilateral relations. The July issue of Diplomacy&Trade will have France as the country in focus, touching upon the different aspects of bilateral ties, which will also be the topics of discussion in an extensive interview with the Ambassador. We also talk to the President and the Director of the Hungarian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and present the French Cultural Institute in Budapest.

Copyright 2004-2018 DUAX Kft., all rights reserved | ISSN 1589-8075 This magazine is produced by DUAX Kft. The opinions published in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DUAX Kft.

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COPIES ARE AVAILABLE AT SELECTED RELAY AND INMEDIO OUTLETS IN MAJOR HUNGARIAN CITIES.

AIFC, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ, MERCEDES-BENZ HUNGARY, DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM

Every day Hungarian television viewers watch programs that are the brainchild of an American or British producer. Now, it will be the other way round as the classical music talent show ‘Virtuosos’, developed in Hungary, will have its American, British and Chinese versions created as you can read in our interviews with the Hungarian creator and producer along with the world’s top tenor.

This month, our Focus country is Denmark that established diplomatic relations with Hungary seven decades ago. The kingdom is now the top Scandinavian investor in Hungary with some 150 Danish (or Danish-related) companies operating in this country providing jobs for 15,000 people, producing pumps for the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, designing tools to check food quality worldwide and judging whether an active pharma ingredient can enter the world market. These and other companies present themselves in the Danish Focus that begins with a discussion of bilateral political, economic and cultural relations in separate interviews with Danish Ambassador Kirsten Geelan and Hungarian deputy state secretary Kristóf Altusz.

As of this spring, the President of Cuba is someone whose surname is not Castro. However, as you can read in the article by our international analyst, the move is not as ‘revolutionary’ as it may seem at first glance.

Our business pages cover, among other topics, the annual general assembly meeting of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Hungary and the record year (both in manufacturing and sales) of Mercedes in this country.

This month, the WittyLeaks column is authored by the Ambassador of Switzerland, Peter Burkhard, who – having flown over Hungary several times in the past – discovered that this country is, in fact, a land of volcanoes! We also have a preview to the annual Danube-Ganga festival of Indian culture.

The hospitality section features interviews with the new and departed general managers of the Budapest Marriott Hotel and we also have for you restaurant offers and even a place where you can watch World Cup soccer matches in a party atmosphere.

Ganga-Danube Indian Cultural Festival and the page 32 International Day of Yoga

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on the record

HUNGARIAN ACADEMY CALLS FOR CHANGES IN EDUCATION

Education is held by the General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) among the most important tasks of the Hungarian state - the Academy's decision-making body declared in its resolution with a majority of over 80% this May. The resolution says that there is a need for changes that will, on the one hand, effectively improve the ability

NEW PARLIAMENT CONVENES

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TAMÁS KOVÁCS/MTI, BALÁZS MOHAI/MTI, TAMÁS SZIGETI/HAO, ENTERPRISE HUNGARY, CAN STOCK PHOTO INC., EGY CSEPP FIGYELEM FOUNDATION

Following the parliamentary elections of April 8, the Hungarian National Assembly was convened by the President of the Republic on May 8. The role of this first session (‘constituent sitting’), is to adopt the reports on the election, examine and clear parliamentary mandates of the members of parliament (MPs) who take the oath afterwards, and it is also here that officers of the National Assembly are elected. Elected as Speaker for another term was László Kövér, who had been nominated by the Fidesz-KDNP alliance that has a two-thirds majority (117 of the 199 seats). In his inaugural speech, he promised predictability.

Following the MPs taking their oath, Hungarian President János Áder pointed out in his speech that it was worth considering the lessons of the electoral period and therefore, he recommended that the relevant committee of parliament review the experiences of the electoral process with the National Electoral Commission (NVB) and, if it is needed, propose to Parliament to amend the Electoral Procedure Act. Two days later, the Fidesz-KDNP majority elected Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister.

to face the challenges of the future, develop flexible learning skills and, secondly, effectively increase equal opportunities and reduce the disadvantages of family and regional situations.

The Academy and its research network is ready to provide assistance for this. As MTA President László Lovász pointed out in his speech at this year’s General Assembly Meeting, the Academy hopes that research groups in the Pedagogy Research Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities have more practical aims, such as the development of subjects and they are to be funded with minimal delay. “We continue to undertake the task of assessing and providing counselling regarding the National Core Curriculum, with the help of our community of experts.

The Academy cannot play a bigger role in short-term decisions concerning public education, as we do not have the capacities for developing teaching materials,” he said.

STARTUP CAMPUS V4 GLOBAL TOUR IN THE U.S. The Startup Campus V4 Global Tour journeyed across the United States East Coast this May with five Hungarian health care startups having had the opportunity to validate themselves in the American market and to develop further cooperative relationships at various business-to-business meetings.

During this one-week business trip, startups presented themselves at the Foley and Lardner pitching and networking event in Boston, opened by Dr. László Szabó, the Ambassador of Hungary in Washington D.C. In the following days, the teams visited the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), MIT's Media Labs, and participated at another pitch tournament before a diverse group of health care, law and business professionals at Quinnipiac University.

In New York City, the teams exhibited at TechDay NYC, one of the biggest tech events in the city, after which a musical chairs-style pitch program and networking event was held at the Hungarian Consulate General in New York City, where the teams met several local experts and gained valuable feedback and connections.

At the last stop of the East Coast tour, they presented their innovations in Worcester, Massachusetts before the Hungarian Medical Association of America and received several invitations that would allow for further cooperation.

EUROPE DAY CELEBRATED IN BUDAPEST On the 14th anniversary of Hungary's accession to the European Union, a day-long festival was held in Budapest on May 13. It was for the fifth time that a race also took place this time, the distance was 14 kilometers.

Speaking on Szabadság tér in downtown Budapest, deputy state secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Péter Balázs Molnár said Hungarians have a lot to celebrate because the country spent half of the 28 years that have passed since 1990 [the year of the first free elections in the second half of the 20th century] in the EU. He stressed that it is an important milestone in the history of the country, pointing out that EU membership enjoys big support among the Hungarian population.

Lívia Járóka, a vice-president of the European Parliament, was quoted by the Hungarian news agency MTI as saying that there was a general feeling that the country had gained great momentum along with EU accession and that everyone could benefit from it.

István Ujhelyi, an MEP representing the Hungarian Socialist Party, highlighted the one-month travel benefit young Europeans would enjoy thanks to the ‘Free Europe Card’. Applications for the free travel scheme on InterRail trains can be made from mid-June to mid-July, he noted at a press conference.

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UPCOMING NATIONAL DAYS July 1 3 4 5 5 9 13 13 14 21 26 28 August 1 6 9 14 15 15 17 20 24 25 27 29 31

Canada Belarus USA Algeria Venezuela Argentina Montenegro Egypt France Belgium Libya Peru Switzerland Bolivia Singapore Pakistan India South Korea Indonesia Hungary Ukraine Uruguay Moldova Slovakia Malaysia

National day National day Independence day Independence day Independence day Independence day National day National day National day National day National day Independence day National day Independence day Independence day Independence day Independence day National day National day National day Independence day Independence day Independence day National day National day

HUNGARIAN WINNER AT GLOBAL LEGAL HACKATHON Rapid development of solutions for improving the legal industry world-wide is the goal of the Global Legal Hackathon competition where the winner this year in the private sector category was Revealu, an application from Hungary.

As the Hungarian news agency MTI learned from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the Hungarian team of students (of information technology, economic and legal studies and of design), was the only one from Europe to make it to the 14-team final in New York City.

The Revealu application helps people download their personal data from online service providers under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force this May. GDPR, which is expected to be a new global standard, is a new system that is progressive in terms of data security but is fearsome for companies because it can be a source of serious penalties.

With the help of this Hungarian development, users can learn – with just one click – about the information stored on their systems. What is more, they can immediately delete or modify the data.

The application can also be used by private individuals: companies can track incoming requests on a centralized interface and respond automatically. The program was completed as a prototype during the competition.

A DROP OF ATTENTION TO DIABETES Hungarian celebrities will also be involved in the new primary school diabetes education program where students, teachers and even parents of children can gain comprehensive knowledge of diabetes. The program was created by the International Diabetes Federation for children 6-14 years of age, parents and teachers. One of the aims is that children with diabetes are better supported in schools. This KiDS program is implemented in Hungary by the One Drop of Attention Foundation at the request of the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, which is dedicated to the initiative. The introduction of the program in the next school year will begin with a pilot project in which five schools take part.

Professionals who work in the program to educate people about diabetes, to prevent type 2 diabetes and to accept kids who have this condition are helped by Hungarian celebrities, like actress Izabella Varga, who use their fame to call attention to this problem.

In addition to KiDS, the One Drop of Attention Foundation continues another training program launched almost five years ago. That free training is designed to prepare pre-school teachers and teachers for day-to-day tasks required by children with diabetes. Up to now, nearly 3,000 teachers have been trained at 40 venues. As professional partners, the Hungarian Diabetes Association and the Hungarian Association of Dietetics assist the program which has been part of the official training curriculum at ELTE University for five years.

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­company briefs AMERICA, A PROTAGONIST AT BUDAPEST AIRPORT

VODAFONE BUYS UPC HUNGARY FROM LIBERTY GLOBAL

At the beginning of May, three new, direct flights from Budapest to the United States were inaugurated at Budapest Airport. In recognition of these flights, SkyCourt staged an authentic American atmosphere, with exciting programs, games and surprises waiting for passengers.

LOT Polish airlines launched a scheduled, direct air passenger service between Budapest and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, meaning that after a pause of seven years, there is once again a direct air passenger route between the United States and Hungary.

LOT’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is capable of carrying 252 passengers and 12 tons of cargo, is travelling the route four days a week all year round on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

US television and broadband company Liberty Global announced this May that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its operations in Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany to Vodafone Group, the world's second-largest mobile carrier, for EUR 18.4 billion. After completion of the transaction, Liberty Global will continue to be Europe’s leading cable television and broadband provider, with consolidated operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Slovakia.

According to a press release by Liberty Global, the four businesses represent approximately 28% of the company’s consolidated 2017 operating cash flow, excluding its share in the VodafoneZiggo joint venture in the Netherlands. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval by the European Commission, which is expected to make a decision in mid-2019. Analysts point out that in Hungary, Vodafone’s acquisition of Liberty Global’s assets will create a market with two operators owning both fixed and mobile networks. The other operator, T-Mobile, has 47% of the Hungarian mobile market and 28% of the pay TV market. This new deal would make Vodafone the largest fixed broadband provider in Hungary, with a 22% market share as the company already provides such services to mediumsized and large companies.

Robert Redeleanu, Chief Executive Officer of UPC Hungary and UPC Poland, said in connection with the reported transaction that "this is a decisive moment in the history of UPC Hungary. The transaction is a recognition of UPC's achievements and team. It also fits into the development of the telecommunications

Four catering establishments in Budapest broke with the tradition of plastic cups and started offering beer in biodegradable, plant-based cups this May. With the spreading of environment-friendly Polylactic Acid (PLA) cups, the carbon footprint of companies like HEINEKEN Hungária may be reduced. A statement by the company points out that the use of PLA cups may also reduce the amount of waste produced in the catering industry. In

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The Budapest Stock Exchange [BSE] signed a cooperation agreement with one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The two organizations will work together on, among other things, creating new products available for both Hungarian and Chinese investors. This is another step for BSE towards closer cooperation with the dynamically growing Chinese capital market, a press statement by BSE points out.

Within the bounds of the newly launched partnership, the two stock exchanges will develop investment products and initiate a joint research activity. The cooperation also includes exchange of information on the capital market, stock market operation and regulation.

Over 1,400 companies’ shares are traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, its daily average turnover is bigger than the entire Hungarian market capitalization. The Shanghai Stock Exchange was founded in 1990; it operates in the form of a non-profit organization, governed directly by

the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSCR), the Chinese securities market supervisory body. The exchange is one of China’s two independent stock exchanges, the other is Shenzen. Both markets provide wide range of shares, bonds and other securities.

Strengthening cooperation with dynamically developing China is a key element of the capital market development activity of the Budapest Stock Exchange. In January 2017, the BSE signed a similar memorandum of understanding with the Bank of China which could effectively promote, among other things, the presence of yuan-based tradable products on BSE. The Far East has dominated the global IPO (initial public offering) scene since 2014. On the Shanghai and Shenzen stock exchanges alone, there were 436 public equity issues in 2017, a quarter of the new IPOs worldwide. In terms of the total value of transactions, the world leader was the Shanghai Stock Exchange both in 2017 and 2016.

order to spread the use of the biodegradable cups, it is necessary to convince consumers and - through them - the catering industry. 34% of beer drinkers worldwide claim that their product selection is influenced by environmental considerations. HEINEKEN Hungária is the first company to launch a campaign among large companies in Hungary to offer beers in fully decomposable compostable beer cups to win over more and more consumers not only to see what we are drinking, but also what from. The campaign was created for the unconcealed purpose of making consumers and entertainers aware of sustainable operation and new eco-friendly cups.

According to a survey conducted by HEINEKEN in 18

countries, an average 66% of consumers are willing to pay more for products made with sustainable technology.

"As a brewer, we have a duty to consciously and sustainably utilize our resources, so our goal is to extend the principles of circular economy to more and more areas of our operations,” the CEO of HEINEKEN Hungária José Matthijsse pointed out.

This initiative is to shape consumer and gourmet attitudes, and it also serves the purpose of launching the brew season in an unusual way, she added. The company therefore welcomes any further initiatives aimed at reducing the use of plastics and shaping the mindset. HEINEKEN Hungária asks consumers and interested market players to join forces in putting less plastic burden on the environment.

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BUDAPEST AIRPORT, UPC, BUDAPEST STOCK EXCHANGE, HEINEKEN

HEINEKEN STARTS PLASTIC CUP FREE CAMPAIGN

THE BUDAPEST AND SHANGHAI STOCK EXCHANGES DEVELOP COOPERATION

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At the ceremony held for the first flight, the CEO of LOT, Rafal Milczarski noted that the company first began operating flights between Warsaw and New York City 45 years ago, and on that day, May 3, on the anniversary of the adoption of the Polish Constitution, LOT was launching its first ever air passenger service that is not flown from Warsaw, its main travel hub.

Also, as of this May, the Polish Airlines Dreamliner flies between the Hungarian capital and Chicago, Illinois on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The first of these flights arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare airport a few hours before the city’s traditional Polish constitution day parade began.

The third new American flight is an American Airlines direct service between Budapest and Philadelphia making American the first airline to connect Hungary and the state of Pennsylvania with a direct flight. Flights are operated with Boeing 767-300 aircraft, providing more than 2,800 seats per week between the two cities, every day throughout the summer season and offering travelers from Budapest one-stop connections in Philadelphia throughout North America and the Caribbean.

industry, which is defined by competition and customer service as well as the provision of worldclass Internet and media services.” He added that UPC Hungary and Vodafone will work together to build a strong partnership that is capable of delivering gigabit-based broadband and 5G developments, thereby contributing to the government's goal of making Hungary a dominant player in European and global digitization and 5G developments.Following the competition authority process, a nationwide service provider will be established that is capable of providing ‘quad-play’ (4P) packages: cable, internet, wireless and landline-phone services on a single bill and can provide infrastructure investments for new generation wireless TV and broadband services.

According to the CEO, benefits from the transaction will be enjoyed by both retail and business customers for whom they provide greater value-added services and a wider choice. The transaction strengthens competition and encourages other service providers to increase their investments.

analysis

A WINDOW DRESSING IN CUBA? CASTROISM IS LIKELY TO SURVIVE THE CASTRO BROTHERS

BY TAMÁS MAGYARICS

An unusual event took place in Cuba on April 19, 2018: a new President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers was sworn in, whose surname is not Castro for the first time in the past 59 years. However, most of the commentators are pouring cold water on the enthusiasm of those who speak about the accession of Miguel Díaz-Canel as an event of historic proportions. The new President is a through and through apparatchik, a ’perfect’ product of the Cuban style of Communism and, above all else, the de facto power continues to reside with the First Secretary of the Communist Party, Raúl Castro.

Moreover, the Castro-family has hedged against any unpleasant and unexpected surprises: the head of the intelligence and domestic security for the army and interior ministry happens to be, by chance, a certain Col. Alejandro Castro Espin, who is – surprise, surprise! – Raúl Castro’s son. On top of that, the senior leaders in the Communist Party remain the cronies of the Castro-brothers (practically each one of them is older than Señor Díaz-Canel). So, the change in the presidentship seems to be an eye-wash, at best.

much incentive to try to destroy the relations with the U.S. after having worked hard to gain diplomatic recognition from Washington.)

No real reforms Besides the emotional antipathy towards the Cuban Communist regime, there is also a legal impediment in the U.S. that blocks or, at least, slows down rapprochement with Cuba. The Helms-Burton Act of 1996 sets a number of preconditions for lifting certain sanctions against Cuba, including the release of all political prisoners, respect for freedom of expression, and steps towards free and fair elections.

Though, Raúl Castro introduced minor reforms, such as legalizing private enterprise on a small scale (roughly 70% of the Cuban economy is still owned by the state), and some travel restrictions were also lifted (mutually with Washington), it would be an exaggeration to talk about real reforms. In addition, the Cuban Communist regime simply needs the U.S. as a bogey man to maintain its ideological grip on the population, which is predominantly fed with government propaganda through the party daily (Granma) and the other

state-controlled media outlets. The Castros and Miguel Díaz-Canel have the cautionary tales of the fate of the Communist countries in East and Central Europe in the 1980s: once they started to introduce economic reforms, and started to liberalize the media, their systems collapsed in a few years. Cuba’s position is perhaps worse than that of the erstwhile Communist countries some three decades ago; now there is hardly any country with similar ideology left behind, and even some of them, especially one of the major supporters of Cuba, Venezuela, are in deep trouble, themselves.

