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 the two countries not least in the form of high-level meetings (Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás visited Berlin on 27 August 2025, State Secretary Géza Andreas von Geyr was in Hungary on 14 July 2025). 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.

The most recent meeting of the German-Hungarian Forum took place in Budapest on 2 and 3 July 2025.

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 Romania with just under 6 percent of exports, and China with over 6 percent of imports. 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 600 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.