Debrecen4U
February 13, 2026
Financial Times Again Highlights Debrecen’s Rapid Economic Growth
fDi Intelligence, Financial Times’ division for international capital flows and investments, granted its prestigious award this year to European foreign direct investment projects that have the greatest potential to achieve significant local impact, and highlighted companies and regions playing a decisive role in shaping Europe’s future, according to EDC Debrecen.
Debrecen is reported to have performed exceptionally well in this competition, with several investments in the top 3 of their respective categories:
- Investment of Sensirion Hungary Kft. – 1st place in the OPERATIONAL SMALL PROJECTS category
- Investment of Contemporary Amperex Technology Hungary Kft (CATL) – 1st place in the OPERATIONAL MEGA PROJECTS category
- Expansion of Harro Höfliger Hungary Kft. – 2nd place in the ANNOUNCED SMALL PROJECTS category
European investment promotion agencies and companies could submit applications regardless of project size – whether measured by capital value or job creation. The investments of Sensirion Hungary and CATL Hungary were nominated with the involvement of EDC Debrecen, while Harro Höfliger submitted its application independently for the award.
Two main categories were examined: operational projects that have been functioning since January 2023 at the earliest, and announced projects that were also announced no earlier than January 2023 but have not yet entered the operational phase.
The judges primarily assessed the economic and social impact of each specific project. Criteria included job creation and the quality of employment, innovation impact, positive effects on the local economy, and sustainability. In addition, they evaluated how effectively investment promotion organizations were able to attract and support high-impact investments.
Since 2015, nearly €12.5 billion in foreign investment has arrived in Debrecen, creating more than 21,000 new jobs, of which nearly 9,000 have already been filled.
Alongside new investments, previously announced players such as CATL, Semcorp, and EVE Power are in the visible construction phase of their factories, while ZF Chassis Modules, Schedl, and EcoPro have already begun production.
It is a major economic development achievement for the city that BMW Group has entered the mass production phase following its factory inauguration in September, EDC added.
Winning investments
The OPERATIONAL SMALL PROJECTS category highlights already functioning, smaller-scale but high value-added investments, where impact is driven not by volume but by technological level, knowledge intensity, and sustainable operation. In this category, Sensirion in Debrecen achieved 1st place, surpassing international projects such as the Dutch Mollie, the American Five9, and the German Mercedes-Benz.io.
Sensirion Holding AG is a Swiss company headquartered in Stäfa, in the canton of Zurich. Its core profile is high-precision sensor technology: the development and manufacturing of digital microsensors and systems used in the automotive industry, healthcare, industrial applications, and consumer products.
One key message of the award is that the Debrecen project does not merely expand capacity but strengthens export-oriented, future-proof, high-tech activities, with engineering and quality assurance competencies, as well as stable supplier and knowledge networks. In the evaluation, Sensirion performed particularly well in terms of sustainability criteria.
The OPERATIONAL MEGA PROJECTS category recognizes the largest-scale investments that are already operational or directly linked to operation, where the scale of economic impact is itself decisive. In this category, the Debrecen investment of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) achieved 1st place, surpassing international players such as South Korea’s SK Group and the UK’s AstraZeneca.
CATL is a China-based company headquartered in Ningde, Fujian Province. Its main activity is the design and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and other applications. The Debrecen project appears in the international evaluation as a landmark investment that forms an important part of the company’s European strategy.
According to the award justification, the investment is significant in terms of job creation, skills development, productivity, and innovation, while sustainability aspects – particularly resource efficiency, energy use, and water management – are also emphasized in the assessment.
The ANNOUNCED SMALL PROJECTS category evaluates already announced or under-construction promising investments based on expected impact, strategic alignment, and feasibility. In this field, the already completed Debrecen project of Harro Höfliger achieved 2nd place, competing alongside companies such as the American Copeland, the Chinese Thompson Aero Seating, and the German Palfinger.
Harro Höfliger is a German company known for developing and manufacturing industrial equipment and high-tech machinery supporting pharmaceutical and medical technology production. The Debrecen investment focuses on efficiency, flexible growth, and high value-added solutions related to healthcare industry applications. The international evaluation highlights the project’s expected contribution to productivity and innovation, as well as the strong foundation provided by local training and labor market connections and the existing industrial environment for successful implementation.
According the EDC’s statement, the three recognitions provide particularly strong feedback: they simultaneously demonstrate Debrecen’s economic strength and diversity, and show that the investments realized in the city represent an impact measurable at the European level.
The success of Sensirion, CATL, and Harro Höfliger confirms the companies’ strategic decisions, local advantages, and the strength of cooperation. EDC Debrecen also played a role in the investment promotion processes of the three projects, and the awards jointly signal that Debrecen is today a location where both large-scale investments and high-tech, knowledge-intensive developments are internationally competitive.
Overall, the impact of the steps taken to stimulate the city’s economy is increasingly tangible. By attracting large corporations to Debrecen, not only are employment opportunities expanding for residents, but the position of local SMEs is also improving, as they can find partners locally that help them become more competitive at the international level. It is no coincidence that Debrecen has been the first city in Central and Eastern Europe to rank among the best in the Financial Times survey for six consecutive periods since 2018, the statement concludes.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Debrecen városa (Facebook)
