Getting to Grips with 2019

With the year’s turn firmly behind us (remember 2018, anyone?), it is time to look ahead at what the still relatively fresh and shiny 2019 has to offer us.  

What it has to offer British nationals living and working in Hungary would seem to be more uncertainty, at least for a few more weeks. With the U.K. parliament having kicked Theresa May’s laboriously negotiated Brexit deal into the long grass by a remarkable majority, a new deal, a new referendum, a no deal and a no Brexit all seem at least theoretically possible. Whichever might be most probable is another matter altogether. A no-confidence vote was due as we went to press (although the opposition seemed to have no confidence it might pass), but more could yet follow if it fails.

I appreciate that, for all our many non-Brit readers, this must seem like an isolated local difficulty, so I won’t pursue it any further, other than to point out Brexit is due (at the time of writing) in just 72 days, and could have very real financial implications for Hungary, as is explored in our story “How will Brexit effect Hungary?” on Page 20.  

Elsewhere, we present a series of wishes for 2019 on Page 18 and 19. As with last year, we have deliberately cast the net wide, to try and give some exposure to voices that might not normally be heard, especially in a business publication like this. And, naturally, we have a roundup of what the economic analysts are expecting for the year ahead (see “More of the Same Expected From Economic Analysts in 2019” on Page 16 and 17). More growth would be the quickest up sum, albeit perhaps slightly more muted than in 2018, and with more of a weather eye on downside risks (sluggish EU growth and the on-off U.S.-China trade war, to name two).

A New Year by now naturally also brings a new BBJ Expat CEO award, and you can read about the preparations for our fifth gala on Page 5. The presentation itself will take place on January 25, so look out for more on that in the next issue.  

All told, it is a packed first issue. We look forward to bringing you all of the important news and analysis you would expect from a publication dedicated to “Business news that works” throughout 2019, but for now, and on behalf of the whole staff, let me wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Robin Marshall

Editor-in-chief