H.E. Ms. Katalin Bihari serves as Deputy State Secretary for External Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary and she is also the CEO of HEPA Hungarian Export Promotion Agency. With over two decades of experience in international economic diplomacy and export strategy, she plays a key role in shaping Hungary’s global trade relations.
As Deputy State Secretary, Ms. Bihari oversees Hungary’s tied aid programs and leads water diplomacy efforts to promote the international success of Hungarian water industry companies, while also providing strategic direction for Hungary’s involvement in the EU’s Danube Region Strategy. She represents Hungary in EU and WTO trade policy discussions, negotiates investment protection agreements, and supervises the Ministry’s extensive network of trade counsellors abroad.
Her leadership has been instrumental during Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2024, when she lead negotiations on the EU’s investment protection framework and its foreign direct investment screening regulation. She has also addressed challenging new trade topics such as digital trade and the electric vehicle industry.
Ms. Bihari holds degrees in international relations, economics, English language, and pursued doctoral studies in geopolitics. She fluently speaks English, Spanish, French, and German.
