According to the economy minister, if Hungary’s $8.5-9 bln energy deficit is reduced by one-third in the coming year, the economy could become much more competitive.

Varga’s GDP projection was confirmed by analysts at TakarékBank, who expect the country’s economy to grow 2.8% next year, chief analyst Gergely Suppan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

TakarékBank puts average annual inflation at 1.4% for 2015, due to the risk of energy price changes. It sees average annual CPI climbing to 2.7%, close to the central bank’s 3% “price stability” target, in 2016.