TOP 100: The most significant economic actors of the county met in Debrecen
Europe’s economy is showing its weakest growth in the past six decades, said Mihály Varga, the president of the Hungarian National Bank, in Debrecen on Wednesday. At the year‑end partner meeting of the TOP 100 publication analyzing last year’s performance of the county’s most significant economic players, it was also stated that greater growth is needed, because Hungary has fallen behind not only compared to the EU, but also to the regional average when looking at the Warsaw countries. At the same time, the country has started to perform better in the labor market and export areas.
The development of Schaeffler’s companies in Debrecen is unbroken. Thanks to the capacity expansion that began at the beginning of the year, the Határ Road site is producing increasingly large quantities of ball bearings, which are essential for the propulsion of hybrid and electric cars. The Jedlik Ányos Street factory unit, which joined the group last October, also reached a million-euro production milestone this year in relation to several automotive electronics projects. With its performance, Schaeffler from Debrecen was included in the TOP 100 publication summarizing the most significant economic actors in the county in 2025. According to the county president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the list will be expanded with new large companies in the coming years, thanks to the strengthening of the Debrecen economy. “These naturally broaden the value chain. It is very important for us, and together with the Chamber and several entrepreneurs, we are working to ensure that as many services and supplies as possible are included in these value chains, since this obviously increases the national added value,” emphasized Ferenc Miklóssy, President of the Hajdú‑Bihar County Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa, the companies featured in the publication shape the economic strength and development directions of Hajdú-Bihar. “They create stable jobs, development opportunities, and long-term economic security for the people living here. In recent years, Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar County have undergone historic development. The sales revenue of businesses has increased by more than HUF 1,000 billion in Debrecen alone,” Lajos Barcsa drew attention.
Speaking at the forum about this year’s and last year’s tax revenues, Zsolt Spander, the county’s NAV director, said that in recent years they have tried to build a tax authority that is worthy of the development of Debrecen’s economy. “This is approximately HUF 650 billion by the 10th month and will certainly grow to over HUF 750 billion by the end of this year. I talked about last year that within 1-2 years this would certainly become the leading one after the Budapest and county tax directorates, and now I dare to state that by next year it will indeed be so,” stated Zsolt Spander.
Europe’s economy is showing the weakest growth in the past six decades—this was discussed by Mihály Varga. According to the central bank governor, this is primarily due to the high level of energy prices, excessive European bureaucracy, decreasing international involvement, and missing out on and lagging behind the technological revolution. In this situation, expanding and improving the quality of corporate lending is key, and the Hungarian National Bank has created the Qualified Corporate Loan for this purpose. “Eight banks have now joined this. What does this program mean? It means that a business can obtain a loan within two weeks, with minimal administration and preferably at the lowest possible funding cost, if it has such a need,” explained Mihály Varga.
In accordance with tradition, the Hajdú-Bihari Napló economic award was presented at the TOP 100 partner meeting, which was received by Teva Pharmaceuticals Zrt.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu

