Debrecen4U
October 6, 2025
Debrecen’s economy on a clear, green upward trajectory
Appearing on Debrecen Television Lajos Barcsa emphasised:economic development must go hand in hand with the protection of our environment, biodiversity, air, and water.
“The launch of the BMW plant in Debrecen is a historical event of the 21st century, of such significance that it perhaps only occurs once in a century in the life of a city. Such a scale of change was, for example, the development of the printing industry in Debrecen in the 16th century, or when the railway reached Debrecen in the 19th century ” Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa listed in the latest broadcast of DTV’s program “HírPONT.”
Ten years ago, the total revenue of Debrecen companies was around HUF 1,500 billion; now this number is over HUF 3,200 billion, and by 2030 this number will increase fivefold.
“Debrecen’s economic weight will also increase significantly in national terms: one-sixth of the country’s industrial output will be realized here,” he said.
Editor-in-chief Zsuzsa Keserű mentioned that a fire broke out in the recently handed-over BMW plant on Wednesday, to which Lajos Barcsa responded, “The safety regulations that resulted from the strict measures of the government office and the disaster management have been tested well,” and added the city’s environmental monitoring system, which monitors environmental changes, has also been proven, and it did not detect any environmental changes in the area after the fire.
It was also discussed that one of the points of the application submitted for the title of European Green Capital is the Environmental Monitoring System.
“Economic development must go hand in hand with the protection of our environment, biodiversity, air, and water. It is important that we monitor environmental changes in addition to developing industry. The experts of the University of Debrecen came up with the details of KER and will present it in Vilnius,” he explained. (On Thursday evening, it was revealed that Debrecen had made it to the prestigious TOP 3 list of the competition.)
Regarding industrial facilities, the construction of the grey water supply system, which many questioned, is in progress, but will become a reality next month and we will be able to hand it over next year.
EDC recently received professional recognition, the Local Government Award. Lajos Barcsa summed up the decision to establish EDC Debrecen Nonprofit Kft. 10 years ago in order to create as many jobs as possible. At that time, the number of registered unemployed in Debrecen was more than 12 thousand people, and this year this number has already decreased to under 4 thousand.
The EDC’s activities have now been partially transformed: the project management and urban development departments operate as before, but the emphasis of economic development has been on supporting the development of the SME sector and companies already operating here for years. The novelty of the upcoming supplier forum this year will be that it has been raised to a regional level, and large companies and SME sector participants will also come from the region.”
In connection with the Question of the Week (What profession is worth studying in Debrecen?), the deputy mayor drew attention to the fact that due to dual training, it is possible to find a good job in Debrecen even with a secondary education. The fact that employers introduce themselves in an interactive, playful way at professional forums can also help young people with career choices.
It was also mentioned that more than 11 thousand students are already studying in Debrecen vocational training, and that several schools of the DSZC will be developed and expanded in the near future, and a new 250-bed dormitory will be built for students from Mechwart (Mechwart András Mechanical Engineering and Informatics Technical School). He recalled that the planning processes for the more than HUF 10 billion development started years ago.
