Gyurcsány was speaking after meeting Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. In Hungary, certain current needs must be forsworn in order to spend more on education, research and development and infrastructure, Gyurcsány said. Hungary’s prime minister added that the reforms have to be carried out as soon as possible to avoid even bigger difficulties. Vanhanen said reforms had been painful in Finland, but they have won widespread support over the past ten years.

During their talks, Gyurcsány and Vanhanen agreed that Finland and Hungary shared a similar stance on EU issues and relations with Russia, with both countries advocating strategic cooperation between the EU and Russia. Finnish companies have invested about €1 billion in Hungary, with 170 Finnish companies employing an estimated 20,000 people in the country. Finnish telcos Nokia and Elcoteq operate several factories in Hungary. Vanhanen is scheduled to visit Nokia’s plant in Komárom (northwest-Hungary) on Tuesday afternoon. (MTI-Econews)