No breakthrough is likely The trajectory of the U.S.-Cuban relations in the next few months is not likely to change, foremost because of American domestic political considerations. So long as the Republicans enjoy a majority in both Houses of Congress or in either one them, they are able and determined to block any substantial easing of the sanctions against Cuba – no matter who is in the White House or what the name of the President of a Communist Cuba is. The powerful Cuban-American lobby, with Sen. Marco Rubio as

one of its leaders, has enough clout over congressional leaders and committees to make the latter extremely wary about any move that could be interpreted as beneficial to the Cuban regime. American business interest in Cuba is not substantial, and even the number of tourists from the U.S. to Cuba has dropped by almost 50% between 2017 and 2018. The other side of the coin is, however, that the reintroduction of economic and travel restrictions or, for that matter, the drastic reduction of the number of U.S. embassy staff in Havana is not likely to soften up the Castro – Díaz-Canel regime. This policy, and even harsher methods did not bring down the Castro-regime for six decades, to expect otherwise now is more or less wishful thinking.

One of the reasons for caution in this respect is the policies of Russia and China, which have recently showed signs of increased interest in Cuba – not because of ideological reasons but balanceof-power considerations.

It is especially

China that has tried to establish and strengthen economic relations in Latin American countries, which are possibly more open to the initiatives coming from Beijing and Moscow in the light of President Trump’s frequently insensitive remarks about Latin American countries and peoples, as well as some of his policies, first of all regarding migration. In sum, no breakthrough is likely in the U.S.-Cuban relations during the Trump-presidency, and neither will there be when, in a further window-dressing, Manuel Díaz-Canel succeeds Raúl Castro as the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in 2021. Castroism is bound to survive the name-givers in the island of Cuba for some time to come.

Tamás Magyarics is a foreign policy analyst

photos by DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM,

PRESIDENCIA EL SALVADOR

Cuban Americans not impressed The anti-Castro and anti-Communist constituencies in the U.S. seem to be unimpressed by the transition of the presidency in Havana. Candidate Donald J. Trump criticized sharply President Obama for restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, especially at a rally in Miami. The venue was not picked at random, of course: Cuban Americans in Florida constitute a vital voting bloc; in addition, one of the hardliners among the anti-Castro forces is Sen. Marco Rubio, whose (tacit) support was also instrumental for the Republican candidate at that time.

By extension, the majority of the core voters behind Donald J. Trump are hostile to the Communist regime in Cuba either for ideological, religious or strategic reasons. The image of the Cuban regime was not improved by the mysterious illnesses contracted by a number of U.S. and Canadian embassy staff members either, despite the fact that there is not yet conclusive evidence that the Cuban authorities are to be blamed for it. (In point of fact, they did not have that w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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INTERVIEW WITH KIRSTEN GEELAN, DANISH AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY

“I think many Danes have a deep veneration towards Hungary,” Ambassador Geelan tells Diplomacy&Trade. “It goes back in time - and is for many connected to 1956 when Hungarians, in the thousands, stood up against the ‘might’ of the Soviet army. Afterwards, many Hungarians would build a new life in Denmark. Contacts between Danes and Hungarians are manifold from business people to researchers, to students and civil servants meeting all the time – not least, government representative meeting in Brussels. Many Hungarians study in Denmark and for many Danes Hungary has become a welcome tourist destination. My task as

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Ambassador to Hungary is very simple: I am here to further strengthen the already existing close ties between our two countries,” she adds.

Healthy cooperation The Ambassador highlights that Denmark and Hungary both being members of the European Union and NATO has paved the way for a healthy and close cooperation. “The decision to welcome ten new member countries into the European Union – including Hungary – was indeed taken in Copenhagen, in 2004.” As an example of working together within NATO, she mentions that recently, Danish and Hungarian military units contributed to the increased deterrence in Estonia.

As regards economic ties, she stresses that after the 1989 political turnaround in Hungary, many Danish

FACTS COMPARED AREA country comparison to the world POPULATION country comparison to the world POPULATION GROWTH RATE country comparison to the world BIRTH RATE country comparison to the world LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH country comparison to the world NET MIGRATION RATE country comparison to the world GDP - PER CAPITA (PPP) country comparison to the world UNEMPLOYMENT RATE country comparison to the world TELEPHONES - MOBILE/CELLULAR country comparison to the world AIRPORTS country comparison to the world J U N E

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DENMARK

93,028 sq km 111 9,850,845 (July 2017 est.)

92 -0.25% (2017 est.)

214 9 births/1,000 population 205 76.1 years 91 1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population 54 $28,900 (2017 est.)

69 4.4% (2017 est.)

59 11,779,908 78 41 (2013) 104

43,094 sq km 134 5,605,948 (July 2017 est.)

116 0.22% (2017 est.)

182 10.5 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

186 79.5 years 47 2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

46 $49,600 (2017 est.)

31 5.8% (2017 est.)

80 6,985,035 107 80 (2013) 68

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BY SÁNDOR LACZKÓ

DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

REPRESENTING DANISH VALUES

danish focus in the tax system, and continued predictability in the Hungarian legislation. Hungary´s ranking in different international transparency and corruption index also remains a concern,” the Ambassador points out.

She adds that last year, Denmark appointed the world´s first ever Tech Ambassador based in Silicon Valley and recently, a couple of Danish owned companies decided to establish their research and innovation activities in Hungary. “The reasoning behind establishing themselves in Hungary is clearly to tap into the high level segment of the Hungarian workforce and to develop further the cooperation with Hungarian universities. Fine examples for this, are Foss in the field of liquid food measuring equipment in Pécs, and Xellia Pharma with a new research laboratory in Budapest.”

New ideas and solutions “The cooperation between our two countries has a strong economic dimension. Danish companies and subsidiaries in Hungary employ more than 15,000 people. Companies like Lego, Velux, Grundfos, Coloplast or Nilfisk all benefit from an educated workforce, as well as a good infrastructure. I often meet with representatives of Danish companies and while the overwhelming impression is very positive, indeed, there are from time to time concerns as to the complexities

Danish design in Budapest

A considerable number of Danish companies in Hungary produce energy saving and insulation materials and energy efficient components mostly for the global market. Many products are sold in Hungary and therefore, increasingly have an impact on energy consumption. Whenever a Danish company sells a water circulation pump or a thermostat or insolation components to a Hungarian water utility company, a district heating supplier or construction company, the consumers will see the lowering of their energy consumption and ultimately their cost.

The Danish economy has continued to grow while Denmark maintained the same level of energy consumption. Quite an achievement and there is a growing interest in Hungary for these solutions. Recently, the Danish Embassy hosted several Danish producers and suppliers to the district heating sector. The event attracted a high level of attention amongst Hungarian decision makers and companies,” Ambassador Geelan highlights.

Denmark was the ‘feature country’ during the 2017 Budapest Design Week where companies exhibited the latest features in Danish Design.

“Danish architecture and design tradition is a quality brand. Throughout the 20th century, architectural masterminds such as Jørn Utzon (who, had he lived, would be celebrating his centenary this year and who in his lifetime created the Iconic Sydney Opera House), Arne Jacobsen (one of the godfathers behind Functionalism) developed a strong identity in the Danish architecture tradition built around an idiom that was minimalist, clean and functional. The names are respected worldwide,” she adds.

Agriculture, gastronomy She points out that Danes are proud of their contribution to the Nordic Kitchen. “This new wave has resulted in a renewed interest in local produce – re-introducing long forgotten productions and traditions. You will already find many Michelin star restaurants across Denmark and many of our star chefs have reached international fame.”

Sustainable lifestyle Many Hungarians are familiar with – and have visited – Denmark and seen the thousands of people who use their bicycles to go about their everyday life – a trend that is a contributing factor to a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. “Together with the other Nordic countries, Denmark scores high on the ‘Happiness Index’ and the word ‘hygge’ (the state of being content and happy) has become a household phrase. Many people ask what the basis is for this ‘Nordic Happiness’. For me, it is about trust in each other, society and institutions and a safety net when needed – in terms of health and education. Denmark and the Nordics have a lot to offer with growing and innovative companies and economy, diverse and open societies with a vibrant civil society, and open debate,” the Ambassador concludes.

photos by

DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM

companies established local subsidiaries throughout the country. The first Danish subsidiary was set up even before 1989: this was Velux in 1986, and many were to follow. On the political side, there have been several high level visits between the two countries in the past few years. In the autumn of 2016, the Speaker of Danish Parliament, Mrs. Pia Kjærsgaard visited the Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament. Last year, both the Danish Foreign Minister and Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark were welcomed in Hungary.

Danish sustainability in Hungary

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danish focus COMMON UNDERSTANDING AND COMMON APPROACH DENMARK, THE TOP NORDIC INVESTOR IN HUNGARY

Hungary and Denmark celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations this year. Diplomacy&Trade took this opportunity to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries with the Deputy State Secretary for European and American Affairs in the Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kristóf Altusz. will remember forever. So, it is not by chance that there is a Povl Bang-Jensen statue in our Ministry in Budapest,” the Deputy State Secretary points out. As another milestone in bilateral relations, he mentions the 1988 visit to Budapest of Queen Margaret II. “That extraordinary moment is very much in our memory.”

Current relations

Cooperation on the international scene

ANDERSEN’S FAMOUS TRANSLATOR

Most Hungarians have only heard about Júlia Szendrey as the wife of the well-known 19th century Hungarian poet, Sándor Petőfi. However, a story told by Kristóf Altusz reveals a detail unknown to many about her.

“The Hungarian embassy building in Copenhagen is under renovation. When it is inaugurated, a statue will also be inaugurated, that of Júlia Szendrey because she translated, from Danish into Hungarian, the well-known fairy tales of the Andersen brothers. The statue will be looking towards the sea, reminding Embassy visitors about a peculiar and not very commonly known cultural aspect of the dynamic and widespread Danish-Hungarian bilateral relations.”

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Both Hungary and Denmark are members of the European Union and NATO. “With regard to the United Nations, we have good cooperation with its Copenhagen-based institution, the World Health Organization. In fact, there are several Hungarians working for WHO at its headquarters in the Danish capital. So, I would say that in the multilateral partnership as well as within the framework of the European Union, our Danish friends have had similar points of view to ours with regard to the fact that the Hungarian government would like to see strong member states and believe that strong member states create a strong European Union. It is not by chance that when it comes to the issue of opt-outs, the Danes more or less followed

to ‘Invented in Hungary’. This type of R&D knowledge is already present not only in Denmark but also in the mindset of Danish investors.

When they look at Hungary, they do not just have manufacturing in mind but they are also thinking about bringing those innovative new structures to Hungary which, of course, need a higher level of educated people, a higher level of work.

One fine example is the Danish pharmaceutical company Xellia that has inaugurated a laboratory here in Budapest to do the final checks of all the medicine agents that they produce worldwide.

It means that it is here in Hungary that the stamp is put on whether something can go into worldwide production and circulation or not.”

the British. Another similarity is that when the migration crisis hit, the first countries that actually closed their borders and wanted to control the influx of migrants were Hungary and Denmark. Both governments are keen on having a clear security policy and putting emphasis on the development of the military, although, we are lagging a little bit behind the 2% GDP ratio target set by NATO,” Kristóf Altusz says.

Constant consultation The Deputy State Secretary has visited Denmark several times as there is a constant consultation going on between the two countries. “The hot international topics we examine include issues like the stabilization of the Western Balkans, what is going on in Ukraine, what the European Union approach should be towards Russia, what effects Russian sanctions have, how the North Atlantic Alliance is doing, Brexit, the migration crisis and energy security just to name few. In the past four years, I have always appreciated that there was a back and forth dialogue in communications. We are keen to have these types of bilateral consultations with Denmark as well as with other countries,” he points out.

For a greener Hungary The green environment, the environmental technologies are very characteristic of Denmark. According to the Deputy State Secretary, the experience and the know-how in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark, is “something what we also need here in Central Europe, in Hungary specifically. It is no secret that they are far ahead of us in this respect but we are also turning towards alternative energy resources in which Danish know-how is definitely useful. We are also turning towards digitalization of the economy where our Scandinavian and Baltic friends are in the front row. So, I can only encourage each and every Danish investor to come and look at Hungary because there is a lot to find here.”

Innovative new structures Danish – or Danish related – companies employ some 15,000 people in Hungary. Kristóf Altusz believes that “our Danish friends have already realized that there is a slight shift in the Hungarian economy from ‘Made in Hungary’ J U N E

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BARABÁS, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

He stresses that “being the Deputy State Secretary who has supervised Hungarian-Danish relations for the past four years, I would say that even in times of difficulties, we have always found an open ear in Denmark. The political situation we are concerned with here in Central Europe has always been understood by our Danish friends.

Plus, their pragmatic approach in identifying the problem and trying to get to the feasible solution is very similar to the Hungarian point of view. That is why we have found common ground on different issues. From the point of view of external economic relations, which is also in our portfolio in this ministry, it is worth knowing that Denmark is the biggest investor in Hungary from among the Nordic countries.

That is very good news because if you wish to stabilize the domestic economy, foreign direct investments play an important role. I believe Danish companies have realized that the business environment that we have here in Hungary is a positive one. This tells more than I can tell.”

photos by MIKLÓS

“Looking at our bilateral relationship from the diplomatic point of view, the name that immediately comes up is Povl Bang-Jensen. He is the figure Hungarians will remember forever because he did something unique and unforgettable for the Hungarian nation. As a diplomat at the United Nations at the time of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, he took good notice of what was actually happening in Hungary and gave recognition to the fact that there was a revolution, occurring in a small country, in central Europe, with the people standing out and fighting against communist oppression. Povl Bang-Jensen revealed the facts and put the Hungarian tragedy of 1956 into an objective perspective. This is something we

danish focus

QUALITY PUMPS FROM HUNGARY

GRUNDFOS PRODUCTS ‘MADE IN HUNGARY’ ARE USED ALL OVER THE WORLD

Grundfos Hungary Manufacturing Ltd. was established in Tatabánya in the year 2000, and has since expanded into two more locations, with four plants altogether. As the General Manager (GM) of the company, László Török tells Diplomacy&Trade, the establishment of the first Tatabánya factory was a very important decision for the Group’s management who did not only want to set up a production base but a Central European strategic center, as well. The first investment was basically a transfer of motor production from Denmark, one of the biggest and most labor intensive Grundfos factories. “Given the successful operation – from the beginning – of the first Tatabánya factory, a decision was made to establish a pump production plant, basically a greenfield investment, in which operation began in 2002.

The then President and CEO of the company, Niels Due Jensen, the son of Grundfos founder Poul Due Jensen, said at the opening of that plant that he had in mind a presence of two factories in Hungary employing about a thousand people.

Now, Grundfos has four factories in Hungary with some 2,200 people working here. This is another sign that we have done our job well,” he says.

Székesfehérvár was chosen to be the venue for the third plant in this country. “It is an industrial town that was open to receiving the new Grundfos factory. It began operation in 2007 as did the research and development activity there, supporting the work of Danish experts. The R&D team that started with a few dozen engineers has now reached 80,” the GM points out.

The Grundfos group has 73 companies in 45 countries, manufacturing some 10 million pumps a year. “The company here, in Tatabánya and Székesfehérvár, is the largest Grundfos production plant in the world. The Hungarian factories (there are four of them) produce all sorts of Grundfos pumps (or their components) – except for the best-known product of the company, the little circulator pump. In numbers, it means about 650,000 pieces annually – including 3-5-ton industrial pumps manufactured in Székesfehérvár. Grundfos pumps produced in Hungary are used worldwide. Examples include the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic stadiums (in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro respectively) as well as in the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, at Stuttgart’s airport and even in big Australian hospitals, just to name a few,” he highlights.

From Hungary to the world

Growth necessitates hiring

The GM adds that in 2006, the management was looking for new opportunities but this time, in the 100-kilometer vicinity of Tatabánya so that not all production would be concentrated in the same place, something that also makes recruiting employees easier. Eventually, the nearby town of

Nowadays, one of the big challenges faced by companies in Hungary is workforce retention.

However, László Török says “fortunately, we don’t face big problems in this field neither in the Tatabánya nor in the Székesfehérvár factories. We had substantial growth last year

and that growth of 15% is likely to be repeated in 2018, as well. In the case of a big company like ours, it means hiring about 200 or more new employees, which is not an easy task, in fact, it is quite a challenge, even though we are doing relatively well in retaining the current workforce. We face high fluctuation among the new employees, usually in the first six months of their employment here. One of the reasons for this fluctuation is the big need for skilled labor in the area. In the past years, new factories have sprung up in the Tatabánya industrial park, for instance. We have invested a lot recently into enhancing our corporate image and not just for the outside world but towards the employees, as well. We have to keep our people informed about the values of Grundfos, we have to have good stories to tell about ourselves, we have to make our employees understand and feel they are important to the company.”

