Local services
“Making small and medium-sized enterprises competitive is the most important task of the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (abbreviated in Hungarian as VOSZ,” this was also mentioned at the general assembly and forum of the VOSZ county organisation on Tuesday. At the event, Mayor László Papp talked about how this sector provides more than half of the jobs in Debrecen, so the city’s economy can only be genuinely booming if these companies are integrated into international value chains.
“A year ago, the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers established its first county-level business development office in Debrecen. Experience shows that more and more entrepreneurs are asking for help with business issues. The most important objective of the county organisation is to integrate small and medium-sized enterprises into international trade chains,” the president of VOSZ in Hajdú-Bihar said.
“Debrecen is moving in a very active environment, and it is therefore essential that small businesses catch up. Our main objective is the supplier programme and participation in the value chain, and this was our main task. We are subordinating everything to this,” County President Károly Balogh explained.
Through the Széchenyi Card Programme, VOSZ disbursed HUF 1,700 billion in loans nationwide last year, two-thirds of which were granted in rural areas. The association’s president stressed that the Ministry of National Economy has recently made them a key strategic partner, as part of which a so-called VOSZ project worth HUF 2 billion will be launched this year, aimed at the targeted development of start-up businesses. János Eppel added that the Demján Sándor Capital Programme, also under the government’s Demján Sándor Capital Programme, will also help boost the productivity of businesses and encourage investment.
“Our task in this difficult economic environment, which crises have hit for five years now, is to help businesses to start growing and developing, and the Demján Sándor SME support programme is the key framework for this,” the VOSZ President stressed. In Debrecen, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises provide more than 60% of employment.
“Debrecen today closed the previous year with an outstanding result as one of Hungary’s development centres, but the city’s economy can only be truly successful if smaller businesses are included in the value chain,” the Mayor explained. László Papp added that the city is offering a partnership with VOSZ to achieve this.
“I am glad that a new way of thinking, a much more purposeful, focused way of thinking, is characterising the activities of VOSZ. The city can count on this in every respect. I believe that Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar County will become one of the most successful economic regions in the country in the coming years,” László Papp pointed out.
VOSZ aims to link theoretical education with entrepreneurial practice, so it is concluding agreements with the country’s best higher education institutions. On Tuesday, it signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Debrecen.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
