There is still enormous interest in the national consultation; as many as 725,000 persons have already completed the questionnaires, Csaba Dömötör, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister announced at a press conference held on Tuesday.

The State Secretary said there is still three weeks left until the deadline of 15 August, but it is already evident that a very high number of people are taking part in the current national consultation, similar to previous ones, which could in turn provide robust support for the government regarding future decisions.

He added that, compared with earlier consultations, the percentage of questionnaires completed online is somewhat higher; however, the vast majority of Hungarians are returning questionnaires by post.

Mr Dömötör concluded that Hungary is still doing well in the fight against the epidemic; however, around the world “the situation is less optimistic” as the number of infections is nearing 15 million, while at least 600,000 persons have died in consequence of the pandemic.

He said in the Netherlands which is not much bigger than Hungary the number of daily new cases has risen from 50 to 150, while in Hungary this number is just eight; in Holland, the number of fatalities in relation to 100,000 persons is 36, while in Hungary it is six. He added that meanwhile in Romania the number of cases diagnosed in one day had broken all previous records, as had the number of fatalities.

According to the State Secretary, therefore at this time the goal is to prevent the introduction of the virus from abroad; hence the imposition of restrictions on entry into the country.

He highlighted that in the national consultation respondents can also state their opinion on various restrictive measures such as the wearing of face masks or the shopping slot reserved for the elderly.

Encouraging everyone to complete the questionnaire, Mr Dömötör stressed that if the second wave of the epidemic arrives in Hungary, we will again need unity, while the government will need to know which measures are most supported by the people as they can make effective and swift decisions in light of that information.

In answer to a question, the State Secretary described the agreement reached at the EU summit as a breakthrough achievement because, he said, we managed to secure significant additional funds and also succeeded in defending national pride.

“It is to be hoped that with this agreement a genuine recovery process could finally start to alleviate the economic losses we have sustained, and that we can achieve this in a fair and just manner, free from politics,” he said.

He highlighted that, compared with the original proposals, the Hungarian Prime Minister secured an extra three billion euros, the equivalent of some one thousand billion forints, which is an especially great achievement in light of the fact that with Britain’s departure contributions will decrease. We also managed to achieve, he continued, that the disbursement of the grants which Hungary is entitled to should not be tied to political conditions. Only financial oversight will be possible, and so we will be able to prevent the withdrawal of funds from Eastern European countries under the guise of the rule of law, he stressed.

Mr Dömötör said it is also good news that more funds will be available for the integration of the Western Balkans region and Eastern enlargement.

In answer to a question, the State Secretary confirmed press reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised the Hungarian Prime Minister that the Germany presidency will conclude the procedure against Hungary under Article 7 by the end of the year.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)