Name of country: Hungary, Magyarország

System of government: Republic, parliamentary democracy

Establishment of diplomatic relations:

19 October 1949 (German Democratic Republic)
21 December 1973 (Federal Republic of Germany)

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.

Germany and Hungary enjoy close and friendly relations. On 2 June 2026, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar paid his first official visit to Berlin meeting with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 10 June saw the first official visit of Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán to Berlin. Johann Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, visited Budapest on 14 September. On 19 January 2026, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok both participated in a memorial ceremony in Munich to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of ethnic Germans from Hungary.

The German-Hungarian Forum was last held on 2 and 3 July 2025 in Budapest.

The economies of the two countries are closely interlinked. Germany is Hungary’s main trading partner by far, accounting for approximately a quarter of imports and 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, generating 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 around 600 higher education cooperation projects are underway. Andrássy University Budapest is the only university outside the German-speaking countries that operates entirely in German and is regarded as one of Hungary’s universities of excellence.