„The repatriation of European Union funds can restart the economy, strengthen confidence, and reduce the government’s interest expenditures,” begins our conversation with Éva Hegedüs, President of the Hungarian Economic Association (HEA). In her interview with Növekedés.hu, the newly elected president also emphasized that the organization’s founding mission from 132 years ago remains just as relevant today: the HEA will continue to serve as a forum where outstanding economists, government officials, central bankers, academics, and business leaders engage in professional dialogue on issues affecting the Hungarian economy and build bridges between academia, policymakers, and the business community.
Congratulations on your election as President. What direction would you like to give to the work of the HEA?
The unanimous support of the General Assembly of Delegates is both a great honor and a significant responsibility for me. I have been an active member of the HEA community for decades and have had the privilege of getting to know many outstanding economists. I will continue to rely on their constructive and critical support.
In my view, the leadership’s primary responsibility is to preserve the Association’s character as an intellectual workshop, to provide space for the free exchange of ideas, to create opportunities for professional dialogue, to build bridges among the various actors of economic life, and at the same time to offer meaningful responses to the economic challenges of the future.
Economic policy issues are always at the forefront of public discourse. What role can a professional civil organization play in this environment?
The HEA should operate exclusively according to the professional standards that have always been expected of it and to which its members are accustomed. In this, I can count on the members of the Executive Board.
Our goal is not to represent a single, exclusive viewpoint on any issue. Rather, we seek to put forward ideas worthy of consideration, because I do not believe we possess all the answers—even though our membership includes internationally recognized economists. We intend to remain a professionally credible forum where different perspectives can be tested against one another through meaningful, open, and fair debate, where discussion strengthens rather than weakens collective thinking, and where economic insights of international significance can emerge.
In which areas do you believe the HEA’s professional contribution will be most needed in the coming years?
The HEA’s nearly 3,000 members, 16 regional organizations, and 30 professional sections represent an exceptionally broad range of expertise. Our organizations autonomously decide which topics to focus on and which speakers to invite for their events and panel discussions.
According to the Executive Board, many important issues are currently on the agenda. The most significant among them is Hungary’s eventual adoption of the euro. I would also highlight the importance of a predictable long-term fiscal and economic policy framework and the creation of a knowledge-based economy, to mention only the most essential issues. I believe that the experience and expertise of the researchers, academics, bankers, and business executives within our ranks enable us to make meaningful contributions to these discussions.
Restarting economic growth is in everyone’s interest, and I believe that the repatriation of EU funds plays a decisive role in achieving this. I fully agree with István Széchenyi’s famous thought that the strength of a nation lies in the multitude of educated minds. Achieving this requires a level playing field, renewed education and healthcare systems, and greater emphasis on innovation, including better utilization of the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence and technological progress.
Our members are also deeply concerned with demographic trends, the challenges of an aging society, and the analysis of their economic consequences.
We encourage our regional organizations to continue working closely with local universities and chambers of commerce. Last but certainly not least, one of our key objectives is to provide a compelling value proposition for young economists in the years ahead.
Let us stay with that topic: young people are often considered apolitical. Is that your experience as well?
My experience is quite the opposite. Young people are by no means apolitical; they are open-minded, courageous, and critical thinkers who want to shape their own futures. The young members of the HEA demonstrate this every single day.
The HEA has a long tradition of active participation by university students and economics majors, but we are working to offer them an even stronger value proposition. Among other initiatives, we plan to launch a mentoring program, the development of which has already begun with the involvement of the HEA Youth Committee.
Traditionally, we have had a strong youth presence in Debrecen, at the Zalaegerszeg Faculty of the University of Pannonia, and at the Budapest Business University. In recent years, enthusiastic young communities have also emerged in Szeged and Eger. We intend to further expand our cooperation with universities, having already concluded partnership agreements with Corvinus University of Budapest, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University in Eger, and the University of Nyíregyháza.
Alongside our Annual Economists’ Assembly, another of our flagship events is the National Meeting of Young Economists (FIKOT), which will be organized for the 43rd time this autumn in Szeged. FIKOT is much more than a professional conference. For many young economists, it is the first national forum where they can meet leading figures of the profession in person and become part of the dialogue on economic issues.
The HEA provides knowledge, professional networks, visibility, and a sense of community. For someone at the beginning of their career, the practical knowledge gained outside the classroom, the professional connections, the community, and the intellectual environment offered by the HEA can be just as important as formal university education itself.
Last autumn, the HEA presented a comprehensive package of recommendations aimed at improving the performance and competitiveness of the Hungarian economy. Are the proposals adopted in Veszprém in 2025 still valid today?
We submitted the policy recommendations formulated at last year’s Economists’ Assembly in Veszprém—which remain fully relevant today—to both the previous and the new government’s competent officials. The document summarizes dozens of conclusions from the two-day professional program. Among other things, we emphasized the need to improve Hungary’s competitiveness, promote diversification, ensure a predictable economic policy environment, and strengthen the coordinated functioning of fiscal and monetary policy.
We will continue this tradition this year as well. Following the 64th Economists’ Assembly, we will once again present the essence of our experts’ views to the relevant economic policymakers.
A new government, a new economic policy: how does the HEA view these developments?
Both the HEA membership and I consider the members of the Government to be respected and experienced leaders, many of whom I have known personally for many years.
We welcome the repatriation of EU funds, the government’s commitment to greater fiscal transparency and prudent use of public resources, the fight against corruption, its commitment to market competition, and its intention gradually to phase out market-distorting state interventions.
Our public benefit mission, as set out in our statutes, is to monitor the economic measures of whichever government is in office, to provide a platform for meaningful professional dialogue, and to play an active role in that process. We hope that representatives of the Government will regularly participate in our events.
One of the HEA’s greatest strengths is that its professional events bring together the leading figures and experts of economic life to discuss the most important issues. How will this intensive scientific and professional work continue under your presidency?
We follow the principle of „renewal through preservation.” We are determined to preserve the diversity and rich program portfolio that constitute one of the HEA’s greatest strengths today. This means approximately one hundred professional events each year, bringing the most important issues of economic life closer both to professionals and to the wider public interested in economic affairs.
Information about all HEA events is available on the Association’s website, LinkedIn page, and Facebook page, and I am convinced that everyone can find programs that are professionally stimulating, timely, and relevant to their interests. Naturally, our goal is to encourage as many people as possible to participate in these events.
Around four-fifths of our events are also available on our YouTube channel and in podcast format, making them a genuine knowledge platform.
Our professional activities receive substantial media coverage, but we would like to make the work carried out within the HEA even more visible. One recent innovation is that, with the help of artificial intelligence, we have begun publishing concise professional summaries of our more interesting lectures and panel discussions on our website.
Especially for younger audiences, it is important to provide multiple points of entry. Someone may not initially commit to watching a ninety-minute professional discussion, but if they read a two- or three-minute summary that sparks their interest, they may later decide to watch or listen to the full conversation.
In September, Eger will once again host the 64th Itinerant Congress of the HEA. How does it feel to return to your hometown?
Eger is an inseparable part of my life. I grew up there and spent the first eighteen years of my life there. The stories of its historical heroes, the courage of its women, the importance of diligent daily work, and the love and respect of its people have become deeply embedded in who I am. I cáme from a modest family, where we often listened together to Zorán’s beautiful lyrics: „The shine of diamonds and gold is beautiful, but that light can only be yours if you descend into the depths to earn it.” So, there is much work ahead of us, but through cooperation and collective effort, we are preparing an outstanding program to welcome participants to Eger.