The goal of the Government is to convince the parliamentary groups that the amendment of the Fundamental Law is essential with a view to protecting the borders of the country, János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at the press conference Governmentinfo 65 which he held jointly with Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács.
In the context of the quota referendum, he stressed that the goal of the Government is to ensure that the decision of the electorate should form part of the Fundamental Law. He reiterated: the debate of the proposed amendment to the Fundamental Law which was submitted by the Prime Minister will begin in Parliament on Monday, and the final vote may take place in the first or second week of November
The Minister said regarding next week’s meeting of the European Council: it is Hungary’s political objective to prevent the mandatory quotas, or in other words, to remove this issue from the European political agenda. He pointed out: they seek to achieve in the ministerial councils, in the dialogue conducted with the European Commission and at the meeting of the European Council that the European Commission should abandon its plans related to the quotas.
Mr Lázár said: they support the German plans which intend to curb immigration with agreements concluded with Turkey, or with Arabic States, but Hungary takes the view nonetheless that we cannot give up on the protection of our borders. He remarked that they regard the EU decisions adopted in the interest of the protection of the borders as pathetically inadequate.
The Minister said: they expect the leaders of the European Council „to take back their former decision-making powers”, and to reinforce their former position, based on which the quotas can only be voluntary. He told the press that he will meet with Austrian Minister Thomas Drozda in Vienna on Thursday evening with a view to making preparations for the summit of the European Council.
Fear of suspension of EU funds is unfounded
According to the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, any fears that EU funds may be suspended are utterly unfounded. He remarked at the same time that it is always possible to adopt political decisions; however, that would not be punishment for the Government, but for the Hungarian people. He also said that he will travel to Brussels next Wednesday in order to clarify the situation.
The Minister told the press that Hungary will receive HUF 8,900 billion during the current EU fiscal cycle, proposals have already been invited for the awarding of 65 to 70 per cent of this allocation, and they would like to make the totality of the resources available before the end of this year. Hungary is number one among the Visegrád Four, and is in sixth place overall in the European Union as far as financial commitments are concerned.
As he detailed, so far 272 calls for proposals have been released, and the available funds amount to HUF 6,391 billion which represents 71 per cent of the total allocation.
New Budapest hospital may be built in vicinity of Kelenföldi Railway Station
The Government has decided to build the South-Buda health care centre in the vicinity of the Kelenföldi Railway Station, Mr Lázár announced.
The Minister said that, according to plans, this will be a new health care institution with more than one thousand beds which they would like to build in the area lying in the vicinity of the M1/M7 motorway under any circumstances, making both metro and bus connections readily available. He indicated that the Government intends to engage architect Tamás Noll to make the preparations for the design work of the project.
As he said, the Ministry of Human Capacities is currently exploring two potential plots, and negotiations have already begun with the owners. An area of 8 to 10 hectares is necessary for the project. This will be a building with a floor space of more than 100 thousand square metres which will be the Government’s most significant health care investment in Budapest, he said.
Mr Lázár also mentioned that, at the Prime Minister’s request, the Ministry of Human Capacities will urgently and immediately remedy the situation of young physicians who now receive lower pay after the September pay rise than before.
He further told the press that, pursuant to the Government’s decision, the Székesfehérvár hospital will receive excess grants worth HUF 170 million, while the Zala County hospital will be given extra funding in the magnitude of HUF 2.5 billion for the completion of an ongoing project.
He informed the press that, at the initiative of the Semmelweis University, a new paediatric centre will be built, and there will also be further developments at the Pharmacology Faculty and the Dental Clinic.
Mr Lázár pointed out that the system of grammar schools will have to be reviewed, and the contemplated reform will have to be subjected to the underlying objective of enabling students to gain admission to universities. He described the introduction of compulsory entrance examinations as inevitable, but indicated that any reform may only take place after the introduction of the new National Core Curriculum.
Ministry of Interior to be allocated excess funds for protection of southern border
The Government has awarded excess funds worth HUF 29.4 billion to the Ministry of Interior for the protection of the Serbian-Hungarian border section, Mr Lázár informed the press.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said that the management of illegal immigration had cost more than HUF 100 billion on the southern border in the past year and a half.
The Minister said that Hungary is ready to help Ukraine because in Transcarpathia and in a number of other regions, compulsory vaccinations cannot be administered due to the lack of financial resources.
The Minister told the press: the Government has approved the connection of the city of Esztergom to the M1 motorway in the westerly direction – West of the locality of Zsámbék, bypassing the nearby settlements – from an allocation of HUF 90 billion. He added: the Széchenyi Capital Fund Management Programme will continue, and funds in the magnitude of HUF 60 to 70 billion will be available for placement.
According to the Minister’s information, they will spend some HUF 250 billion on the modernisation of public administration over the next 3 years, and will initiate the amendment of another 45 legal rules under the auspices of the reduction of bureaucracy.
Mr Lázár also informed the press that housing enlargement projects under 300 square metres will not be subject to authorisation in the future, but to mere reporting. They additionally decided to allocate HUF 1.5 billion annually for the refurbishment and rescuing of folk monuments, such as mills and farms. HUF 2 billion will be used for the refurbishment of World War I monuments, while the National Dance Theatre will receive an additional HUF 680 million for the construction of a new building at the Millenáris over and above the allocation of HUF 3.3 billion.
A newspaper’s fate is decided by its subscribers
In answer to a question regarding the suspension of the publication of the newspaper Népszabadság, Mr Lázár said: the Government did not concern itself with the matter as neither the newspaper, nor its publisher contacted the Cabinet for help. It would be strange if the Government were required to save Népszabadság, he said.
Members of the press raised the possibility that the newspaper may not have been shut down for business reasons, but for political one. He said in reply: the publisher should be asked about the reasons. In 2010 and 2014 „we obtained a two-third majority despite the best efforts of Népszabadság, so what interest would we have in having it shut down?”, he asked.
The Minister believes that in this matter, the will of the Government or a party is irrelevant. The fate of a newspaper is decided by its subscribers, its readers. If there is demand for the ideological orientation of Népszabadság, there will be continuation, he said, remarking: in this situation, one would expect to see fair treatment to be afforded to the employees.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
