Hungary: government announces measures to support economy

The Hungarian government has adopted several measures over the past 10 days following the state of emergency being declared in the country, which allows the government to introduce extraordinary measures. On Wednesday 18 March, prime minister Viktor Orbán announced a series of economic measures to support businesses, including exemption from social security contributions during this period for the sectors most affected by the pandemic, such as tourism, restaurants, entertainment venues, sports, cultural services and transport. In addition, labour regulations will be relaxed in order to facilitate agreements between employees and employers amid the current backdrop. Furthermore, employers can unilaterally order employees to work from home and can check on their state of health. Meanwhile the four main car manufacturers present in Hungary (Audi, Mercedes, Opel, Suzuki) have decided to temporarily suspend all production activities in the country, affecting at least 20,000 employees.