The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office takes the view that the proposal of the Visegrád Four (V4) regarding illegal migration is about the need for providing assistance for the Balkan countries which cannot be left to their own devices as this will lead to chaos.
János Lázár rendered an account of the talks held in Moscow on Wednesday by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin at his press conference held in Budapest on Thursday. At the talks, the Russian President made specific enquires regarding the European debate on the migrant issue. The Minister said: the Russian party was also informed that the proposal of the V4 is not exclusive but merely supplementary as should the second line of defence be relocated to the Schengen borders, this would have profound unforeseeable implications.
He stressed: the V4 and Hungary do not want another fault line in Europe. These countries have a fundamental vested interest in maintaining unity in Europe. He pointed out that a conflict is being generated artificially when the position of the V4 is contrasted against the policy pursued by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr Lázár indicated: they agree that Europe’s lines of defence must be reinforced in Greece and Turkey, and Turkey must be assisted in particular with a view to consolidating the situation.
By his account, the German proposal is none other than an offer that a family of four may have access to EUR 500 without doing any work. At the same time, there are countries in Africa where the daily wage is around one euro, while it is around fifty in Syria. This “invitation” does not make the consolidation of the situation any easier, he said in summary, adding: the goal is for everyone to have access to support in their native land.
The Minister is of the opinion that if this is the European plan, if the German proposal is not implemented or is only implemented partially, it must be supplemented with a second line of defence. The V4 respect the fact that the principal line of defence should lie at the borders of Greece, but if the Greeks fail to stop immigration at the Greek borders, the next line of defence should not lie at the borders of Hungary, Slovenia, Austria or Italy, and the Balkan countries should not be left to their own devices, he argued. He confirmed: Hungary and the V4 continue to reject the mandatory settlement quotas as it is clearly out of the question that the European Commission or Germany should distribute migrants among the Member States contrary to the will of the electorate.
Mr Lázár reiterated: the Government is pleased to acknowledge that Russia has confirmed its commitment to maintaining the capacity of the Paks atomic power station. He repeatedly told the press that Russia will provide a credit facility worth EUR 10 billion, some 80 per cent of the project, for Hungary against very favourable interest rates. The Minister stated: it is the goal of the Hungarian party to maintain stable cooperation with Russia, and the parties are committed to broadening their cooperation. He added: Hungary is pursuing a foreign policy strategy, based on which it is open to talking to anyone both in the West and in the East. He confirmed the Hungarian position to the effect that the affairs of Europe and the world cannot be resolved without Russia. He further added: Europe’s competitiveness and the enhancement of its role in the world economy are hardly conceivable without Russia. This is why the South Stream would have been important for Europe, he continued, and this is why the Nord Stream pipeline may be important for Europe.
Regarding the project, he told the press: they have been instructed by the Prime Minister to fully honour Hungary’s obligations towards the Russian party. He said that the tenders will be invited for the project according to plans, and they would like to close all outstanding issues with the European Commission within the shortest possible time. He further pointed out: at the meeting, the parties discussed that Hungary’s gas supply is guaranteed up to 2019.
He said that progress has been made in bilateral relations in every department; this is testified to by the performance of the pharmaceutical company Richter, a new vehicle and machine industry cooperation scheme, and relations in education. Mr Lázár further reiterated that the Russian leader and the Hungarian Prime Minister have met every year for the past five years, and the meeting held on Wednesday formed part of this pattern as well.
The Minister regards the EU summit beginning on Thursday in Brussels as important because it offers an opportunity for the EU to take action before the 2016 migration crisis sets in. The European Commission has been unable to resolve the problem for a year, he added. In his view, one seems to have the impression that the European Commission is not the solution to, but the problem in the management of the migration crisis.
The Minister further pointed out: there is a fair chance that the installation of a technical border fence on the Hungarian-Romanian border cannot be avoided. This solution has been forced upon the Government by the situation itself and the incompetence of the European Commission, he remarked. Mr Lázár reiterated that the Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Interior to start the preparations for the construction of the technical border fence on the entire border section of Csongrád County. He additionally informed the press that the British proposal will also feature on the agenda of the EU summit.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office expressed his condolences on behalf of the Government to the Turkish people and government and the relatives of the deceased on account of the Ankara bombing. Mr Lázár pointed out: the Hungarian Government takes the view that terrorism is unacceptable. It is now a daily threat in every part of Europe, as well as on the peripheries of Europe.
The politician expressed criticism on account of the fact that Austrian left-wing parties and the Austrian Chancellor continually attack the Government and keep sending messages. At the same time, they have not yet contacted Hungary with any specific enquiry, despite the fact that both countries would have a vested interest in fair cooperation.