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, GRUNDFOS

From classroom to workplace

50 YEARS OF SPECIAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Grundfos celebrated the 50th anniversary of the employment of people with reduced work capacity this May. A Jubilee Gala Lunch was held to celebrate the occasion in Hungary, as well, where concerts by local artists like the Népház Show Formation Dance Group, Szilvia Agárdi and Nemadomfel enhanced the event. Everyone employed in this category at the company was invited with his/her partner to celebrate the anniversary along with the executives of the company. As the General Manager recalls, “the atmosphere was great and we had very good feedback afterwards.” He repeats what he said at the Gala Lunch that “there is not a single product manufactured by Grundfos in Hungary in which production people with reduced work capacity did not play at least a small part.”

Grundfos Manufacturing Hungary Ltd. employs reduced work capacity persons in two locations (Tatabánya and Székesfehérvár), as operators and administrators, among other positions. It is not by accident that the company has been recognized with the Disability Friendly Workplace Award every two years since 2011. 5% (that is, 125 people) of the total Grundfos headcount in Hungary is a team of reduced work capacity employees whose integration is assisted by the company in a multiple ways.

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Grundfos in Hungary has joined forces with several institutions to provide students with dual education, which the GM mentions is a very strong and very organized system in Denmark, similarly to Germany. “Even before the current system, supported by the Hungarian government, we gave opportunities to college and university students to get involved with Grundfos, to have practical exercises here, write their theses with our help and, of course, we tried to attract them to come and work for Grundfos. So, that was similar to what we have today but without the contractual agreement.

What is very important for us today is to attract people with strong professional skills, even if they have lower academic levels. For this, we need to approach secondary level vocational schools. We are currently entering into contracts with 70-80 students within the framework of the dual education system. We have learned that we need to find the future Grundfos employees in the classroom.”

More than just CSR László Török says “corporate social responsibility is much more than just one activity: creating jobs, training people, our ties with schools, participation in dual education, being part of the local community through support of organizations and clubs – all these are included.

For instance, the company is name sponsor of the local men’s handball team.”

Not surprisingly, the CSR focus at Grundfos is on water and sustainable environmental technology. “Energy efficiency, securing water supply, sustainability, which in the pump manufacturing industry is not just a CSR activity but a business model can also be found to make it a win-win situation in society,” he adds. Grundfos is committed to delivering solutions that strengthen reliability and sustainability of water supply in the developing world. The company’s Lifelink water solutions combine its innovative and reliable technology with professional service networks to support operations on the ground. Grundfos believes that partnerships across sectors and business model thinking are also needed to provide sustainable and scalable solutions.

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danish focus

DBO PROJECTS, THE DANISH-HUNGARIAN LINK

we give lectures at international conferences and courses or participate in development programs and take part in the exchange of managers from institutions, our managers become much sharper and more motivated and experienced in their daily work. It is also easier for us to keep them, the best specialists, as our employees. By participating in common development projects with our Hungarian friends, the overall quality in our institutions is secured and improved. But it would not be possible to develop and run these cross-national projects without a local coordinator and organizer with practical and professional knowledge and experience from both countries.”

Over the past few years, DBO Projects has organized a number of trips to Denmark with the aim of studying the planning and building of a new and modern healthcare system and new hospitals there.

Politicians and other decision-makers, architects, doctors and healthcare professionals have, on several occasions, visited Denmark to study the structural change in the Danish healthcare system and to visit hospital building projects.

HUNGARIAN PROFESSIONALS INVITED TO STUDY PROJECTS IN DENMARK

‘DBO Projects’ was established in 1998 to facilitate and organize Danish-Hungarian cooperation between local and regional authorities, institutions, organizations and private companies.

“At the beginning, DBO Projects was working for the County of Aarhus organizing courses, study tours, exchange programs and other professional programs in Denmark and in Hungary. After the Danish structural reform in 2007, the Central Denmark Region took over the role of the County of Aarhus. Now, a number of Danish municipalities, institutions and organizations are also involved as partners,” the Manager of DBO Projects, Max Madsen tells Diplomacy&Trade.

He adds that DBO Projects is working with developing, managing and monitoring projects in the social, educational, healthcare sectors as well as projects for people with disabilities.

These projects, which include common research, development collaboration and trade between Danish and Hungarian private companies, make it possible for Danish and Hungarian professionals at different levels of management to meet on equal terms and exchange knowledge and experiences for the benefit of both parties.

He quotes the head of the department helping people with disabilities at the Municipality of Viborg, Kim Ulrik Tranekjær Søgaard, who explained their professional involvement in Hungary by saying that “Viborg is using international projects for job retention, as a HR-tool and for CSR reasons. When

PARTNERS

DBO Projects is planning and expecting many more activities between the two countries in the years to come. These activities will be organized with the Danish Embassy in Budapest.

It is also working closely with the Hungarian Ministry of Human Capacities and their institutions, with research and educational institutions, with private organizations and church organizations.

DBO Projects is also cooperating with THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS as external consultants supporting, monitoring and controlling approved projects. THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS are running a philanthropic program (with a budget of approximately EUR 13-14 million a year) in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia supporting projects, quality development of vocational training and education, and the process of transition to employment.

THE HOME OF DANISH CULTURE IN BUDAPEST SCANDINAVIAN HOUSE PROVIDES LANGUAGE COURSES AND DANISH PROGRAMS

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Last year, during the Danish municipal elections, an election-party was organized where the audience could learn more about democracy and the political system of Denmark from invited Danish guests. At the big conference ‘Think:Nordic’, held in March this year, in Budapest, more than 300 people listened to a Danish lecturer speak about bicycle culture in Copenhagen. Besides language courses, the Foundation organizes Danish language clubs where people can practice their language proficiency while meeting Danes living in Hungary and listen to their interesting stories.

“We shouldn’t forget film, which is perhaps the most popular cultural export item of Denmark.

This spring, a Danish film club was launched by the volunteers and will continue till the summer holidays,” Veronika, who is also responsible for the Danish programs, highlights.

The Scandinavian House also partners or consults with cultural houses, schools and other actors that organize Danish programs. Last year, there were multiple events organized in cooperation, such as the gastro-cultural event ‘Danish Tales’

at the National Archives and ‘Danish Day’ in the Wekerle Cultural House. The very popular series of events ‘Scandinavian Crime Club’ introduces Danish authors and fans of literature could also meet the representatives of the Foundation at the International Book Festival of Budapest this April.

Danish children’s culture is famous worldwide and the Foundation also tries to introduce it to Hungarian children and their parents through its children’s programs. Most popular is the Danish inspired carnival party.

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Last year, the Scandinavian House established its scientific department ‘Norden’, which consists of students, PhD applicants and researchers of Scandinavian studies. They not only publish the magazine ‘Észak’ (‘North’) with studies, translations and reviews but organize workshops, and also hold lectures on popular topics. “Their ‘Nordic:Content’ events are constantly sold out. Because of its popularity, it will surely be continued in the next season,” Veronika Varga concludes.

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PROJECTS, SZABOLCS BÁNLAKI, KRISZTINA MÁTÉ

Program events

photos by DBO

“The mission of the Scandinavian House Foundation is to introduce Nordic culture, values, people and their way of living to the Hungarian audience. Since it was established

by Hungarian Scandinavia fans and students from the Scandinavian Department of the ELTE University in Budapest 15 years ago, a group of volunteers has worked diligently to organize events and provide us with the newest trends and news from the Nordic countries through their homepage and social media sites,” one of the founders of the Scandinavian House in the Hungarian capital, Veronika Varga tells Diplomacy&Trade.

She points out that Denmark has become very fashionable among young Hungarians in the latest years as the ‘happiest country’ known for ‘hygge’, the untranslatable word for the mood of coziness, wellbeing and contentment.

“It is exemplary in many ways: livable cities, strong social networks and sustainability are some of the areas we admire.” It has, of course, an impact on the Foundation, as well. The Danish language courses they organize are more and more popular as are their Denmark-related cultural events.

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danish focus from research to sales and business development even with procurement in the EU. Seven years ago, I joined FOSS in global market management.

I have been traveling often to several Asian countries, especially China and South East Asia as well as to the United States to ensure that our subsidiaries have support and training in our solutions: from methodologies to understanding of market developments in the different regions.

Now, I am at Soft Flow in Hungary with the very clear purpose of developing the organization and coordinating its research activities with the headquarters in Denmark,” he highlights.

Soft Flow Ltd., headquartered in the southern Hungarian city of Pécs, is a research and development (R&D) company focusing on biotechnology within food/feed analysis. Two years ago, the Danish high-tech analytical group FOSS acquired the company.

“We are in a very exciting phase right now because we have decided to establish a brand new modern research center for biotech development here in Pécs.

This greenfield investment aims at having 120 people working in research and development three years from now. It is a huge step forward for FOSS and for Soft Flow as we have been working with food and feed industries for a long time. What we are seeing now is the need for additional methodologies. By utilizing the knowhow and skill sets that we have here at Soft Flow in Pécs, we can bring this forward – thus, it is an extremely important step forward for our future development,” the CEO and General Manager of Soft Flow, René Fuhlendorff tells Diplomacy&Trade. He explains that in the past, focus in markets was about making sure that food had the right composition and content of protein, fat, etc. “Today, we must ensure that food is not just safe and free of toxins and residues for the consumers, but also that raw materials are “natural and authentic” preventing fraud in the supply chain. Our solutions help global industries reduce waste and declare product’s quality, so, when customers buy something in the supermarket, it is of the right composition and quality.”

Academic cooperation The CEO says they have established a tripartite agreement among local partners in Pécs: the University, the Municipality and Soft Flow. “We were received with open arms. Based on a common interest in creating high technology jobs in Pécs and attracting highly educated people, the intent is to work together by joining forces. In new research projects, the university can provide the educational platform with students and educational courses, while Soft Flow has specific industry knowledge and updated understanding of the market needs. After graduation, students gaining experience with us are likely to find a job easily – perhaps even at Soft Flow. We gain from this cooperation access to the latest developments in the university research fields, close connections to students and we can give advice to the university on where we see the need for new research areas.” He says that for students to stay and for attracting new colleagues from abroad, or even from other cities in Hungary, Pécs needs a supportive municipality, not just for the person but for a future family to settle. “Furthermore, the municipality plays an important role in our building project to ensure smooth and timely progress and support of infrastructures.”

A win-win deal

Strong asset

INNOVATION BY CREATIVITY DEDICATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG ASSET FOR SOFT FLOW AND FOSS

promotion agency HIPA supporting our plan, we also entered into closer cooperation with the local university and the municipality of Pécs. So, we call this acquisition a win-win situation for both companies.”

Internationally experienced leader René Fuhlendorff studied chemistry and physics at university in Denmark and in England. “I have long been working with commercial laboratories and I have been in various managerial positions

CHECKING QUALITY

As René Fuhlendorff explains, biotechnology is a very complex science, which covers many research areas that may be too complex to for the general audience. “It is often a combination of molecular biology and organic chemistry and in our case the ability to connect these skills into something we call assays, or dedicated rapid test methods or solutions where you need a certain skill set to understand this complexity. Here at Soft Flow, we work with many new technologies that we previously did not focus on. With the new tools and knowledge from Soft Flow, we extend the platform to detect not just more about the food product, but also more rapidly, like when food fraud occurs on the international market. Typically, somewhere in the supply chain, chemical components or even water may have been added deliberately to gain financial benefits from the adulterated product. Likewise, when food is distributed and sold at the market containing naturally formed toxins, like mycotoxins in the raw materials. In these situations, our rapid and sensitive instruments instantly warn the operators about abnormalities and thus, prevent losses from damaged batches. Nowadays, farmer’s earnings reflect the quality of their products like raw milk, here mainly protein and fat content is in focus – and this is just two parameters of what FOSS detects. When raw milk arrives into a dairy product manufacturing industry, we detect the composition and quality at a very early stage and later when products have been processed. If you add different compounds, you can detect the ingredients immediately.

The FOSS focus has been extremely sharp on helping food manufacturing industries to reduce waste and produce very efficiently. For instance, imagine that you received a batch of raw materials and 80% of it is high quality while the rest is not. Simply take a big batch of meat and scan it like at the airport. And from that measurement, you can see how much protein, how much fat it contains and also if there is any foreign object in it. If the manufacturers can segregate raw materials, they will not have to discard products and thus, they can save a lot of money.”

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HARANGOZÓ, SOFT FLOW

“Every time we develop something, we develop it in conjunction with some of the biggest firms in the industry so that we already have the practical application when the methodology is ready, and we already have the first customers for a product that has been developed to their standards. This dedication has always been a strong asset for us. The ties we establish are built on open dialogues and transparency as fundamental values in our business. In Soft Flow, we are 100% committed to delivering top quality research services to our owner and to our global customers. Additionally, with the ambitious growth plans ahead, we will succeed in expanding in volume and the number of research areas within our field,” René Fuhlendorff concludes.

photos by DÁVID

Soft Flow was a small company, very successful in its own field, very research orientated but had limited market access, the CEO highlights.

“That was sufficient for a certain size but after a while, you need more resources and stronger sales channels for growth, otherwise you simply disappear from the market. With FOSS in the background, Soft Flow could invest in new R&D areas, and at the same time gain access to the global sales channel of FOSS, meaning worldwide coverage plus 28 sales subsidiaries of its own, from the Pacific, Asia to EU and the Americas and with distributors in multiple countries. With this deal, Soft Flow gained access to selling all over the world, whereas FOSS gained access to the research and development results from Soft Flow’s very skilled researchers. Therefore, we decided to work together closely and put more focus on the collaboration than was the case with previous products. Lately, with the business

danish focus

A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN BUDAPEST SAVING LIVES BY LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST INFECTIONS

Last August, the Danish pharmaceutical company Xellia Pharmaceuticals completed a center of excellence at its Kőbánya site in the Hungarian capital. The laboratory, constructed as part of a development of EUR 11 million will operate as a testing center for active ingredients produced by all units of the company and thus, it will play an important role in the global operating strategy of the Danish firm. Diplomacy&Trade discussed the importance and operation of the new center with Dr. Zsolt Németh, General Manager of Xellia Pharmaceutical Ltd, a subsidiary of the Danish group.

With its more than 100 years of experience, the Copenhagen-based Xellia Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in the production of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious and lifethreatening infections, is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier in the pharmaceutical industry. In more than 70 countries, the company has relations with approximately 500 partners in the healthcare sector. At present, the company employs nearly 1,600 people in its operation and production units located in Denmark, Hungary, the United States and China.

The new facility, with a floor area of about 3,000 square meters, was constructed next to Xellia's plant manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients. As all Xellia medicines produced worldwide will undergo final checking and testing in this laboratory complex, state-of-the-art microbiological and chemical analytical laboratories have been established. It is Hungarian engineers, pharmacists and microbiologists who will give the final approval for placing Xellia pharmaceutical products on the market.

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ

Why Hungary?

“I believe that the establishment of this center of excellence in Budapest is primarily a sign of trust in the Hungarian subsidiary, its staff and its management. Our experts are knowledgeable and committed professionals. Another reason I can mention is that operation here is costeffective and, of course, it is an important factor that Hungary is a member state of the European Union,” the General Manager points out.

Life-saving ingredients and skilled staff “We receive active ingredients and final dosage form products from the member companies of the Xellia w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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Group all over the world. It means eleven different APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and many different final dosage form products. Release tests and stability tests are also performed at our facility. The most important of these ingredients are Vancomycin, Daptomycin, Amphotericin, Tobramycin, Bacitracin, to highlight some of them. These are all life-saving complex antibiotics produced by fermentation technology. We use physical, chemical and microbiological quality control methods with world-class instruments, environments and skilled colleagues,” he explains.

As a result of the enlargement, more than 40 new jobs have been created, so far, and, with ongoing recruitment, Xellia will increase the number of staff participating in the operation of centralized laboratory services to 80 highly skilled people by 2019. As regards the expectations towards the present and future staff, Dr. Zsolt Németh stresses that Xellia’s expectations of their present and future staff include commitment, willingness, strong expertise, self-employment and good co-operation “so, that we can handle complex tasks and problems effectively – ‘we solve it’. Of course, this is possible in many positions if our colleagues are able to speak English.”

customer and official audits together. All this contributes to a high level of efficiency.”

The pharmaceutical industry is world-class in Hungary. Plants with similar profile can be found in the vicinity of the current development.

Regarding cooperation between Xellia and other pharmaceutical firms in the area, Dr. Zsolt Németh stresses that “although, we are seemingly similar companies, our profile and our market segment is different. Where we can, however, we consult with each other. With our neighbors, CEVA, we have a joint occupational medical service, while our HR managers meet occasionally and exchange information with each other. At the same time, we are competing with each other in keeping and recruiting skilled workers.”

CSR saving lives The corporate social responsibility keywords of Xellia Pharmaceuticals are loyalty, awareness and cooperation.

As the General Manager explains, “we support the SOS Children's Village, both financially and in kind (we invite the SOS Children's Villagers to our summer family day.) Recently, we supported the Save Life Foundation in a sports event and we are thinking about long-term cooperation with them. This way, we save lives not only through our products but through our social responsibility, as well, and – at the same time – we make our bodies more content and happier.”

He adds that in the near future, Xellia Ltd. will carry out a large-scale wastewater treatment unit capacity expansion and modernization with an investment of over USD 2 million. “We cooperate openly with all the authorities, ensuring our legal compliance. We work to achieve lower energy consumption and water consumption at our company, reducing our environmental footprint. For example, the new laboratory uses solar cells to use green energy as much as possible.”

