On October 13, 2022, the International Office (NKI) of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK), in cooperation with the American Hungarian Chamber of Commerce in New York (AmHunCham), organized a business forum at the BKIK headquarters with the participation of the commercial counselor of the United States Embassy in Budapest.
The event was opened by Péter Keszthelyi, Vice President of the BKIK International and Foreign Economic Cabinet, who welcomed the attendees and coordinated the event thereafter.
The welcoming speech was continued by Prof. Dr. Martin Zsarnóczky, President of AmHunCham, who spoke about the importance of trust and partnership due to the changed business models caused by current challenges.
Mr. Neil Pickett, the recently appointed commercial counselor of the United States Embassy in Budapest, emphasized Hungary's role as a bridge and the development of economic infrastructure, which helps advance bilateral relations with the United States. He also highlighted the SelectUSA program, which offers direct investment opportunities. Neil was very grateful for his first visit to BKIK, emphasizing that the American and Hungarian chambers have had very close cooperation in the past. He also noted that American companies conduct business activities in Hungary worth nearly 7.5 billion dollars, in which BKIK plays a very important role. He strongly highlighted that in order to achieve our common goals, there should be an effort to create more exports in Hungary for companies operating in the USA in sectors such as IT, transportation, digital technology, and chemical products.
In the next part of the forum, Dr. Péter Kopasz, Head of the Export Development Coordination Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (KKM), reaffirmed the EU-US, Hungary-US trade relations results having been previously mentioned by Mr. Neil Pickett, outlined the past and further opportunities of the bilateral relations between Hungary and the United States, and presented KKM's export strategy, which focuses particularly on the SME sector.
Tamás Barát, honorary president and founder of AmHunCham, highlighted the 30-year cooperation with BKIK in his presentation, and described the system of American-Hungarian chambers, as well as the tasks, goals, and achievements of AmHunCham. They are currently lobbying for a direct New York-Budapest flight and a new type of visa, which would significantly facilitate cooperation with companies. He concluded his presentation with the possibilities for the future continuation of the business forum.
Subsequently, attendees were given insight into the legal background of American company formation and operation, thanks to Dr. Mária Márai, vice president and lawyer of AmHunCham.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by Dávid Uzoni, Managing Director of DP Innovations Ltd., about the journey of a Hungarian healthcare startup to the American market. Their digital inhaler device initially did not attract enough investment in Hungary, hence they introduced their product in the United States. The American successes also brought the possibilities of cooperation with investors at home.
At the end of the event, the present company representatives conducted B2B discussions with the speakers and other participants.
