I would like to give preference to Hungarian-owned companies in the spirit of healthy patriotism - this was what Richárd Szabados, the state secretary responsible for SME development and technology of the NGM KKV, spoke about during a background discussion on Monday. The specialist, who took office on September 15, announced that the autumn action plan will start soon, but its exact amount is not yet known.

I want a completely open state secretariat that is much closer to customers, said Richárd Szabados, the head of the State Secretariat responsible for SME development and technology at the Ministry of National Economy, during a background discussion on Monday. The new state secretary previously worked at several banks, where his main field was lending to SMEs. The new leader will meet with the largest business interest organizations in the next period.

The current economic situation gives a lot of room for work, and support programs are being prepared at full speed, he said.

Union funds and domestic budget funds are available.

He also spoke about the fact that there is currently an abundance of funds for companies, and that this should be used properly. If someone can explain the options to the companies well, they will make a decision, he added.

In the future, they will work along the lines of the SME strategy and the competitiveness strategy, Szabados said. I want to increase the investment ratio of SMEs to 40 percent by 2030. In terms of export capacity, I would like to increase the current SME ratio of 5 percent to 7 percent. In addition to all this, I would like to raise the borrowing rate among SMEs to 20 percent by 2030, he added.

Healthy patriotism

Szabados also spoke about the fact that they would like to give preference to Hungarian-owned companies in the spirit of healthy patriotism. A large digital platform would be created for companies to access all information in one place.

Regarding the autumn action plan, he said that EU funds are available within GINOP, and they want to focus primarily on simplifications and area changes. Szabados stated that the companies want non-refundable subsidies, and they also want to open up in this direction. Within two months, I would like to bring the autumn action plan to such a level that tenders can be issued, he added. The exact amount of the autumn campaign plan will only be known in November, but it will also include non-refundable grants and grants that can be used to reduce debt.

They will continuously collect feedback and will be able to provide a professional response to all suggestions at certain intervals.

In response to a question, Richárd Szabados said that the cleaner the economy, the more resources are available for companies. Positive incentives are needed, he added.

There is definitely a need to clean up the profile of companies, and there may be changes in the definition of SMEs as well, the state secretary said in response to another question.

Companies that prioritize growth will definitely have an advantage in the case of subsidies, Szabados said in response to another question.

We want to focus the subsidies on places that generate new investments.

Source: Origo

Photo: MTI/János Mészáros