The values of the company are accountability, ‘be your best’, openness (and transparency) as well as zest. “I think the first three of these speak for themselves, but it is important for the managers to make these happen. Zest means creating a working culture and environment where our colleagues are happy to come and spend most of their working day with a true smile on their faces. This is what ‘Scandinavian’ type work culture means for me. We celebrate our achievements, it is good to be together and work together,” Dr. Zsolt Németh highlights.

High demand, high growth Revenues for Xellia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in 2017 were 22,7% higher than in the previous year. “Last year, we completed a manufacturing capacity expansion at the site, and we continue to see high demand for our products, so, there are preparations for further major investments. It is expected that our revenue and profits will continue to grow in the coming years," he concludes.

A pharmaceutical neighborhood The new center of excellence was built next to Xellia's existing manufacturing plant as an extension – physically and legally. As the General Manager says, cooperation between the new and the old unit is close because the products manufactured in Budapest are also tested by the staff of the new laboratory. “The organization of logistics is also a joint operation as are the organization of EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety) issues, waste management Our quality assurance system is unified, and we accept

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danish focus Camilla and her friend, Michelangelo Cestari, an Italian-Venezuelan chef, who was hired as Gustu’s C.E.O. “We wanted to follow the ‘0 kilometer’ philosophy: working exclusively with ingredients planted, raised, grown and processed entirely in Boliva - ingredients that were indigenous in the country, but were novel for those generations currently living in the city. Our aim was to generate respectful relationships with each of our suppliers, seeking to consolidate the Bolivian productive chain, beginning with the boost of fair business activities. Each and every one of us are responsible for the environment around us, we seek to take advantage of the resources offered in a sustainable manner, ensuring the implementation of green practices,” Kamilla resonates the credo of the restaurant, which, after an un-easy start became one of the best restaurants in South America: it was chosen Nr. 1. in Bolivia and the 14th best in LatinAmerica, while Kamilla herself won the ‘Best female chef of Latin-America’ title in 2016.

When ‘The Dane of the Andes’, as she is often referred to saw that her team was ready to take over, she decided to move on, as her plan was never to stay forever. She stepped down as executive chef of Gustu after 5 years, and embarked on a world-wide journey she named ‘The Kamilla Seidler Expedition’, teaming with food festivals, gourmet shows and pop-ups, to popularize Bolivian and South American cuisine. As part of this tour, she was invited to Budapest and attended the Gourmet Festival held in May 17-20, to prepare a five-course Latin-American dinner for the Hungarian audience. “I seriously believe that the philosophy behind Gustu (which is first and foremost a social project) could be exported into another environment, any environment, really,” she highlights, adding that in Bolivia, they started with a small culinary school, and today, the foundation runs 10 schools in Bolivia and two in Colombia, while the goal remains the same: empower and improve professional skills and competencies of young Bolivians, offering tools and appropriate working environments, which will encourage the leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.

CHANGING THE WORLD THROUGH FOOD INTERVIEW WITH THE ‘DANE OF THE ANDES’

Kamilla Seidler was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1983. She began working in a

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bakery at 15, and studied at the Copenhagen Hospitality College. She has worked in some of

Diversity, tolerance, ethics, work culture and sustainability

the world’s best kitchens, including Mugaritz in San Sebastián and Belmond Le Manoir Aux

Looking for a new challenge, Kamilla started to work for the Food Organization of Denmark (FOOD), a non-profit organization established to promote and develop Danish & Nordic food & gastronomy. FOOD coordinates, amongst others, the ‘Nordic Sustainability 2.0 project’ which is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and runs in 2018. “Basically, our goal is to put social sustainability on the gastronomic map of Scandinavia,” she notes. “I’m glad that I could join a movement in my home country which tries to act as a catalyst for social and culinary change, and that I can work on projects such as the ongoing Freja campaign which aims to improve equality in kitchens across Scandinavia. The food revolution in Denmark hasn’t ended yet, there’s still a lot to do to merge the exploration of deliciousness with sustainability, raising awareness of biodiversity, completely reshaping the way we eat, and what we offer for those who visit Denmark.”

Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, and Paustian and Geist in her native Copenhagen.

born Kamilla Seidler came into the picture.

“Fighting poverty through deliciousness,” that was the goal of Meyer, who hired Kamilla in 2012. “It was a challenge to get used to Latin-America, and especially Bolivia, a country of mountains that is radically different from Copenhagen, which is flatter than my hair,” Kamilla said earlier in an interview. (Indeed, at an elevation of roughly 3,650 meter above sea level, Laz Paz is the highest de facto capital city in the world.)

Socio-conscious gastronomy But, as she says, she has always liked travelling and living abroad, so in the end, she considered living in Bolivia manageable. The fact she speaks fluent Spanish, also helped.

Gustu finally opened in April, 2013, headed by J U N E

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New Nordic Kitchen, which in virtue of its good taste and special character compares favorably with the standard of the greatest kitchens of the world,” the Manifesto stated.

Proposing a cuisine based exclusively on products sourced from the Nordic terroir, in addition to a strong focus on health and ethical production, the Manifesto was first implemented at noma, which began soaring high, gaining international fame: it was elected best restaurant in the world, four times. Meyer, meanwhile, started a foundation called Melting Pot, originally to teach prisoners in Denmark how to cook.

As the ambitious initiative grew bigger, Meyer began planning to cross the borders of Denmark in search of a development country where he could open a culinary school to train generations of cooks who would later be able to educate their own communities; his choice fell on Bolivia.

He aimed to apply the basics of the Nordic movement in a restaurant in La Plaz, that could be an equivalent of noma, where newly trained local chefs would work. He looked for a Danish chef to lead the kitchen, and this is where my interviewee, the Copenhagen-

photo by DÁVID

About 15 ago, Danish cuisine was completely unknown outside the country. Today, Denmark is one of the leading gastronomic destinations in the world. The ‘Michelin Guide Nordic Countries 2018’ awarded no less than 31 stars to 26 Danish restaurants, in the cities as well as in the countryside. The dramatic change came with the Nordic Cuisine Movement, commonly attributed to Danish food entrepreneur, TV chef and culinary ideologist Claus Meyer, who founded his restaurant ‘noma’ in 2003, and who, ten months later, along with his head chef René Redzepi, took the initiative to organize the Nordic Cuisine Symposium. Politicians, scientists, farmers, food industrialists, teachers, researchers, retailers and international chefs all gathered to explore the question: what would it take to become one of the greatest food regions in the world, and what would be the benefits further down the line? Right before the symposium started, Meyer wrote a Manifesto, along with some of the greatest chefs in the Nordic region, during an 18 hour workshop. “As Nordic chefs, we find that the time has now come for us to create a

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A MOST CHARMING STORY PANDORA MANUFACTURES EMOTIONS AND OFFERS AFFORDABLE LUXURY

Well positioned within the affordable luxury segment of the fine jewelry market, Pandora offers modern, high quality products. Last year, the company produced approximately 117 million pieces of jewelry and made USD 3.5 billion in that year alone (a 12% increase compared to 2016). According to Gábor Vajas, Country Manager of Pandora in Hungary and Executive Coach, the company began to gain global attention with the release of their charm bracelet line, which only happened in the new millennium.

“The idea was born when the brand’s sales people noticed that customers were buying necklaces laden with pendants, but instead of wearing them ‘properly’ they would rather wrapped them around their wrists.

After several months of developing and testing various creative ideas, Pandora’s in-house jewelry designers came up with the Pandora charm bracelet concept, to which a patented threading system was created, that allows charms to be placed, added and rearranged by the wearer. Pandora’s first bracelet charms went on sale in Denmark in February 2000, consisting of a silver strawberry-shaped and 14 other charms, 10 of which are still part of the collection today,” Gábor explains. Consumers embraced the concept quickly, and in the following years, driven by a growing and encouraging demand, the company began to expand its market presence from a Scandinavian platform to an international marketing and sales platform driven mainly by third party

World-renowned for its hand-finished and contemporary jewelry at affordable prices, Pandora is present in more than 100 countries on six continents, through some 7,800 points of sale, including more than 2,400 concept stores. The Danish firm has grown into an empire from a little family-run jewelry shop founded in less than 4 decades.

Diplomacy&Trade was eager to find out how. distributors, entering the US in 2003, Germany and Australia in 2004 and Hungary in 2010. Since its launch, the collectible charm bracelet has remained Pandora’s top-selling item, and a cornerstone product that perfectly channels the company’s philosophy and mission: inspiring women around the world of all backgrounds and tastes to be creative and express their individuality and style.

Personalization According to the Country Manager, the concept that anyone can design and build her own jewelry, stepby-step, has been integral to the brand’s success: it fosters repeat purchases and customer loyalty.

“These charms are much more than fashion statements; they are a reflection of aspirations, interests and memories,” Gábor notes, adding, “We believe all women have their individual stories to tell – a personal collection of special moments that makes them who they are. And so, some of the charms are dedicated to celebrating these moments: new arrivals to the family, birthdays, pets, hobbies, seasonal holidays and iconic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, which is best bought in Paris, of course.” When I ask if

Budapest or Hungary is featured in the charm-portfolio, Gábor assures me that tourists, who make up 90 % of the customers at the Váci Street shop, do look for something uniquely Hungarian, and often leaves with the chili pepper charm and the

lion (which perfectly resembles the stone lions of the Chain Bridge).

“It is on my bucket list to have the Rubik Cube made one day, and I'm sure I will succeed sometime. It isn’t easy to suggest new designs. Each charm goes through 17 individual processes, from polishing and plating to enamel painting. A new design requires a new process that the craftsmen have to attain.” On the other hand, Pandora often improves its extensive product range (boasting rings, earrings and necklaces too), introducing new collections many times a year, similar to actors of the fashion industry. This is something that distinguishes Pandora from its competition, according to Gábor.

“Freshness brings traffic, and we see very quickly what works and what doesn’t, so we can act accordingly,” he continues, revealing that in 2014, Pandora established a ten-year partnership with Disney, and the collection that was born out of it is extremely popular, of all ages. When asked if men are targeted, Gábor’s answer comes quick: “Gentlemen only.

The kind, who likes to give presents to ladies.” Gábor also reveals that in Hungary, 60% of the clients are woman.

“The number of clients grows steadily, so do the number of shops: in Hungary we have 20 shops already, both in Budapest and the countryside, out of which eight are mono-brand concept stores. And I’m not surprised at all. We are selling lovingly playful, creative and affordable products - a totally appealing and winning combo that promotes positive self-image, and is also undeniably addictive. It is all very ‘hygge’, as the Danes say.”

Ethical standards

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, PANDORA

“A member of the Responsible Jewelry Council, Pandora is committed to developing and manufacturing products in a responsible manner; to providing a great environment for our people; and to working towards minimizing our environmental impact on Planet Earth,” Gábor notes. “The company works hard to reduce their consumption of water and energy, and they recycle waste materials from w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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the production process. For instance, gypsum is turned into bricks and broken pieces from the Murano glass into tiles, while rubber waste is used as fuel by the cement industry and wax waste is used in candle manufacturing or as molding material. In 2017, 74% of all gold grains and 97% of the silver grains used in the crafting at Pandora’s facilities originated from recycled sources. We have invested heavily in new green crafting facilities in the past few years. We inaugurated our new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified crafting facility in Northern Thailand in 2017, as well as our LEED certified crafting facility in Bangkok in 2018. Within our shops, we went as paperless as possible.” According to the Country Manager, Pandora tends to work closely with its suppliers to ensure their business activities comply with Pandora’s ethical standards within human and labor rights, safe working conditions, as well as fair and honest business practices. “We are continuously being trained to improve our sales skills, helping each other succeed in soaking in a wholehearted, can-do attitude,” says Gábor, who likes to engage in close dialogues with all of his colleagues, providing extensive support to them, when needed.

DID YOU KNOW?

• It was husband and wife, goldsmith Per

and Winnie Enevoldsen, who started what today is Pandora, back in 1982. They sold a 60 per cent of share in their ownerships to Danish private equity company Axcel in 2008.

Pandora is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark.

• Pandora employs more than 27,350 people worldwide of whom around 13,250 are located in Thailand, where Pandora is the largest jewelry manufacturing company.

(From the beginning, the founders often travelled to Thailand in search of jewelry to import.) According to Pandora’s 2017/2018 ethics report, 63 % of its managers are female.

• “Hello ladies. How about telling us what your favorite charm is?” this was the first ever message posted to the Pandora Facebook community in August 2009. In late December 2011, Pandora happily welcomed the millionth fan to its Facebook community • The name Pandora means ‘all gifted’ in Greek.

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danish focus – the three values that the founder always attributed to JYSK. Sándor Szimeiszter says these values are definitely present in their work in Hungary. “We endeavor to have a simple and transparent operation, we don’t overcomplicate things” in the 79 Hungarian stores – or 80 as he considers their webshop an additional store.

Best employer Last October, JYSK won the employer of the year title in Hungary based on a survey by AON Hewitt. As the Country Manager explains, JYSK has a similar survey within the company every two years. “So, we always know what our employees think about the company. We have found that what our employees appreciate the most is the approach of the top management, what they perceive of how the managers of the company behave and work. The big difference compared to other firms is that our workers have great confidence in how we operate the company. We endeavor to create a predictable working environment for everyone, we listen to what they have to say. What is special in our case is the physical activity, we move a lot of goods compared to the size of the store, which means a lot of difficulties. This is the employees’ biggest concern. In response, we put a lot of effort into easing this problem.”

Social responsibility JYSK Hungary is a global company in a local market, following guidelines – including those of corporate social responsibility – set in Denmark “but we also try to supplement them with local initiatives. A recent example is JYSK’s participation at Ultrabalaton, a 220-kilometer running and bicycle race around Central Europe’s largest lake. We have an annual party towards the end of the year, usually on October 22 as the following day is a national holiday, when the stores are closed.

We rent a huge hall somewhere in Budapest where the entire staff of the Hungarian stores are invited, with travel and accommodation provided free of charge for our people from the countryside. We are happy to see that most of these people are present at the celebration that features a star guest, a stand-up comedian, band, etc.,” Sándor Szimeiszter says.

RAPID DANISH EXPANSION JYSK HUNGARY PRODUCING AN ANNUAL GROWTH OF WELL OVER 10%

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International background JYSK went international 35 years ago and now operates in some 50 countries with over 2,500 stores, employing more than 22,000 people.

As to how the Hungarian operations fit into this international setting, the Country Manager stresses that “we have a uniform business concept for the look of the store, the selection of goods, the marketing strategy and basically, everything else. The job of the different country managements is to carry out this strategy as well as possible and adapt it to the local conditions.

So, we basically implement in our stores what has been prescribed by the headquarters in Denmark.” However, he points out that it is not a one-way process. “There are a lot of feedback mechanisms. The reason we are very successful, not only in Hungary but also in other countries in

East Central Europe, is that the Danes understand what should be done differently here, how different customer needs are, what products people are looking for here but not in Scandinavia.

There are two iconic examples. Originally, Lars Larsen’s store was based on selling sleep-related things like mattresses, pillows and quilts. With this limited selection offered to customers, we could not acquire a share of the market in the East Central European region, and thus, we became more of a complete home furnishing store. Another thing is that the expectations of people in Scandinavia concerning colors is quite different. For them, flats or houses are mostly dominated by grey and its different shades while people in this region of East Central Europe have a different taste. Therefore, Danish stores have white pieces of furniture and grey textiles while in our region, people like to buy brown furniture.

So, we managed to convince our headquarters that the same furniture is sold in white color in Denmark and in brown in East Central Europe.”

Good results Regarding the Hungarian market of household goods, the firms comparable to JYSK are IKEA, KIKA and the Mömax-Möbelix group, the latter carrying out quite an aggressive expansion recently. As far as annual sales are concerned, JYSK is in second place among these ‘players’. Looking at available figures, the Country Manager estimates that JYSK Hungary will achieve a turnover of HUF 40 billion (currently about EUR 130 million) in its current (September-August) fiscal year.

In each of past five years, JYSK Hungary grew by well over 10%. According to Sándor Szimeiszter, this is largely due to the real estate boom that the country currently experiences. “As long as this lasts, we have a market, since the new flats and houses will require furnishing. Our case is a bit like ‘being at the right place at the right time’ as we reached our optimal size – and managed to optimize our operation for the Hungarian market – by the time the world economic crisis was over.”

Danish values In Danish, the word ‘JYSK’ means credibility and reliability or, like Lars Larsen, someone from the Jütland Peninsula, and is often associated with modesty, accuracy and honesty J U N E

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out the well-organized expansion that included the establishment of the Hungarian subsidiary.

“As regards the secret of rapid expansion, it is our characteristic – in the good sense of the word – that we do things before we think them through. It means that for the sake of speed, we make compromises concerning the location or the quality of the building – something that we correct later.”

photo by DÁVID

JYSK is the largest Danish retailer operating internationally, celebrating its 40th birthday next year. A 3rd third of the company’s life includes the story of the Hungarian operation, JYSK Ltd. Hungary, which has existed since 2005. As Country Manager Sándor Szimeiszter explains to Diplomacy&Trade, the establishment of the Hungarian subsidiary was part of the southward expansion of JYSK Nordic, an expansion which began with Poland and is now heading to Greece.

“In 2005, we began by opening two stores in Hungary. In the first five years, we reached three quarters of our current size as far as the number of stores is concerned. In our peak year, we opened as many as 17 stores in the country. In 2018, this number is four,” he adds.

