The Minister of State of the Ministry of Interior takes the view that the legislative package on counter-terrorism measures, which was debated by Parliament on Wednesday, reinforces the defence capability of the State and the law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies and serves the security of the Hungarian people.

Károly Kontrát said in the general debate on the amendment of certain laws related to the fight against terrorism that, due to the terrorist attacks committed recently in Paris and Brussels, it is now clear that terrorism can also be tied to immigration.

He argued: people may have entered the territory of Hungary and the EU via the green border in an uncontrolled manner, together with the mass flow of migrants, who may intend to perpetrate similar acts of terrorism.

He added: they have drawn the necessary conclusions from the Brussels terrorist attacks. Security measures must be upgraded, and this is why the Government decided to create the legislative package.

He indicated that they had consulted the parliamentary parties with respect to the proposal on three occasions, given that the amendment also concerns two-third legislation.

From among the main items of the proposal, Mr Kontrát highlighted the establishment of a Counter-Terrorism Intelligence and Criminal Analysis Centre tasked with the evaluation of intelligence. He added: the new centre will be set up on the foundations of the anti-organised-crime coordination centre, and will come into being as a new national security service that will operate as its legal successor.

The Minister of State pointed out that application service providers will not be allowed to provide services offering encrypted communication in the future, the data of which cannot be accessed by the secret services with a judge’s permission. If an application service provider fails to cooperate with the authorities, a fine may be imposed, he said.

Mr Kontrát said that, in response to an initiative of the opposition, they will amend the Penal Code, and will reduce the age limit of standing trial with a prospective jail sentence to 12 years in the case of certain crimes.

He added: the organisation of terrorist cells will qualify as a crime, as will the acts of travelling through and exiting the territory of Hungary for the purpose of joining a terrorist group. A person who advocates terrorism before the wider public or is engaged in the popularisation of terrorism will be punishable, the Minister of State detailed.

Mr Kontrát said that the introduction of electronic data communication in the case of financial institutions will substantially accelerate the work of the Constitution Protection Office, and as a result, the secret service agencies may see any suspected fund movements in real time.

As he said, they will also seek to amend the penal enforcement legislation, which means that the rights of convicts will be subject to restrictions in the event of the instatement of certain terrorism threat levels. He mentioned as an example that they may restrict work outside penal enforcement institutions or participation in vocational and further training, and may impose restrictions on the objects convicts may carry on themselves.

Mr Kontrát pointed out that the amendment will impose an obligation on service providers to guarantee the ongoing operation and accessibility of the telephone lines used by the police, the ambulance service and hospitals.

He also mentioned that it will be possible to restrict or to even ban certain mass events if a level two or higher level of readiness is imposed.

In his view, these measures are necessary because it may be dangerous in itself if a lot of people are gathered together in a single location. He indicated that the amendment will not apply to events coming under the freedom of assembly law.

(MTI, Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)