Risk of Rising Inflation 'Minimal' - Orbán
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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the risk of rising inflation was "minimal" and that restoring economic growth was the bigger issue in a weekly interview with public radio on Friday, according to a report by state news wire MTI.
Orbán noted that he occasionally consulted with representatives of the IMF and ECB on outlooks, and said he had spoken with National Bank of Hungary (MNB) governor Gyorgy Matolcsy on Thursday.
"I see that the risk of a rise in inflation in Hungary is minimal, rather the issue is whether we can boost economic performance at the envisioned pace and whether the central bank will be able to reduce interest rates at the pace that it envisions," Orbán told Kossuth Rádió.
"I don't see the risk of inflation as the biggest danger, but growth. Our common goal, for the central bank, for the government, for monetary policy, for fiscal policy should be to calmly and coolly...gradually help businesses invest, develop, create jobs, advance in terms of technology and support the return of economic growth to a high level, and that also requires lower interest rates, which, while taking into consideration the defense of the forint, I think the central bank can ensure this year," he added.
Orbán pointed to measures the government had already taken, such as subsidized credit schemes, to encourage businesses to invest in spite of the high-interest rate environment.
The cabinet member in charge of economic growth is the national economy minister, he added.
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