Speaking about the founder of the JYSK group, Lars Larsen, Sándor Szimeiszter highlights that he is an iconic figure, a kind of fairy tale hero in Denmark. He started out from modest circumstances on the Jütland peninsula and went on to become a rich man. The Danes like this story very much. He made this business big, opening stores throughout Scandinavia. He was the type of businessman who liked risks; he had failures as well as successes. In the year 2000, he handed over the management of JYSK Nordic to a managing director, Jan Bøgh, who carried

danish focus

SUSTAINABLE CLEANING WORLDWIDE

SC 6000, a versatile and agile ride on floor care machine that you can come across at the local sports hall or shopping mall.”

Operational hub Regarding the scope of Nilfisk’s Hungarian operations, the Vice President highlights that currently employing nearly 900 people, the Hungarian organization is composed of two factories and a shared service center. “We also have a dedicated sales and service company in Szigetszentmiklós. We are on a steep growth curve with several new product lines coming to our portfolio this year. Hungary is and will remain the main operational hub for Europe, and one of the largest and most impactful organizations within Nilfisk.”

NILFISK PROVIDES CLEANING SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN JUST EQUIPMENT

Special services

As regards the secret of success, László Veres, Vice President for Hungarian Production at Nilfisk tells Diplomacy&Trade that since its foundation in 1906 by Peter Andersen Fisker and Hans Marius Nielsen, Nilfisk has been the perfect example of thoughtful business development rooted in focusing on strengths and customer intimacy. The first Nilfisk vacuum cleaner was created in 1910 and by 1954, the company had sold one million of them. “Understanding and anticipating customer needs has been a key success ingredient: the portable vacuum cleaner

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fathered by Nilfisk is one outstanding example.

Customer insights have helped us to invent, create and produce more perfect products more efficiently – valuable offerings well ahead of their time. The resulting great and powerful customer experience throughout decades made us who we are today. We are working on this all the time, while our mission is still the same: we enable sustainable cleaning worldwide to improve quality of life.”

Innovation is one of the elements of being on the market for so long. According to the Vice President, “at Nilfisk, we are building the future by reaping the benefits of new technology and seize the new opportunities to meet our customers’ needs. We try to stay ahead of the tide, adopt and adapt new technologies into our offering and relentlessly pursue new ways of solving the riddle produced by new customer expectations.

We like to think of ourselves as cleaning solution providers rather than equipment producers.”

Beetle, the star of the market

For a sustainable world

In Hungary, Nilfisk has two production plants: in Szigetszentmiklós, just south of Budapest and in Nagykanizsa, in the southwestern part of the country. “In the Hungarian plants, we are producing a wide variety of professional high pressure washers, sweepers, floor care machines of diverse sizes and industrial vacuum cleaners. Our current best seller is a new generation vacuum cleaner called Beetle. By rethinking our previous products, we created a new line with more angular exterior, produced in Szigetszentmiklós since last year. It is also more innovative compared to earlier types and comes in a wide variety of versions for very diverse applications from woodworking shops to medical labs. With 20% stronger and stable level suction, longer lifetime, 15% more efficient Infiniclean filters, lowest in class noise level, Beetle is the most popular product on the market,” László Veres says.

He adds that Nilfisk’s high-pressure cleaners score high on popularity as well: “you probably use them at the car wash nearby but they cope with extreme applications as cleaning the hulls of large maritime vessels with pressure well exceeding 1,000 bars (14,500 psi).

On the floor care front, our new star is the Invader

The Vice President finds it important to note that the company is proud of signing the United Nations Global Agreement. “It is a firm declaration of our commitment to becoming a responsible company for continuous improvement in all four key areas: human rights, labor law, environmental protection and anti-corruption. Besides focusing on operating in full compliance and legality we are providing affordable and effective solutions that contribute to a cleaner, safer, healthier world.”

As far as the other elements of Nilfisk’s sustainability policy is concerned, László Veres stresses that Nilfisk is keen on offering sustainable cleaning solutions to its customers. “For us, this means efficiency and productivity, as well as reducing total operating costs. We reduce costs with an environmental approach in which sustainable development plays a central role. We develop detergents that use less energy, less water and fewer detergents to ensure cleaning efficiency. We are developing affordable solutions for the developing world and promote efficient use of resources.”

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Nilf isk is a global leader in the f ield of professional cleaning equipment and full cleaning systems. The company looks back at a history of well over a hundred years.

LINBOE, NILFISK

“We realize that one size does not fit all. When you sign a service contract with Nilfisk, you have the opportunity to choose from among a range of different service solutions developed to match your specific needs. We are ready to assist you in choosing the professional service contract that best fits your operations. Nilfisk Service Solutions technicians are continuously trained – and are devoted – to maintain and repair machines, and are always ready to help the customer. Our technicians only use original equipment manufacturer spare parts, fixing problems quickly and durably for maximized uptime. More than 75,000 professional customers trust Nilfisk to manage their equipment service requirements,” László Veres points out.

Nilfisk also offers to cleaning companies its unique ‘Total Care Program’ package. As the Vice President stresses, “our experience working with contract cleaners across the world have given us valuable know-how about the professional cleaning business. We have listened to feedback from our customers and worked with them to develop a unique set of offerings we call the Total Care Program. It was created to help contract cleaners to overcome the specific challenges they may face and optimize every aspect of their business. Customer intimacy is, and continues to be, a Nilfisk priority and strength – here, it is applied to real life challenges.”

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CONVENIENCE AND PRACTICALITY WITH PERSONALIZED DESIGN WECO-TRAVEL OFFERS CUSTOMER-TAILORED ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM FOR CORPORATE TRAVELERS

BUJDOSÓ

In the constant change of the world of corporate travel, it is technological change and innovation that undoubtedly determine the future of the travel market. Travelers’ comfort is served by an increasing number of online B2B reservation systems and applications, which are now essential for most business travelers. They help you with information not only about the weather or plane delays, but also let you know when something unexpected happens, whether it is a terrorist act or an earthquake, and they can even trigger an alert for help.

B2B booking systems are becoming more and more common with WecoTravel being one of the predominant operators on the Hungarian market.

According to the Managing Director (MD) of this travel agency, Balázs Horváth, "our company also has an online booking tool, developed by ourselves and created primarily for the SME sector, combining the convenience and practicality of global systems with personalized design."

But why is a B2B online system useful for its users? The MD points out that "travel costs may be in the top five cost categories of a company. New customer-tailored online booking systems can save up to 20% on travel costs, thanks to more cost-effective operation and consistent compliance with travel regulations."

He adds that "security, costeffectiveness, transparency, personalized interfaces and offers are the most important factors in today's corporate travel, and we are also delivering market-leading services along these lines."

photo by KRISZTA

Our stores: • Óbuda Gate Üzletház • MAXCity Lakberendezési Bevásárlóközpont www.boconcept.hu • info@boconcept.hu www.facebook.com/BoConceptHungary

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business

ANOTHER FRUITFUL YEAR SWISSCHAM HUNGARY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce (Swisscham Hungary) held its Annual General Meeting on May 10, 2018, hosted by UniCredit Bank's headquarters in Budapest.

The meeting was opened by the President of the chamber, Dr István Béres who welcomed participants, including the representative of the Swiss Embassy, Deputy Ambassador István Kocsis.

adoption of the 2017 and 2018 budget agendas of the Chamber, some new members like Jura, Grant Thornton, PR Agent Ltd. introduced themselves.

Corporate sustainability discussed A roundtable discussion was held on corporate sustainability. Mihály Karkas, the factory director of Givaudan Hungary Kft., presented the profile of his company and its challenges in the field of sustainable development. Zsuzsanna Óhidi, Managing Director of Marquard Media Hungary, introduced their existing projects, in which, with the help of their magazines, they draw attention to the importance of environmental protection and social acceptance. György Gyovai, Managing Director of Nespresso Hungary that provided coffee during the Annual General Meeting, talked about the future challenges of coffee growing and the possibilities of recycling coffee capsules. Johanna Kruchina, Managing Director of Sika Hungária Ltd. called attention to their appreciation of their employees, since every employee is required to achieve corporate sustainability and to realize related projects. A roundtable discussion was moderated by István Szabó, senior manager of KPMG. The Annual General Meeting was closed by a macroeconomic summary presented by a senior staff member at UniCredit Bank, followed by a pleasant and abundant reception attended the participating members of the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce.

Popular events In his report, the President pointed out that the Chamber had a fruitful year in 2017, achieved the goals set out in its statutes and continued its traditional activities and events that attracted great interest. He made special mention of the annual Swiss Business Day, which was the Chamber’s highest attendance event in the year 2017.

Held on November 22 at the Várkert Bazaar in Budapest, it was attended by nearly a thousand visitors and more than 50 exhibitors.

In addition, the Chamber discussed a number of new issues last year, and launched its digital transformation series, which is to be continued this year. The President also thanked the Swiss Embassy, the sponsors and active members of Swisscham Hungary for their support and regular attendance at the events. Following the detailed presentation and

THE MOST ATTRACTIVE DOMESTIC EMPLOYER

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A press statement released by the company states that in 2017, the factory's new 99,000-square-meter bodywork shop was completed, where the new A-Class is being produced as of this April. Last year, the preparatory and landscaping works of the second factory of Mercedes-Benz began. As a result of the EUR 1 billion investment, an effective manufacturing facility with state of the art technology will be established by the end of the decade. The new "full-flex" factory will be equipped with digital process control and flexible production system for both front- and rear-wheel drive cars. The second MercedesBenz plant will greatly contribute to the increase in the number of employees and the number of suppliers and orders in the region.

Record year at Mercedes-Benz Hungária, as well With sales of close to HUF 101 billion forints, Mercedes-Benz's sales representation office in Hungary also closed a profitable year in 2017: with 26% improvement on the 2016 figures.

The Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Hungária Ltd., Jörg Schmidt said that they are

proud that Mercedes-Benz retained its market leader position in the premium passenger car segment with the record results of 2017.

“Besides the efficient work of the staff, the arrival of new and renewed models, the continuous development of high quality customer service and the expansion of the dealer network also contributed to this success. Of course, this year, we will also do our utmost to satisfy our customers. The brand's ability to renew, the development of diverse services as well as our team and network hopefully contribute J U N E

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to meeting the challenges successfully and to remain the flagship of the automotive industry."

Last year, 1,462 small commercial vehicles were sold, producing an extraordinary 82% increase. In the case of truck sales, Mercedes had eight record months. Sales of commercial vehicles of over six tons gross grew by 72% compared to 2016. Sales of original spare parts increased by 15.2%. The company's network of partners employing more than 1,200 people worldwide has significantly contributed to overcome sales records.

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Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Ltd. has had another successful year: its production last year was 4.1% higher than in 2016, with more than 190,000 Mercedes-Benz compact cars manufactured in its Kecskemét factory.

The company's net sales last year exceeded EUR 3.5 billion euros. The profits are to be spent entirely on newer investments in Hungary. As a company and employer, the Mercedes-Benz factory paid a total of EUR 23 million in tax and contributions to the Hungarian state and the Kecskemét municipality in 2017.

According to Christian Wolff, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Ltd., "the past year is not only a milestone in terms of good business results, but also because we have launched investments that serve future generations of both employees and buyers. According to Hungarian workers, the Mercedes-Benz factory was the most attractive domestic employer this year. This also proves that we are on the right track and that the Kecskemét team has become a real and attractive community."

HARANGOZÓ, MERCEDES-BENZ HUNGARY

RECORD YEAR AT MERCEDES’S HUNGARIAN OPERATIONS

business

AIFC: A WIN-WIN OPTION ASTANA’S EXAMPLE PROVES AIFC CAN BECOME SUCCESSFUL

An official presentation of Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) will be held in Kazakhstan this summer. In fact, the web site of the Center has been operating since January 1, and already has achievements that it can boast. What first seemed a utopian project, has now taken shape, and expectations are that Astana could become a new Hong Kong or London.

At AIFC, there are concentrated representative offices of banks and specialized financial institutions known worldwide, through which international transactions with securities and gold flow. AIFC is a platform where any company can place its shares and investors have the opportunity to choose from the offerings. In return for setting up and hosting the center, Kazakhstan receives investments, technologies, bonuses from financial operations and, most importantly, a completely new quality image.

To make clear the breadth of scale of the AIFC, a few examples can be given. Authorities of the financial world such as the Nasdaq Stock Exchange that specializes in transactions of high-tech companies and one of the world's largest investment banks, Goldman Sachs, have already become strategic partners and shareholders of the Center. Moreover, the Development Bank of China, the largest bank of its kind in the world, was one of the first registered on the site. It is necessary to understand that these structures have a strict list of requirements for participation in any of the projects, and Kazakhstan's Financial Center is ready to meet these requirements.

The three organizations listed above are

only a few on the list of financial service recipients of the AIFC. By the end of 2018, about 100 companies will be present in the Astana International Financial Center; in 2019 it is planned to have at least 250 listed; and by the end of 2020, about 500 should be listed. And their geography is expected to be extensive: the AIFC should become a financial hub for the countries of the Central Asia, Transcaucasian republics, the EAEU, the

Middle East, the territory of Western China, Mongolia and Europe. And to understand the seriousness of Kazakhstan’s commitment to the implementation of the AIFC project, it is necessary to take into account that the Financial Center is a part of the big strategy for Kazakhstan’s economic diversification.

The idea of AIFC’s establishment came about with the first wave of financial crises, the slowdown in the world economic growth and

the fall in oil prices. Kazakhstan understood that it needed to somehow secure its economy and avoid new shocks; one of the right ways to do that is to attract foreign capital. The AIFC, in this case, is a win-win option.

Although, the project still needs to be fully implemented and these indicators have yet to be achieved, there is no doubt about the success in Kazakhstan. There is already one successfully implemented project in Kazakhstan, which initially provoked a storm of criticism, skepticism and misunderstanding: the new capital of the country, Astana. The idea of transferring the capital from the wellknown, comfortable, and warm Almaty to a climatically severe and little-known Astana, was first perceived as a joke. Then, it was argued that even if the city became a capital, it would not happen for 40-50 years.

This year, Astana celebrates its 20th anniversary and there is no corner in the civilized world that has not heard of this city. Astana is a platform for the Syrian negotiations, objectively more successful than Geneva; Astana is the venue for the international EXPO exhibition; Astana is the city where the first OIC summit on science and technology was held; Astana is the platform where, since 1999, the first OSCE summit took place. The list of events the city has been entrusted with is long and supports the fact that Astana has successfully transformed itself into the capital of Kazakhstan, a high-tech megalopolis, a center of attraction of the world's attention. So why can it not become a financial hub of Eurasia?

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fan zone

WORLD CUP WITH FRIENDS AND MORE WATCH WORLD CUP FOOTBALL MATCHES FROM A SWIMMING POOL!

This is the third time that MOM Sport, a recreation and event venue in the heart of the Buda side of the Hungarian capital, offers hundreds of soccer fans the opportunity to enjoy the top matches in a big club atmosphere this summer – those of the FIFA World Cup 2018 from Russia.

As Managing Director Ildikó Buranits tells Diplomacy&Trade, the first such occasion was the 2014 World Cup from Brazil and then, two years ago, European championship matches from France. The latter one was special as Hungary’s national team was in the competition.

Even for families “The advantage of having these matches in Russia is that they are in different time zones from Central Europe, that is one or two hours ahead, depending on the exact location of the match. This means that fans in Hungary do not need to stay up very late to watch the games live in our open-air fan club” she explains.

Based on her experience from the past events, it is not only ‘civilian’ fans – Hungarians and foreigners – who attend these events but many people from the diplomatic corps, as well! “The place is also recommended for football fans who do not want to leave their family behind while watching the matches together with friends, colleagues or acquaintances as we have – within the fan zone – a playground and a street gym. As the lawn-covered zone is a closed, fenced-off area, fans can be sure that kids don’t get lost.”

fan zone, and thus, even some sunbathers by the pool can keep up with the action. The screen itself is huge, over 16 sq meters but still providing great quality picture with its full HD LED technology and a wide viewing angle.

Within this Hyundai Fan Zone of hundreds of square meters, we will offer a variety of food and drink prepared by an Italian chef! A VIP section of limited capacity will be available, so, it is worth booking early,” the Director stresses.

During the one-month World Cup, the local station Jazzy Radio will have a daily coverage from the fan zone at MOM Sport, broadcasting post-match evaluations in conversation with star guests. “We also plan to provide extra entertainment for the guests: little quizzes and games to have some additional excitement. We recommend that those who want to relax in between the matches should visit our pool for a splash or get some exercise in our ‘Fitness and More’ facility,” Ildikó Buranits concludes.

Fan zone by the pool

photos by BALÁZS

SZECSŐDI, DAVE BURANITS

“We are the only place in Budapest where you can watch a World Cup match even from a swimming pool. Our pool overlooks the

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STYLISH SUMMER CHOICES

photo by COURTESY

PICTURE

HOW TO LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS IN 35 DEGREES

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style While women can bare or dare, for most men, sartorial summer means suffering in sweat. However, with thoughtful consideration regarding cloth and construction, one can feel comfortable and look elegant, even in the hottest of climates.

BY SIMON SKOTTOWE BESPOKE TAYLORS

The If a suit is a must, be careful about the choice of cloths. Pick open-weave wools called fresco cloth or lightweight summer kid mohair (the summer shearing of the young mohair goat, a very fine hair) to keep cool.

These materials do not wrinkle too badly, either.

Colors are as per winter but a bit lighter, so greys a bit paler, blues a bit brighter and beige also can be nice. Summertime allows for a bolder choice with color combinations.

