Hungarians value their long friendship with the Finns, a government official said at the opening of the 15th Hungarian-Finnish Sister Cities Conference, adding that the two peoples were bound by their shared tasks like achieving sustainable development. Since 2000, Hungary has been able to keep its economy growing while reducing carbon emissions, Zsófia Koncz, the deputy minister in charge of technology and industry, told the conference, adding that Hungary ranked 9th in the European Union in terms of per capita emissions. She noted Hungary’s aim to become one of the world’s top 50 most liveable countries by 2030. Tibor Navracsics, the minister for regional development, said there had never been a time in history when Hungarians and Finns had turned against each other, “despite attempts to incite disagreement between us”. As an industrial and cultural leader, Finland sets an example for the whole of Europe today, he said.