The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), acting as a public body, acknowledges the government announcement regarding economic chambers and looks forward to the details of the legislative amendments; on the basis of which it will be able to rethink its activities and continue working on behalf of the domestic business community.
The Chamber’s leadership is open to establishing a new type of mandate—along with the associated financing—aimed at easing the burden on micro-enterprises and creating a more proportionate support system that better reflects the economic weight of businesses. The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has previously suggested on several occasions that the financing of its duties, as set forth in the Act CXXI of 1999 on Economic Chambers, should be addressed in a much more efficient manner – and in a way that places less of a burden on entrepreneurs-rather than through the HUF 5,000 chamber contribution fee.
As a public body, the economic chambers are tasked with overseeing the functioning of the economy and representing the broad interests of entrepreneurs, as well as representing domestic businesses at the EU level as part of the international chamber network. The Chamber is open to cooperating with the government to ensure that domestic businesses continue to operate competitively and generate the highest possible level of domestic value added. The Chamber has consistently utilized and accounted for all funding sources in accordance with regulations, and it will maintain this transparent operational practice in the future.
Under the Act CXXI of 1999 on Economic Chambers, the current mandate of the economic chambers is as follows: "It is the task of the economic chambers—operating on the basis of self-governance and in compliance with this Act and other legal regulations—to foster the development and organization of the economy, ensure fair market conduct, and uphold the general, collective interests of those engaged in economic activity."
Together with the regional chambers, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) has served as the economic self-governing body for domestic enterprises for over 175 years. It operates a robust, predictable, and practical chamber network modeled on Austrian and German examples, wherein the HCCI functions as a knowledge center and handles strategic coordination, while the regional chambers serve as the primary, locally accessible partners for businesses. The Chamber represents nearly one million enterprises and operates a nationwide network comprising 23 organizations, with approximately 1,000 professionals working across more than 60 offices. The Chamber continues to work towards developing the domestic entrepreneurial ecosystem while keeping the interests of the entire economy in mind.