Look for light construction, half or unlined. And, only fine linings, certainly not polyester! Bemberg Cupro (a natural silk-like fiber with hypoallergenic, thermo regulating qualities) is the ideal choice, very strong and light as a feather.

Regarding shape, we recommend single breasted jackets but look for a nice shape: slightly waisted, with natural shoulders.

When choosing a suit, think about the cloth choice so that the jacket an be used on its own.

Cotton and linen suit jackets are easy to mix and match with different trousers, given the casual nature of these fabrics.

On less formal occasions, when a suit is not required go for a classic summer blazer or a stylish sports coat, preferably with some pattern.

Pair these with nicely toned cotton trousers, chino type, which is easily machine washable.

If you want to be more daring, consider bright color combination shirts. Traditional British shirt patterns are quite wild, and anything but ‘conservative’. Think nice stripes and small checks. Keep the colors clean and bright and preferably with a bit of white.

If it all gets too much and the jacket has to come off, beautiful shirts will give a chic look. Fine cottons or Irish linen, always with long sleeves, rolled up twice when worn on their own.

Straight out of the remake of Great Gatsby, the season’s hottest ticket is linen – a notorious fabric and look, which can go horribly wrong in the wrong hands (cheap material and poor cut).

We are big fans of the linen suit, not the nasty cheap linen but real Irish linen that tailors like a dream. It doesn't wrinkle but crumples very nicely, and to those in the know it is the height of elegance. It can also be made completely unlined.

For shoes, look for fine, light leather. Calf leather loafers are a stylish choice to wear with a summer suit, while suede versions work well with casual trousers. For a contemporary ‘sockless’ look, go for invisible socks, they don’t show at all, while keeping your feet dry.

For weekends, pull out some tailored polo shirts, unbranded of course. Combined with some fine cotton trousers, a pair of soft loafers and sunglasses complete that cool “Je ne sais quoi” reminiscent of Sean Connery as James Bond.

After all this, a dip in the pool may be in order, but don’t forget to do it in style. Even swim shorts should be tailored and, in this case, a fine cotton feel nylon looks good, dries fast and maintains that 007 look.

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society

GODDESS I WOMAN exhibition

‘The Devi cult and the traditional female roles in India’ is the title of the exhibition at the Hopp Ferenc Asian Art Museum in Budapest opened by Indian Ambassador Rahul Chhabra and Budapest Deputy Mayor Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky. The main purpose of the exhibition is to present the varied forms of appearance the Hindu Goddess assumes.

Indonesian Days and Charity Bazaar

Indian Culinary Evening The Ambassador of the Republic of India to Hungary, Rahul Chhabra organized an exclusive Indian Culinary Evening (a food pairing and wine-tasting event) at his residence, the India House, in the Buda Hills, presenting delicacies from the states of India as well as the states’ economic and tourism potential.

The Indonesian Embassy in Budapest organized the family program ‘Indonesian Days and Charity Bazaar 2018’ at the Embassy located near the City Park. Traditional Indonesian products (jewelry, snack and beverages, traditional fabric and handicraft) were on display and sale. Guests were entertained with an Indonesian traditional music and dance performance.

Diplomatic spouses’ trip to Miskolc

HARANGOZÓ

Anita Herczegh, the wife of Hungarian President János Áder welcomed the spouses of foreign diplomats accredited to Hungary to a day trip to the northeastern Hungarian city of Miskolc and its surroundings. The trip included a ride on the Lillafüred narrow-gauge railway.

photos by DÁVID

Valletta photo exhibition Europa Point at the European Commission representation in Hungary hosted a photo exhibition on the Maltese capital, Valletta, which is one of Europe’s cultural capitals this year. The exhibition, organized by the representation office in Hungary of the Malta Tourism Authority, was opened by the Authority’s regional marketing manager, John-Mary Attard.

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society Norway Constitution Day On May 17, the Constitution Day of Norway, the country’s ambassador to Hungary, Olav Berstad entertained guests at a reception at the Museum of Military History in the Buda Castle.

Norway was declared an independent kingdom in the constitution of 1814.

Diplomats Polo Cup As it has now been a tradition since 2005, the Diplomats Polo Cup in Hungary was held at the last week-end of May. The venue of the three-day BMW Diplomats Polo Cup, with eight nations participating, was the Hungarian Polo Club in Tabajd in the Váli valley, southwest of Budapest.

Russia Victory Day The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Hungary, Vladimir Sergeev invited guests to the Embassy building in Budapest to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of Victory Day, commemorating the end of World War II, which is celebrated on May 9 in a few countries, including Russia.

Argentine Revolution Day

Azeri Republic Day

The Ambassador of the Argentine Republic, Maximiliano Gregorio-Cernadas welcomed fellow diplomats and other dignitaries for a reception at his residence on Andrássy Avenue on the occasion of his country’s national day, commemorating a week-long series of events (Revolución de Mayo) that took place in 1810. Later in the evening, he entertained fellow Argentinians and friends of the Embassy.

photos by DÁVID

HARANGOZÓ, BÁLINT HIRLING

The Azeri Ambassador to Hungary, Vilayat Guliyev held a reception at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest on the occasion that Azerbaijan first achieved its independence 100 years ago. Republic Day honors the date on which the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was founded on May 28, 1918 as the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East.

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THE REGGAE AMBASSADOR OF INDONESIA THROUGH REGGAE, RAS MUHAMAD URGES PEOPLE TO LOOK AT THE WORLD POSITIVELY

“I believe that reggae music is a culture that originated from the people of Jamaica – ‘stolen from Africa, brought to America’ as stated in the lyrics of a Bob Marley song. Reggae music is the culture of African people in the Caribbean. I want to carry on that culture and combine it with my own culture. That is why I call myself the Reggae Ambassador of Indonesia,” Ras Muhamad tells Diplomacy&Trade.

The artist, who is in his 30s, explains that reggae music was already present in Indonesia in the 1970s and ‘80s, but people were not culturally aware of what that music meant. Later, local musicians in Indonesia introduced artists like Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley and more of the pop kind of sounding. “What I try to show people in my country is that reggae is much more than just music, it is also a lifestyle: it has its philosophy, has its fashion, has its icons, etc.”

Putting Indonesia on the map After studying in the United States, Ras Muhamad returned to Indonesia with the intention to re-introduce Indonesia to the world, to ‘put it on the map’. “Thankfully, there has been strong progress in this – slow but sure. Of course, things

beginning, I listened to a lot of different music.

My background in music runs from pop, rock, Indonesian traditional music and I experimented with other forms of music, as well. I myself am a vocalist and also a multi-instrumentalist. I try to revolve my life around music. Thankfully, I have a great mother who supports me emotionally and spiritually.”

A supportive mother

don’t happen overnight – and sometimes, if they do, they are out of your control. However, if the process is slow, you have better control over it. In this sense, the implementation of the plan is very successful. I have been touring a lot in Europe and I released an album (‘Salam’) in 2014 through Oneness Records, a reggae label based in Munich, Germany. One of my singles, released from the Salam album, also entitled Salam, reached five million views on the Internet and not just from

a

That great mother is Wening Esthyprobo Fatandari, the Ambassador of Indonesia to Hungary. As to how she feels that her son is also an ‘ambassador’, she points out that Ras is not only a self-declared ambassador of reggae music but he also has a mission. “He does not only sing but also writes his own lyrics and every word has a meaning, conveying messages about humanity, living together in harmony, respecting each other.

When we have Indonesian cultural performances in this country, it is usually attended by 200-300 people, but musical performances attract ten times as many people, so the messages there reach a much wider audience. This way, I feel his activity is a lot of help for me in popularizing Indonesian culture.”

Indonesia but from all over the globe. Its message is uniting people, getting people together, enabling people to look at the world positively.”

Indonesia and reggae music Why reggae music? Ras Muhamad says the question is not why he chose reggae music but rather why reggae music chose him. “I never chose reggae music, you know. It was like a calling and I had to answer that call. In the

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www.sziget.hu

photo by DÁVID

facebook.com/szigetfestival

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witty leaks WITTY

IN THIS SERIES, DIPLOMATS SHARE PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF THEIR EXPERIENCES ON “EXCURSIONS” into Hungarian culture, art, gastronomy & scenery.

LE A K S

HUNGARY: A LAND OF VOLCANOES

WHAT YOU CAN SEE WHEN FLYING OVER – AND WHAT YOU CAN FEEL ON THE GROUND

photos by

COURTESY OF THE EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND

BY THE AMBASSADOR OF SWITZERLAND, PETER BURKHARD

I have always enjoyed watching landscapes and trying to read them, reflecting about what is going on there and why. Perspectives and insights are obviously different whether seen while riding a bicycle, travelling by car or train, or from a window seat of a plane. To me, the fascination remains the same. When I took up my position as Ambassador to Hungary in October 2016, unfortunately, I did not know a lot about my new host country. For whatever reason, Budapest was one of the very few European capitals I had never visited. Although, I had traveled around in many countries of the former ‘East Block’ during Socialist times, Hungary was not among them.

My only first-hand experience was a car trip on the highway from the Austrian-Hungarian to the Hungarian-Serbian border in December 2012. At that time, I had to make a long overseas transfer from Havana, where I had been serving as Swiss Ambassador to Cuba, to my next duty station in Belgrade, and I preferred to do the last leg of it by land. I know this barely counts. But, at least, I had a flavor of the endlessness (for somebody like myself who grew up in front of the Swiss mountains) of the Hungarian lowlands.

I also got a glimpse of the heavy industrial past of this country (intriguing for somebody from a country like Switzerland that never had real heavy industry) while passing some mine headframes and other remainders of the coal mining of w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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Tatabánya, and I could see the impressive skyline of the Benedictine arch-abbey of Pannonhalma on the horizon. I remember that I was tempted to interrupt the journey and have a closer look at the place. As I have learned, its historical and cultural role shows many striking parallels to the Benedictine monastery of St. Gallen, which is my hometown – we will possibly never fully understand the mysteries of subconscious attraction...

What helped me, however only to some limited extent, was the fact that, for many years, I had flown many, many times over the territory of Hungary on countless business travels from my former duty stations as Head of Mission of OSCE operations in Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Serbia, respectively, to the OSCE Headquarters in Vienna.

Therefore, when I arrived here, I already had a feeling for the geographical dimensions, size and shape of my new host country, and quite some imagination about its physical surface. Its lowlands, forests, rolling hills, lower and middle mountain ranges are well visible from usual cruising altitudes. I could always easily orient myself by looking for Lake Balaton, as a kind of optical pivotal point, and obviously the glittering ribbon of the Danube and, farther East, the Tisza River.

From this flyover altitude, one can hardly discern settlement structures, cannot really get a feeling of how cities and villages might look

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like, although, I tried to imagine what kind of industries there might be down there, what kind of transportation, what kind of agriculture, what kind of architecture, etc. I have a chance to check against reality now, since I am living and working here.

On the other hand, thirty thousand feet is still far too low to discern structures like the Carpathian Basin, which, as I learnt quickly upon my arrival in Budapest, seems to be a key reference structure on the mental map of political and scientific discourse in Hungary. Had I had a chance to be an astronaut or cosmonaut, I might have paid attention to its physical reality far earlier. In the meantime, I can perceive it even when watching the passing surroundings through car windows, for instance, when travelling to Ukraine, my wife’s country of origin.

What I was always trying to do, from a plane, was spot some unusual patterns or irregularities on the Earth surface. When googling such locations on the Internet after a flight, I often learnt interesting facts, which had been unfamiliar to me. Therefore, long before I came to Hungary, I read a little bit about its bauxite and aluminum industry (which has left visible traces on the aerial view of the country); about its nuclear power plant in Paks (when I incidentally spotted its huge concrete constructions on the banks of the Danube river); and about its oil refinery in Százhalombatta with its huge installations that can easily be seen from the air.

But what a surprise when once, many years ago, on one of my flights to Vienna, approximately half way between Lake Balaton and Lake Neusiedl, I spotted the almost perfectly symmetrical cone of a volcano. First, I could not believe my eyes.

In school, I had never heard about volcanoes in Hungary, although, volcanism had been a pet subject of more than one of my former teachers of geography and geology. So, I knew a few things about volcanoes in Italy and Indonesia, and on the American double continent from Alaska to Fireland. But in Hungary? Was there something the teachers had concealed from us?

Like possibly so many other things because of Cold War and the Iron Curtain? But why then did we learn about Mount Elbrus and the Peninsula of Kamchatka? After the flight, I could easily identify, on the Internet, what I had seen from above: it was a hill near Celldömölk, a basalt cupola by the name of Sághegy. It forms part, as I learnt, of an ensemble of similar testimonies of the volcanic past of the Transdanubian area.

They had been active long before our times, some million years ago, that is perhaps why my teachers did no talk about them. But, already on my first duty travels to places outside of Budapest, I started realizing to what a considerable extent the physical appearances of the Hungarian landscapes are shaped by such long-extinct volcanoes or their remains.

Whenever I cross the Tokay region on the way to towns and villages in North-Eastern Hungary, where we were implementing numerous Swiss-funded projects, I was impressed by the symmetrical conical wine hills, and it is clear that this region owns not only its beauty to the volcanic underground, but also the quality and uniqueness of its wines. Very regularly, when we were making some short excursions to famous castles or fortresses during such trips, like for instance in Füzér or Hollókő, it turned out that they were built on volcanic rocks. One can only imagine how completely different Lake Balaton would look without its Badacsony, Gulács, Tóti-hill and Csobánc, which give it this kind of Mediterranean flair…

However, to me, the most emblematic monument of Hungary’s volcanic past is the Danube Bend, where the river, which is flowing eastward from the origin until this place, makes this most spectacular 90-degree turn towards the south, following the caldera of a prehistorical volcano, and breaks through to the Pannonian lowlands. It makes me think of a history of fire and water.

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culture VIRTUOSOS GOES INTERNATIONAL

HUNGARIAN TALENT SHOW BUILDING THE FUTURE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC The ‘Virtuosos’ classical talent show, developed in Hungary, is now going international. The founder of the concept and producer of the show, Mariann Peller tells Diplomacy&Trade about convincing the British partner, Fulwell 73, on the viability of this format and on plans to popularize the show worldwide.

Expectations

A classical music fan

She adds that “from now on, we are going to work on the UK and US versions of the program. Of course, while keeping the main values of the concept – like the importance of talent, professionalism, hard-work, quality; we have to figure out what best fits these different audiences. These series will be our entree to the international world of television, and this is huge because a successful and impressive start in these countries, which are influencers in so many ways, could bring more and more possibilities around the world.”

Mariann Peller is not new to music. She used to organize concerts, mostly classical music concerts. “I realized that there are lots of seniors both in the audience and on the stage and thus, it seemed that the people who love classical music would disappear. As an enormous fan of this genre, I started to think: how could we bring it closer to the mainstream crowd? And this is where the popular form of talent shows comes into the picture. Developing the program took a long time, from creating the very detailed booking format to producing and building the financial

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and professional background. During the last few years, these methods have been in progress, and now I think, this work is never going to stop because the key to success is being innovative, progressive and flexible.”

just to mention some. We give them professional, financial and social support, this is why we set up the Young Virtuosos Foundation in 2014.”

The Foundation The idea for this foundation came about because the producers of the show wanted to create something different, something, which is not comparable to the other talent shows. “We wanted to offer not just three months of glowing and shining but a real chance to have a proper career in classical music. There are loads of amazing talents who need help, in so many ways, to get through the difficult path of being an artist. This has been the main purpose of our Foundation and during these years, we’ve met plenty of rough life stories from financial troubles to serious health issues. These experiences led us to the mission that we would like to adopt abroad, not just the format of the TV show but the idea of the Foundation and this extraordinary talent support system because we believe this is why ‘Virtuosos is a unique program in the world'– as Maestro Domingo put it,” the producer points out.

Careers The Virtuosos first appeared on TV in Hungary in October 2014. According to the producer, “probably, it sounds like a big cliché but not just the official winners benefit from the show and everyone is a champion. Of course, at first, the absolute and the age group winners got the biggest possibilities, but in contrast with any other talent shows, we worked hard to try not to abandon any of the young musicians. If someone is willing and able to use the opportunities that we offer, he or she could win a lot, the producer points out. She mentions the example of Misi Boros who is only 15 years old but has had more concerts than his older colleagues and already is a shareholder in ‘Virtuosos Holding. Then, there’s Ivett Gyöngyösi who has her own piano festival now, Apor Szüts who became a much wanted composer, while Tamás Kökény was the face of ERSTE Bank with his honest and true story about dedication. Speaking of opportunities, Mariann Peller says that “our talents have had concerts all over the world, for example in the US, UK, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, J U N E

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Worldwide expansion With Fulwell 73, the British and American markets are to be conquered – but that is not all! Mariann Peller is glad to say that “we already have two marvelous, enthusiastic Chinese partners, Wailian Education Group and Deer Capital Management with whom we will build the life of Virtuosos in China. And, I can also proudly announce that Hiventures, a member of Hungarian Development Bank is also a new investor in our company, so the rest of the world can prepare for Virtuosos because we are coming soon!”

In summary, she adds that she hopes that “as a result of our work, the Hungarian talents will find open doors anywhere they go – of course, it is them I favor the most – but we look forward to helping musicians like them all over the world. Besides, we have ideas of widening the Virtuosos world with spin shows and we have a project, tied to music education, in progress. In one thing I am sure, I won’t be bored in the next few years, at all.”

