The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, today received his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, with whom he discussed bilateral relations to analyse trade exchanges, as well as the progress of the cultural cooperation programmes signed between the two countries.
During the working meeting with the Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, he gave a broad overview of the main international issues. And he did so with his European partner, who is also a partner in the Atlantic Alliance, where they share common challenges.
The meeting between the two ministers also allowed them to focus on the most pressing EU issues, with particular reference to the enlargement of the European Union, competitiveness and industry, the Southern Neighbourhood, the EU-Mercosur Agreement and the official status of the co-official Spanish languages in the EU.
Commercial and cultural relations
Almost 11,000 Hungarians live in Spain, with 940 Spaniards living in Hungary. This exchange is also reflected in the commercial sphere. In terms of export sectors to Hungary, the main area is semi-manufactured goods (24%), followed by foodstuffs (22%) and capital goods (21%).
There is a growing interest in the Spanish language in Hungary. In the 2023/24 school year, there were 1,211 students in primary and 15,131 in secondary education studying Spanish, with around 253 teachers. The main Spanish teaching asset is the network of bilingual sections, present in seven secondary schools, with a total of a thousand students and 70 teachers.
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