Introduction
The Chamber’s history
In order to develop Swiss-Hungarian trade and economic relations, the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer Schweiz-Ungarn, abbreviated: HSU) was established on January 26, 1990, with its headquarters in Zurich, which, through the coordination of the secretariats operating in the two countries, provided ever wider support to its member companies. The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce ceased to exist on December 31, 1994, and its tasks were only partially taken over by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which replaced it. For this reason, HSU established the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce Budapest together with the Hungarian member companies. In June 2001, this chamber was admitted to SwissCham, which brings together bilateral Swiss chambers with headquarters in Zurich, and as a result, as of 2001, the chamber continues its association activities under the name Swisscham Hungary Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce.
About us
Swisscham Hungary Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1995, providing space for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. By the mid-nineties, it became clear that there was a need for a forum that could represent the interests of companies with Swiss interests. The deepening of the relations between the two countries and the strengthening of partnership relations was greatly helped not only by the general demand, but also by Hungary’s accession to the EU in 2004. Over the past nearly three decades, the trust, expertise and constantly growing number of our members have made our Chamber an important player in economic life.
Our members include companies with Swiss ties or Swiss ownership. The Chamber, which initially had 40 members, now has more than 100 members, from multinational companies to small and medium-sized enterprises of various fields of expertise. Since our existence, we have achieved many successes: as a professional forum, it is important for us to have a wide network of partners both in Switzerland and in Hungary in order to properly serve the needs of our members and build Swiss-Hungarian economic relations. Among Swiss organizations, we maintain good relations with the Chamber of Commerce Switzerland- Central Europe (SEC), our close cooperating partner is Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), and from 2020 we have been working together with the V4 countries in a joint association called Swiss Business HUB Central Europe to attract Swiss investors to our region. We also have a very close relationship with the Hungarian Embassy in Bern. On a daily basis, we support each other’s work with the Swiss Embassy in Budapest, we organize several joint events with partner chambers and partner organizations, primarily with the Joint Venture Association, the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Dutch-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce, the Commercial Department of the Austrian Embassy, the Business Department of the Danish Embassy, the BCSDH. Since our 25+ years of existence, our number one goal has been to meet the current economic needs, we constantly monitor the expectations of our members and adjust our activities accordingly. In recent years, we have defined guidelines in several important areas in the operation of the Chamber, both with regard to the theme of the events and at the project level. Accordingly, we offer an increasingly wide range of services to our members and cooperating partners.
The operation of the Chamber is realized mainly from membership fees, and our goal is that, in addition to continuous development, Swisscham Hungary, through joint work, remains a recognized professional forum for Swiss-Hungarian relations that is always relevant and responsive to changes in economic life.
Our history
Founding of HSU
The Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer Schweiz-Ungarn, HSU) was established with its headquarters in Zurich, which provided information and services to companies in Switzerland interested in Hungary.
Termination of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce
Its duties were partially taken over by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which replaced it.
Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce, Budapest
With the partnership of HSU, some Swiss-affiliated companies established the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce in Budapest.
Swisscham Hungary Swiss Hungarian Chamber of Commerce
The Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce, Budapest, was admitted to SwissCham, which unites bilateral Swiss chambers with its headquarters in Zurich, and since then the chamber continues its association activities under the name Swisscham Hungary Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce.
Hungary joins the European Union
Even though it became clear by the mid-nineties that there was a need for a forum that could represent the interests of Switzerland and companies with Swiss interests; the deepening of relations between the two countries and the strengthening of partnership relations were not only helped by the general demand, but also by Hungary's accession to the EU in 2004.
SGE partnership
Our cooperating partner is Switzerland Global Enterprise.
25th anniversary
The Chamber, which initially had 40 members, now has a membership relationship with more than 100 organizations, both multinational companies and small and medium-sized companies.
Cooperation
We have a very close relationship with the Hungarian Embassy in Bern, and we also help each other with the Swiss Embassy in Budapest on a daily basis.