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EMMER, JUDIT MARJAI, ENIKŐ BIANKA DANCS

Behind Fulwell 73 is the well-known British actor and comedian, James Corden but there will be an even bigger name there for the Virtuosos show, Plácido Domingo. “Our relationship with the Maestro started at the very beginning when I reached out to him with my idea. He was kind and supportive but made it clear that I had to show some results. Fortunately, we did not have to wait long, until we suddenly found ourselves meeting the Maestro at Liszt Academy, organizing concerts and masterclasses with him. His support always means a great deal to me, because even as a child, I loved his art, and one of my biggest wishes was listening to him in person. And now, here we are, talking about building the future of classical music together.

As an active shareholder in Virtuosos Holding, he will help us with his professional experiences and connections,” she says.

photos by LÁSZLÓ

“The United Kingdom has a huge role in its television industry and has an openminded, innovative view of new ideas and products. We wanted to take the show there from the beginning. We even had negotiations with Rocket Pictures owned by Elton John. That deal never happened because he wanted to buy us out, and one of the most important issues to me in this project is maintaining the Hungarian majority stake, and I insist on leading the company with domestic partners. I think, during the discussion with Fulwell 73, our amazing success in Hungary was a great start, and also the afterlife of the TV program was promising: the careers of the talented musicians, the concert tours, etc. In my opinion, the finest specialties of Virtuosos, like Hungarian music culture, traditions and education system, were important, too,” Mariann Peller highlights.

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THE MAESTRO AND THE VIRTUOSOS PLÁCIDO DOMINGO JOINS THE HUNGARIAN TALENT SHOW TO POPULARIZE CLASSICAL MUSIC WORLDWIDE

This May, the most prominent figure on the international opera scene, Plácido Domingo became a shareholder in Virtuosos Holding Ltd, which has the international rights of the ‘Hungarian-born’ classical music talent show ‘Virtuosos’ and its spin-offs.

“I am always enthusiastic about supporting initiatives everywhere to bring great classical music before more people everywhere in the world, and this seems to me a wonderful occasion,” the Maestro explains his motivation to Diplomacy&Trade.

“I was introduced to the TV show and its founder Mariann Peller a couple of years ago when I visited the Liszt Academy in Budapest.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of the past winners there and since then, I had the opportunity to invite recent young Virtuosos musicians to appear with me on stage to perform at my concerts,” he adds.

As for his impression when meeting some the Virtuosos winners in person, he says “I was thrilled to meet some of these very talented, very promising young musicians. It is obvious that young musicians are the future of opera and of classical music in general, and we have to do everything we can to support them!”

For future generations

SUZUKI, JUDIT MARJAI

The show has been very popular in Hungary and now, it goes international. When asked his opinion on how big of a ‘kick’ this could be in popularizing classical music worldwide, the Maestro points out that he cannot predict the future, but he knows that “every effort of

this sort is worth making because we need to ensure the survival of great music for future generations. I am convinced that the Virtuosos TV show will open the eyes and ears of many young people and will encourage them in learning to play a musical instrument or perhaps to take singing lessons. The Virtuosos TV show could also influence the parents to let their children to be exposed to classical music.”

The British and American distribution of the Virtuosos go exclusively to the company Fulwell 73. The Maestro says he can help them with his ‘feeling for music’. “My intention is to be available to them for advice when they need it, and to communicate my love and enthusiasm for great music to the vast audiences that the ‘Virtuosos’ has the potential to reach all around the world. Fulwell 73 has a great reputation in producing quality programming for television and I am very happy to be in partnership with them on this project.”

Positive experience in Hungary Plácido Domingo has been in Hungary several times. Talking about the country, the people, the musical, cultural life here, he stresses “I have had so many wonderful experiences in Hungary, singing, conducting, having my Operalia competition take place there or simply attending the Formula One Grand Prix race. Music plays a great part in Hungarian culture, and a lot of energy and resources have been – and continue to be – put into developing musical life there by the private sector and the government, as well. It is all extremely positive, and I am impressed by it. I am so grateful to the Hungarian public that has been so warm to me throughout all my past visits in Budapest and Pécs.”

The love of music

photos by KAORI

Maestro Domingo has not only been singing opera but other, lighter genres, as well – popularizing music with his extraordinary voice. In addition, he also conducts and is the General Director of the Los Angeles Opera in the United States. “It is the love of music, but w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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also the challenge of performing new roles and undertaking new projects that makes me continue. Music has given me so much, and so, I feel a great need to give music to as many other people as I can and for as long as I can.”

Real Madrid para siempre Plácido Domingo is also known to be a great fan of Real Madrid. The football team wrote history last year – not only with the ‘duodécima’ (that is, winning the top European club competition for the 12th time) but also by becoming the first team to defend its Champions League title. What is more, this year, the ‘decimotercero’ (the 13th such title) was also achieved in Kiev (making it an unprecedented double as the club’s basketball team won the Euroleague title earlier in the month).

As the Maestro explains, “I grew up loving football and I have been a fan of Real Madrid

all my life – because I was born in Madrid and feel Spanish to my core! Of course, I am thrilled with the team’s recent victories and accomplishments. It is a great team representing my own country on the world stage! I am happy that my schedule allowed me to attend and witness in person the Champions League titles in 2016 and 2017, but I am so sorry not to be able to be at the recent final in Kiev when Real Madrid has won the unprecedented third title in the row.

I am now looking forward to cheer on Spain competing in the World Cup in Russia this summer!”

Plácido Domingo and Fulwell 73 come on board with Virtuosos

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A WAY OF LIFE IN INDIA

the next international day of yoga. Later, my name was listed with the Quality Council of India (QCI). After going through a number of interviews and written examinations, there was a panel meeting between ICCR and the Ministry of AYUSH and within that panel, there was an internal committee which delegates people to different countries. I was designated to come to Budapest, which I am really happy about. This Embassy is very enriching. Whatever I want to promote, that is, yoga, wellness and health, I always receive help from the Ambassador and the Director of the Cultural Center,” she stresses.

A YOGA TEACHER FROM INDIA IS BASED IN BUDAPEST ON A 2-YEAR ASSIGNMENT

Not just the body

The Ambassador notes that while proposing International Day of Yoga to the United Nations, Prime Minister Modi said that "yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body.” So, the message to be conveyed to the Hungarian people, according to the Ambassador is that yoga not only strengthens one physically but mentally and psychologically, also. It helps people discover themselves and guides them to a holistic approach to health and well-being.

“India is the birthplace of four major religions of the world; people practicing nine religions have been living peacefully, celebrating each other’s traditions and diversity. We combine the International Day of Yoga with the 3rd Ganga-

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Promoting people to people contacts The Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of India, Dr. Mahesh Sharma visited Hungary in June, 2016 for the first Ganga-Danube: Cultural festival and the International Day of Yoga. He told Diplomacy & Trade then that “culture is a way of life in India: Everything from getting up in the morning and moving on through the daily routine.” Ambassador Chhabra opines that “it is rightly said that culture is a way of life in India. Indian cultural heritage, which is 6,000 years old, is one of the most diverse cultures in the world as India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs differ from place to place within the country. Indian culture is often labeled as an amalgamation of several cultures.

Despite the diversity, culture is the unifying force in India.” He is of the view that art and culture are the best instruments to bring communities and countries together.

By organizing the Ganga-Danube: Cultural Festival, the Embassy wants Hungarians to know about the diversity Indian culture, promote people to people contact and bring the people of the two countries closer.

A yoga teacher from India The cultural festival is held in conjunction with the International Day of Yoga. Since last November, the Indian Cultural Center has a new yoga and lifestyle expert, Ankita Sood who

has announced on social media how proud she is to spread yoga and Indian culture across Hungary. She recalls to Diplomacy&Trade that recognizing its universal appeal, in December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. “The following year, the Ministry of AYUSH in India and the Quality Council of India (QCI) announced that there will be a standardized examination of yoga professionals in the country, covering each and every aspects of the yoga. The examination was practical including interviews and some demonstrations. To my surprise I topped my batch, my name was highlighted on the list of ICCR, an independent government body, which is also associated with cultural exchange programs. As a result, I was sent to Cambodia as a yoga ambassador to celebrate

Ganga Danube Cultural Festival and the International Day of Yoga

THE 2018 EVENTS

In the past two festivals, there was a wide range of events to get Hungarians acquainted with Indian culture. As for this year, “in view of the extremely successful previous festivals, we have been receiving requests from mayors of different cities to take part in the 3rd edition of Ganga-Danube Festival. This year, we are organizing the festival and International Day of Yoga in 21 cities of Hungary, i.e. Alsóörs, Balatonfüred, Békéscsaba, Budapest, Debrecen, Eger, Esztergom, Győr, Kecskemét, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nagykőrös, Nyiregyháza, Pécs, Sárvár, Somogyvámos (Krishna Valley), Sopron, Szeged, Szentendre, Veszprém and Zalakaros,” Ambassador Chhabra highlights.

The Embassy is also organizing International Day of Yoga and cultural performances in seven cities of Bosnia & Herzegovina i.e.

Banja Luka, Foca, Mostar, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zavidovici and Zenica.

All in all, over 75 artists will be performing, more than half of them coming in from India. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is sending two prominent cultural troupes for the Festival: the ten-member ‘Namame Gange’ Bharatnatyam troupe and the ten 10-member Manipuri Folk dance group. Another ten Hungarian cultural troupes/artists, proficient in Indian art forms, are also performing during the Festival.

The Namame Gange Bharatnatyam troupe will present a dance drama on the most sacred river of India, the Ganga, which has been worshipped since ancient times and has been the cultural life line of the country. The theme of the presentation will showcase the integration of culture of India and Hungary through symbolic confluence of the holy Ganga and the historic Danube River.

As for the Manipuri Folk Dance Group, it is the first occasion that a folk dance troupe from North-East region of India will perform in Hungary. This unexplored paradise of India is well known for its distinct culture and traditional lifestyle. The northeastern region offers a mixed culture of Hindu, Christianity, Muslim and Buddhism. Every tribal group of these states has its own unique tribal culture, tribal folk dance, food and crafts. Apart from various marital art forms performed with their swords and sticks, they will perform Pung Cholom, which is a great artistic creation considered to be the rarest of the rare art forms specially designed and choreographed for stage performances.

Pung Cholom is a show of artistic excellence and agility on the part of the drummer who is dressed in a spotless white dhoti and turban with a drum hanging from his shoulders. His ability to perform with great artistry and excitement without distorting the essential Talas is unmistakably a treat for all. Today, Pung Cholom is one of the best in the realm of great performing arts.

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HARANGOZÓ

Discover yourself with yoga

Danube: Cultural Festival of India to showcase the very diverse and rich cultural heritage of India. I request Hungarian and Bosnians (as the Embassy in Budapest is also accredited to Bosnia and Herzegovina) to come and enjoy Yoga, Indian music, dances, folk art, films and much more which is on display during this festival,” he adds.

photo by DÁVID

The third Ganga-Danube Indian Cultural Festival takes place this year in Hungary on June 23-24. As the initiator of the festival, the Indian Ambassador to Hungary, Rahul Chhabra explains to Diplomacy&Trade, “relations between India and Hungary are close, friendly and multi-faceted. Apart from close political ties, India and Hungary have vibrant cultural relations. Hungarian scholars, over several centuries, have demonstrated a keen interest in India’s ancient traditions and culture.

It was in view of these close and vibrant cultural relations that a cultural center was opened in the Embassy, bearing the name of the renowned Indo-Hungarian painter, Amrita Sher-Gil. Though, cultural linkages between the two countries are very strong, I noticed that no Indian cultural festival was ever held in Hungary. That is how we decided to organize the 1st edition of the ‘GangaDanube: Cultural Festival of India’ in 2016. When I mentioned this idea during my first meeting with President Áder, I received an extremely positive response that encouraged me to complete the project.”

Regarding her way of passing the knowledge of Indian culture to Hungarians, Ankita Sood, whose assignment is for two years, says she is sticking to the classical, traditional type of yoga, which she was trained in, from the world’s oldest organized yoga center, ‘The Yoga Institute, Mumbai’. “This is the type of yoga I would like to spread in Hungary, as well. Hungarians are accepting this wholeheartedly and they are enjoying each and every session given to them.

I am from Mumbai, which has a very warm climate. After I arrived here, it was freezing cold in December with snowfall and really harsh conditions, so, I did not expect students to come to the yoga sessions early in the morning. Surprisingly for me, the students were really enthusiastic and they showed up for the classes in time and then thoroughly enjoyed the sessions,” She recalls that the word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ meaning the union of the body and the mind, so it is not only physical but involving emotions, as well – it is a way of life.

“People here are accepting this and they are loving the fact that it is much more than physical culture. Knowledge is never ending and I'm going to spread good health, wellness and positive energy here.”

business

UNIQUE MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE HAPPY KIDS INTERNATIONAL KINDERGARTEN AND NURSERY

that families new to Budapest look to in order to secure their young child’s schooling needs.

18 months to 7 years, from all over the world

100 of Budapest’s youngest English-speakers busily living up to the name of the service they are enjoying. Happy Kids proudly sports a large and inviting playground to complement its freshly renovated and accommodating building.

Australian Peter Jones and his Hungarian wife and qualified kindergarten teacher, Suzy are the inspiration behind all of this success, combining their talents and know-how in education and business to identify and meet the need that was apparent to them back in the late 1990s when English-language services for young children in Budapest were few and far between. Happy Kids has grown from a small dream to an impressive reality and continues to be one of the first options

Communication is key...keeping parents informed Any early childhood professional knows that an essential step towards the effective care and education of young children is establishing a solid sense of teamwork, trust, and communication with the parents.

The major part of such communications necessarily happen face-to-face with direct parent-teacher conversation, but Happy Kids also works hard to ensure strong parental awareness of the wonderful events, activities

Forming and maintaining community through special events Happy Kids is more than ‘just a kindergarten’ – it’s a community with a flourishing international vibe. This sense of community does not just happen, it is actively created by the leadership who arrange regular special events for families to meet and enjoy themselves, together. Sunday Brunches at a special hotel, family days with bouncy castles and more, even ski trips and birthday parties help make everyone feel welcome and involved.

Much to offer As if a fun-packed day of busy activity and learning was not enough, Happy Kids provides a wide range of extra, optional afternoon activities for the older children. Programs available include art club, ballet, chess, dance, football, music and more. No wonder those kids are happy!

Fun in the sun: Happy Kids summer camps Every summer, Happy Kids throw their doors open wide to welcome children back for yet more fun in their annual summer camps.

These camps are open to all and provide a great chance to meet new friends and/or to invite friends that attend other settings. With loads of summer-related fun, it is a great way to enjoy the freer months of the year.

photo by HAPPY

KIDS INTERNATIONAL KINDERGARTEN

If you are an expatriate and have lived in Budapest more than just a few months, chances are that you have heard of Happy Kids International Kindergarten and Nursery. More than likely, you know somebody with a child attending their firmly established English-language early childhood program.

Happy Kids is a hugely popular and wellknown Kindergarten that has been at the heart of Budapest’s international education scene for nearly 20 years, giving it a strong claim to being Budapest’s longest-standing English language international kindergarten.

Set in the clean, fresh air of Budapest’s 12th district and yet easily accessible by car or public transport, it generally hosts around

Happy Kids welcomes children as young as 18 months and up to the age of 7 years, with language or cultural background no barrier, at all. The kindergarten is a deeply ‘international’ setting with children and staff from all corners of the globe. Their learning community represents more than 20 nationalities, and their multicultural staffing policy includes a high proportion of native-English speakers.

Happy Kids provide three teachers per class, whilst also maintaining small class sizes.

This internationalism is by now something totally natural to life at Happy Kids, and the program operates to meet the needs of all cultures and educational approaches. As their website states, they aim “to synthesize the best practices from a range of national educational systems, balanced by its own unique multicultural experience to create a day care and learning environment of excellence.”

and programs that their child is enjoying.

The Happy Kids website boasts regular newsletters, blog posts, photograph galleries, videos and more that can be enjoyed by all – from anywhere in the world –, keeping Grandma and Grandpa well informed, too!

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SHINEDOWN

UNTIL JUNE 24 LUDWIG MUSEUM The first major presentation of the Ukrainian contemporary art scene in Hungary is a special occasion to look into the vibrant art of a country full of tension, which is still largely in the blind spot of the European cultural area. Featuring the works of several generations, “Permanent Revolution” focuses on the question what is contemporary art today. www.lumu.hu

VESZPRÉMFEST 2018

JULY 11-14 VESZPRÉM Celebrating its 15-year-anniversary, Veszprémfest is a dynamically developing, large-scale cultural event creating true value for lovers of art and quality music.

