The two countries established diplomatic relations on 21 December 1973, following the Federal Republic of Germany’s accession to the United Nations. A milestone moment in these relations came on 10 September 1989, when Hungary opened its border with Austria to refugees from the GDR who were in Hungary.

Dialogue takes place between our two countries not least in the form of regular high-level meetings (Federal Chancellor Scholz with Prime Minister Orbán on 21 June 2024, Minister of State Lührmann in Hungary on 2 September 2024, European Affairs Minister Bóka in Berlin on 29 September 2023). On 19 August 2024, Federal President Steinmeier visited Sopron to mark the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, when Hungary temporarily opened up its border with Austria, enabling hundreds of GDR citizens to flee.

6 February 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the friendship treaty between Germany and Hungary. The most recent meeting of the German-Hungarian Forum took place in Berlin on 4 and 5 June 2024.

Germany and Hungary’s economies are closely interlinked. Germany is Hungary’s main trading partner by far, accounting for approximately a quarter of imports and exports, followed respectively by China with 7 percent of imports, and Italy with 6 percent of exports. The German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK) in Budapest represents the interests of more than 900 member companies. Some 3000 German companies are active in Hungary. According to the country’s statistics, around 300,000 Hungarians work for German companies. These generate approximately one sixth of Hungary’s GDP.

The German language plays a key role in Hungary. In the field of higher education, there is a centuries-old tradition of German-Hungarian cooperation. Currently 566 higher education cooperation projects are under way. Andrássy University Budapest is the only university outside the German-speaking countries that operates entirely in German. It is regarded as one of Hungary’s universities of excellence.