In a decree adopted on Monday the Government laid down the tasks and powers of the Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister. The decree means that, as Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Antal Rogán will organise, monitor and coordinate the establishment of the Government’s general policy, and he may request special information on its implementation for the Prime Minister.

According to the decree – signed by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén and published in the Monday issue of the Hungarian Official Journal – the Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister will be a member of the Government responsible for general policy coordination and coherent government communication. Part of Mr. Rogán’s coordinating task will be summarising and evaluating received proposals, and submitting recommendations on them to the Prime Minister.

The Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister will pass on the Prime Minister’s decisions to ministers and government bodies on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Rogán may request the following: information on the implementation processes from the relevant government members and bodies; special information for the Prime Minister; background material, information or professional assistance for the preparation of government programmes.

The new minister’s communication-related tasks will include the development and refinement of a unified structure and design for government websites. Mr. Rogán will also be in charge of carrying out tasks related to the Prime Minister on a personal basis, such as protocol duties linked to him and the Government, tasks related to his journeys abroad, and the planning and organisation of international state events. In addition, the Head of Cabinet of Mr. Orbán will be responsible for the following: tasks related to honours awarded by the President, the Government and the Prime Minister, and other honours; and tasks related to the preparation of the Prime Minister’s communication.

The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister was established as an independent ministry on 12 October 2015 by the National Assembly, thus becoming the third Orbán government’s tenth ministry. It is led by the Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister: the former leader of Fidesz’s parliamentary group, Antal Rogán. Before his ministerial oath-taking on 19 October, Mr. Rogán declared that one of his most important tasks is to improve communication between the public and those in governance –between elections as well as before elections.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)