For several days every summer the event offers the most accomplished, world-class performers from various musical genres, including classical music, world music, opera, jazz and pop. The magnificent outdoor venue of VeszprémFest is Bishop’s Garden, which serves as the backdrop and natural setting for the main stage, only a few steps from the Eastern walls of the 1000-year-old Veszprém Castle. This venue will host the Amy MacDonald & Aloe Blacc concert, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley and an opera gala with four world-renowned stars performing together for the first time: José Cura, Andrea Rost, Erika Miklósa and Ramón Vargas. In addition, a new open-air venue joins the festival this year: Félix Lajkó will step onto the stage over 3 nights in front of an audience of 400 in the renovated ruin garden of the 18th-century Jesuit church and the ancient nunnery of the Veszprém Valley. www.veszpremfest.hu/en

VOLT FESTIVAL 2018

JUNE 26-30 SOPRON Over the past few decades, VOLT has grown from a very small festival to an event attracting 150,000 people, although it still maintains a special ‘family’ atmosphere. Organized by the same company as Sziget and Balaton Sound, the event offers a total of 10 stages with over 200 performers, quality lounges, bars, cafes, restaurants - all built in the middle of a forest in Sopron. VOLT is a festival with great traditions, presenting international stars in several genres, ranging from pop/rock to alternative, metal, folk/world, jazz and electronica. Hungarian performers this year include Anna & the Barbies, Ákos, the Halott Pénz, Quimby, the Tankcsapda and the Wellhello, while Alan Walker, the Avenged Sevenfold, the Clean Bandit, the Depeche Mode, the Iron Maiden, the Limp Bizkit, the Skillet and Steve Aoki will add to the international stars’ list. www.volt.hu

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LAST CHANCE TO SEE: PERMANENT REVOLUTION. UKRAINIAN ART TODAY

DAVID VENNI/CHILLI MEDIA, REID ROLLS, GREG BOJORQUEZ, LIVE NATION, MYKOLA MATSENKO-EMBLEM/OIL AND ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 2014, SÁNDOR CSUDAI-WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CSUDAISANDOR

JUNE 18 BARBA NEGRA TRACK The rock 'n' roll band from Florida stops in Budapest on their brand-new tour, for their first Hungarian show on June 18 at Barba Negra Track. The group has released five studio albums so far: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), Amaryllis (2012), and Threat to Survival (2015). The band's sixth album, ’Attention Attention, is scheduled for release in 2018.

Shinedown has sold more than ten million records worldwide, and has had 11 number one singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. www.livenation.hu

7TH PALOZNAK JAZZ PICNIC

AUGUST 2-4 PALOZNAK ‘Jazz, Wine, Balaton!’ is the slogan of this annual summer fest, which is a winning combo of great wines and an array of international star performers at Lake Balaton. Organized by a local winery named Homola Pincészet and co-organized by the Municipality of Paloznak, the fest is one of the most charming summer events: the tiny village of Paloznak's streets fill with music and people strolling, with a wine glass in hand, and the Folk House's garden turns into a live music venue. The main stage is traditionally set up on the edge of the village, and the audience is encouraged to lounge in the grass. The festival also stands for quality in terms of gastronomy: the most popular restaurants of Lake Balaton's north shore will be catering. The picnic vibes will be complete with picnic baskets, cooled wines, local farmers’ delicacies (such as artisanal cheeses and hams, ice cream and pálinka variations), and picnic blankets. Paloznak Jazz Picnic presents a star-studded program this year: the international and Hungarian line-up includes Jamie Cullum, the SOUL II SOUL featuring Jazzie B & Caron Wheeler, the Kraak & Smaak Live Band, as well as the funk-groove Electro Deluxe and the Geszti+Jazz+Az+Lányok. During the festival, a dedicated bus service will help guests travel between Paloznak and their accommodation in nearby towns such as Balatonfüred, Csopak, Balatonalmádi and Alsóörs. www.jazzpiknik.hu

23RD DANUBE CARNIVAL

JUNE 8-17 MULTIPLE VENUES IN BUDAPEST This summer welcomes the 23rd Danube Carnival that is “traditionally all about traditions”, gathering more than 800 Hungarian artists, over 200 international artists and 37 folk and music ensembles for a spectacular multicultural fest. Besides the programs taking place at Kobuci Kert in District 3 and at Hero’s Square, a breath-taking gala concert will be held at the Margaret Island Open Air Stage on June 16, starring the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, the Duna Art Ensemble and the Dohnányi Symphonic Orchestra, along with István Pál ‘Szalonna’ & his Band. Another main attraction of this year’s fest is the Emir Kusturica & No Smoking Orchestra concert. www.dunakarneval.hu

JEFF MILLS: PLANETS

JULY 13 MARGARET ISLAND OPEN-AIR THEATRE Part of the 3-month program series of this year’s Budapest Summer Festival, world-famous star DJ Jeff Mills presents a spectacular concert show imbued with philosophical meaning.

Known for his ambitious compositions, the innovative disc jockey has worked for more than a decade with large symphonic orchestras, creating his grandiose tableaux from a unique fusion of classical and electronic music. For this performance, accompaniment is provided by the Danubia Orchestra of Óbuda. www.eng.szabadter.hu

UNTIL AUGUST 13 ART HALL This exhibition presents artists who draw inspiration from the tradition of folk art. The Nomad Generation of the 1970s and the dance house movement established a new attitude towards folk art. Folk dance left the stages behind, artisanal objects came to be appreciated for their form and function. This intellectually inspiring period saw music and dance come together with artisanship, architecture, its sister arts and the newly emerging ecologically conscious lifestyle. Over the past 50 years, the movement has proved to be far more than a fad, or the subculture of a generation in revolt. This model of maintaining traditions has become part of the world’s intellectual heritage. www.mucsarnok.hu

NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2018

JUNE 23 ALL OVER BUDAPEST Have a sleepover with history and spend the night in museums! On June 23, museums open their doors to visitors both in Budapest and in the countryside until 2:30 am for this annual event, which celebrates its 16th anniversary this year.

There will be more than 1,000 programs offered at some 100 locations within the capital, all of which can be visited with one single ticket in the form of an armband. In addition, visitors with armbands are entitled to use the Museum Bus, which will run between venues. www.muzej.hu

photos by

PALOZNAK JAZZPIKNIK, GÁBOR DUSA, TAMÁS VÉGH, SHAUNA REGAN

ALL AROUND US. NATIONAL SALON 2017. APPLIED ARTS AND DESIGN

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BUDAPEST MARRIOTT HOTEL REVEALS REFURBISHED ROOMS

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the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel. Consequently, the newly appointed General Manager Arne Klehn will oversee further renovations. “The idea was to turn this hotel into a 21th-century destination for a new generation travelers,” Enders notes. “It wasn’t just cosmetic changes we needed, considering that the previous renovations took place ten years ago. In the case of the 363 guest rooms, we have changed the entire interior, top to bottom, including the wall coverings and the flooring, the lighting, the furniture and all accessories.” According to Enders, J U N E

the project was implemented within a very tight time frame.

“Despite the current situation of the Hungarian construction industry, the prestigious refurbishment project has been accomplished continuously without any disruption,” he notes.

“The total room refurbishment was completed in less than 4 months of undisturbed and smooth operation, carried out by the Spanish Meran team headed by a Hungarian lady, Sára Tolnai, of 3E International, who gave us technical supervision services and KÉSZ Építő és Szerelő Inc. our general contractor. It is true though, that we went through 2 0 1 8

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18-months of planning prior to construction, so we could make sure that our guests wouldn’t notice anything.” Enders reveals that the Marriott chain works hard to find out what guests need around the globe these days, through various channels. Klehn agrees, adding that gathering market insight, in addition to standard methods such as customer comment cards and focus groups, involves the use of a pilot hotel, which functions as an innovation lab. “In the US, Charlotte Marriott City Center allows the company to test out new ideas as it gears up for the next generation

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photos by MARRIOTT

Extensive renovation work started at the Budapest Marriott Hotel in January of this year. The first phase was completed just recently, on April 24, fully transforming all guestrooms, except for the Presidential Suite, which will be done in 2019, while the executive lounge will be done during 2018. The final phase of renewal works will be finished by next year, when a new lobby, restaurant, bar, and modernized event spaces will welcome guests. The project kicked off under Rick Enders who, following a 4-year stay at Budapest as GM, left to Qatar in April, to lead

INTERNATIONAL, BIANKA MÁJAY

MORE RENOVATIONS TO FOLLOW INTO 2019

hospitality about

ARNE KLEHN

Arne Klehn has over 20 years’ experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. He started his career in a front desk position at the Renaissance Heathrow Hotel, London in 1998, and then he joined the team of Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa on the West Coast of the US. Back from the US, in Germany he was part of the opening team of the Berlin Marriott Hotel as Front Office Manager and gained further experience at Cologne and Regensburg – where he was General Manager.

In 2010 he moved to Paris where he became Opening General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Paris Arcueil and later in 2012 dual Property General Manager at the Courtyard by Marriott Paris Arcueil & Neuilly. In November 2013 Arne was promoted to General Manager of the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Marriott Hotel and from there he moved to Turkey in 2015 to lead Marriott Hotel Sisly, where he had his first child born. He arrived in Budapest in May, along with his family that will soon welcome its 4th member. He says both he and his wife had a good gut feeling when they landed in Budapest, and can’t wait to discover what the capital city has to offer.

of consumers who will soon make up the bulk of the hotel guests.”

photos by MARRIOTT

INTERNATIONAL, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ

Beta project Enders remarks that the most recently redesigned Marriott hotels have rooms with wood floors rather than the traditional carpet, as Marriott guests say that wood makes them feel more at home, and it is also more hygienic. “Another shift in guest behavior is the tendency of neglecting the wardrobes. Those guests, who arrive for less than a week, prefer not to unpack their suitcases. So we have introduced our open wardrobe (a stylish clothing rack), to keep things a little more organized with less effort. A highlight of the refurbishments, and my personal favorite, is the chic, comfy and spacious bench that is placed in front of the huge windows overlooking the picturesque Buda castle, Gellért Hill and the Danube, in almost every room – I’m sure it will be loved by guests.” Klehn smiles w w w . d t e u r o p e . c o m

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and adds he was amazed too, when he found out that Budapest Marriott Hotel has this outstanding feature: offering breathtaking panorama from all of its rooms. He says that indeed, the perfect harmony is created in all rooms by the exciting blend of pastel shades of the walls and draperies combined with those vibrant colors of the decorations.

“Natural light in every room brings the whole setting alive with the background of the amazing city view, which I fell in love with the moment I arrived, two weeks ago.”

According to both GMs, the new beds are extremely comfortable; bed scarves were replaced with minimal style, soft bedlinen, decorated with elegant cushions.

The safe is now placed inside the nightstand, providing easier access to one’s belongings and it is a size of a drawer, which can easily hold a laptop. The size of the desk was also optimized for laptops, making the room more spacious. All curtains

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were replaced by electronic window blinds that can be controlled from the bedside panel. Bearing in mind the importance of environmental matters, recycling bins were placed in each guestroom as a crucial step towards green operation of the hotel that already went as paperless as possible in the past year. IPTVs and new phones were installed to provide better connectivity to guests’

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devices, and, as Klehn highlights, doors will soon turn high-tech too, and guests will be able to open and close them using their smartphones.

Novelties “Research conducted by Marriott also found that guests, and in particular millennials, are interested in mingling in open spaces and are willing to meet new people and start conversations with locals, during their stay in the café or even in the gym. So, in Budapest, we have introduced a program called ‘Terrace Challenge’ which is open to anyone interested in doing a little exercise, led by our in-house instructor, downstairs on our terrace, on the Danube Corso. The first sesion was very popular last Saturday, which I unfortunately missed, but will make sure to attend the next one. I encourage your readers to do so, every Saturday, and, following the workout, stay for lunch and try our all-you-can-eat option at

HUF 5,000,” Klehn continues. “Also targeting Budapest residents, as well as our own guests, our DJ Night will continue on Saturday nights with our resident DJ Andrea Lane,” he adds, noting that he is looking forward to the spectacular fireworks coming up on August 20.

“I’m sure we’ll put up a fabulous program that day,” he promises enthusiastically. “Guests, when traveling, often search for the best restaurants in town. I’d like them to try our restaurant first, so we’ll add more local touches to it. In the near future, Peppers! Mediterranean Grill will be transformed into something totally different,” the new GM notes, uncovering that the brand new concept will have something to do with the 22 Hungarian wine regions. “As an “operational guy”, I’m looking forward to continue the renovations in this well-run hotel I took over from my predecessor and seeing how I can move the hotel to the next level.”

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hospitality

BUDAPEST AMONG REGIONAL LEADERS IN HOTEL MARKET RAPID GROWTH IN THE PAST THREE YEARS

LEGACY OF THE PAST CARRIED TO THE FUTURE HOTEL CLARK OPENED

and occupancy rates in Prague, Bratislava and Warsaw. According to the benchmark of the real estate advisor company, Budapest ranks second in this peer group when it comes to ADR and RevPAR, anf third place, following Prague and Warsaw, in occupancy rates. Based on expectations, there is still room for improvement in the Budapest hotel market, especially in room rates.

“Budapest’s fast growth in recent years was achieved despite the accompanying strong expansion of the city’s Airbnb market.

According to our research, Budapest can be considered a mature market in terms of Airbnb supply, with a ratio of Airbnb listings to hotel rooms almost as high as that of London. Even though the Hoteliers in each segment notice Airbnb’s presence, these accommodations are still considered the main competitors of budget/ economy hotels, located in the city center.

However, it is expected that Airbnb’s impact in the upscale/luxury segment will be more significant when it launches its new premium services - Airbnb Plus and Airbnb Beyond,” says Tamás Steinfeld, head of research for Colliers International Hungary.

Additionally, Budapest has a significant hotel pipeline with another 2,500 hotel rooms expected to be available over the next three years. This growth is mainly due to the rapidly growing tourism market in recent years. In 2017, a record number of guest nights, 8.9 million were registered in the Hungarian capital, which was 6.9% higher than the previous year. Almost 90% of overnight stays in the Budapest market were attributed to foreign guests in 2017.

In order to understand Budapest’s position in comparison to its CEE capital peers, Colliers examined the key performance indicators of the hotel markets such as RevPAR, ADR

photos by TAMÁS

BUJNOVSZKY, JAN PREROVSKY, PIXELTASTER

Hotel Clark opened in the symbolic epicenter of Budapest, at kilometer zero in Adam Clark square, on a spot that had been vacant for seventy years. Built by Market Építő Zrt. and designed by Australian architect Anthony Gall, Hotel Clark salutes the legends of this historic site and offers luxury based on current trends to its guests.

Adam Clark square could successfully compete for the “most legendary Budapest location” title, as its centuries-long history is rich in urban legends, happy and sad stories alike, which city-dwellers are so eager to recite to visitors. The square was named after the Scottish engineer who oversaw the construction of the Chain Bridge (which was one of the longest bridges in the world when it opened), and who designed and built the Tunnel under Buda Castle. The location of Hotel Clark boasts an extensive heritage, so Australian architect Anthony Gall and the entire building team had to create the hotel with great care and sensitivity. For instance, as a memento of those graceful buildings destroyed in WWII, they re-erected the columns of the Savings Bank – the building that stood there previously, designed

by Miklós Ybl. In addition, the logo of Hotel Clark pays tribute to the famous stone lions, which stand at each of the abutments of the Chain Bridge, as do the metal ornaments found on the hotel and the aptly named Leo roof bar. During the construction, humbleness and excellent communication were required from the construction company, led by Sándor Scheer, and the Australian designer, in order to coin the legacy of the past with the requirements and progressive trends of modern age. The 86-room hotel offers a breathtaking panorama from its roof terrace and from the gourmet restaurant named Beefbar that is the first Hungarian member of an international restaurant chain famous of tempting meat-lovers with rare delicacies such as Kobe beef.

The CEE hotel market has experienced rapid growth in the last three years, in terms of hotel performance and transaction volume, due to the dynamically expanding tourism industry. Within the region, the Budapest hotel market has seen exceptional growth, as its RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth outpaced other key regional capital cities, according to Colliers International's latest hotel market study.

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gastronomy

BUDAPEST BISZTRÓ

1054 Budapest, Vécsey utca 3. | +36 1 783 0788 info@budapest-bistro.hu | www.budapest-bistro.hu

The legendary gulyás soup is an icon of Hungarian gastronomy.

This downtown restaurant chose this dish to epitomize their philosophy of dining.

Using traditional Hungarian flavors, meals are prepared in a stateof-the-art open kitchen with modern techniques, in front of guests, who may also visit the wine cellar, for a unique experience. The kitchen offers a wide breakfast selection in the morning, with beautiful handmade cakes and homemade pastries. Evenings often include live music, creating a classic „piano bar” atmosphere.

RISO

• Legendary goulash soup with noodles served in red pot • Paprikash farm chicken with egg noodles and marinated cucumber • Aged beef „Stefania” served with winter vegetables and rosemary jus • Home-made cottage cheese balls in sweet crumbs with honey-sour cream

1012 Budapest, Lovas út 41. | +36 1 224 7424 • +36 1 224 7421 info@riso.hu | www.riso.hu

photos by WWW.AFSTUDIO.HU,

ISTVÁN KIRÁLY/WWW.KIRALY.HU, DÁVID HARANGOZÓ, RISO

Located at the foot of Buda Castle, Riso Ristorante provides the perfect setting for romantic dinners, family gatherings, weddings, and corporate events. If weather permits, a beautiful 80-seat terrace is available for al fresco dining. The restaurant even has its own playground to entertain kids. As for the kitchen, Riso offers traditional Italian and Hungarian dishes. A business lunch menu is available on weekdays. If you desire a true Mediterranean experience and a friendly atmosphere, visit Riso!

• Duck liver crème brûlée with thymequince jam and sweet bread • Guinea fowl consommé with vegetables and pasta • Risotto with roasted pepper cream, buffalo mozarella and ruccola • Crispy-skinned duck breast with Chiantiinfused sour cherry and gratin potatoes • Mascarpone cream with soft chocolate and home-made Cantuccini

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FIGULA

PINCÉSZET

Várjuk szeretettel a 25 éves Figula Pincészetnél!

The 25-year-old Figula Winery is looking forward to welcoming you!

figula.hu | figulapinceszet@figula.hu | +36306624332

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