Az orosz tőke befolyása az Észak-magyarországi régióban

The study evaluates some key elements of Hungarian-Russian economic relations considered by facts and figures in the Northern Hungarian region. It includes the analyses of the condition of Russian language teaching and skills, the development of Russian-Hungarian trade relations, FDI, and tourism in Northern Hungary and Hungary in general. Considering the period of 1996-2002, in Northern Hungary, the number of students studying Russian decreased constantly; and at present this is below the national average. Hungary’s external trade relations improved in the last ten years. In the early 90s, the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent State were the main trade partners of Hungary. The Russian slump of 1999 launched a backslide in trade relations between the two countries, but recovery began soon. Nowadays Russia is the 15th in the export and 5th in the import ranking list of Hungary. The typical Hungarian export goods are tinned fruits and vegetables, alcohol and medicines. Besides exporting a great amount of raw materials, Russia is one of the biggest energy-suppliers of Hungary. From the aspect of foreign direct investment, Northern Hungary is the last among Hungarian regions. Though FDI inflow is growing in the region, it is still 3% of the total. The biggest part of the capital comes from Germany and the UK, and only 3% from Russia and Ukraine. Since 1990, a sharp fall can be perceived in the number of foreign tourists in Hungary, especially in Northern Hungary. Until 2000, the number of Russian and Ukrainian tourists also decreased, but then started to rise. The rate of tourists mentioned above varies according to counties. In Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, their share was 8.5, in Nógrád, it was just 0.47 of the total number of tourists. The conclusion is that we should utilize the resources and possibilities hidden in the economic and social life of Northern Hungary better. Improving Russian language skills, developing infrastructure and proper conditions for transport, promoting our sights and values of (Russian) tourist interest would contribute to the development of Hungarian and Russian economic relations.