Blackmailing Government at the expense of children is not fair
Mr Lázár encouraged the representatives of teachers to attend the talks, stressing: the Government is open to constructive cooperation. At the same time, the Cabinet cannot allow teachers „to demand a pay rise using children as a shield”, he said. He further told the press: free textbooks will continue to remain available, but the Government is unable to make concessions to the textbook lobby, even if this „textbook lobbying activity is manifested through teachers”.
The Minister requested the organisations of teachers not to abandon talks with the Government despite their alternative schemes because, in his view, this is the only way to improve the situation in education. The Minister regarded strikes and demonstrations as important forms of stating one’s case, but he stressed: an agreement can only be reached at the negotiating table.
Mr Lázár quoted a statement made by Mrs Istvánné Galló, President of the Teachers’ Trade Union in 2009, based on which the calling of teachers and their commitment to children rule out the organisation of strikes. He further reiterated: there has been a consensus to date that politics should not be taken into schools. The Government will evaluate the results of the negotiations held between the Ministry of Human Capacities and the organisations of teachers at its meeting on 24 February, he said.
While acknowledging that the Klebelsberg Institution Maintenance Centre (Klik) is an “organisation that is hardly without fault”, he pointed out that the right of the State to maintain these institutions cannot be called into question and is beyond dispute. In answer to a question contemplating the removal of the head of the institution, Mr Lázár said: the existing difficulties are not caused by a lack of managerial qualities, and the problem cannot be resolved with simple personnel changes. He pointed out: the problem is that when the State took over the right to maintain schools as well as the right to operate most of them in 2012, „we did not provide for the organisational framework of the maintenance and operation of schools sufficiently well”. He also told the press: the unpaid bills of Klik amount to some HUF 19 billion.
Mr Lázár additionally reported that further auctions will begin for the sale of state-owned arable land on 1 March, concerning the sale of some 140,000 hectares of land in total.
The Minister refuted press reports to the effect that the Cabinet intends to curtail the rights of municipalities, the right to local autonomy. He said: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with the mayors of county-ranked cities and the presidents of the county municipal boards on Tuesday where he informed them in no uncertain terms that the Government is not contemplating any systemic changes concerning municipalities. They can only expect positive changes, and will not sustain disadvantages, Mr Lázár said.
Regarding the link between local municipalities and education, he reiterated: the model in which the State entrusted the issues of health care and public education to local municipalities clearly failed. This cannot be the solution to the current problem, he said, stressing: it was generally agreed in professional circles in 2010 that the problems of education partly stemmed from the fact that schools were operated by local governments.
In answer to a question regarding the allegation that Árpád Habony was allowed to use the Museum of Fine Arts as the venue of his wedding free of charge, the Minister said: the Director General of the Museum is wrong to believe that „the advancement and development of the Museum should be conditional upon the good graces of any leader or politician”. He stressed: he regards the Museum of Fine Arts, along with the Hungarian National Gallery, as a strategic institution of the country. The Museum has been awarded gracious grants under every government, „regardless of whose wedding is held there”.
„The leaders of institutions who believe that, similar to the communist times, they can promote the advancement of the institutions they lead through the maintenance of friendly, insider relations, are wrong”, he stressed. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s door is open to the director of every museum, and the Prime Minister is in favour of supporting all museum developments, he added in the context of the incident which he believes has damaged Hungarian museums and culture the most.
In answer to the question as to whether the suspicion of corruption may emerge on account of the fact that the head of the Museum of Fine Arts gave the use of the building to Árpád Habony for the purposes of his wedding due to his informal political influence, combined with the fact that he doubled as Habony’s best man, Mr Lázár said: „no, this merely gives rise to the suspicion of whether László Baán is able to objectively evaluate the situation of the Museum of Fine Arts”. In his view, there is no need for an investigation.
Agreement with Russians for maintenance of helicopters cannot be ruled out
Mr Lázár takes the view that the sanctions against Russia do not rule out the possibility of the regular maintenance of the Russian technology used in the Hungarian army. The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office was asked at his press conference held on Thursday in Budapest about the military’s helicopter procurements and whether this was discussed at the talks held on Wednesday in Moscow. Mr Lázár pointed out that the sanctions against Russia are in force, but Hungary is of the opinion that they cannot be extended automatically. The conditions of their continued maintenance must be thoroughly investigated.
The Minister told the press that while the sanctions rule out military cooperation, based on the negotiations, an agreement regarding the maintenance and use of armaments cannot be ruled out. This does not mean the procurement of new equipment, he remarked. In answer to another question, he further said that an instalment of the Russian credit facility worth EUR 10 billion which is available for the enlargement of the Paks atomic power station may be drawn down already this year, realistically, sometime mid-year. In justification he informed the press that the 2017, 2018 and 2019 budgets already feature the enlargement of the Paks atomic power station as an expenditure ranging between HUF 250 and 500 billion for each year.
The Minister was also queried about the Hungarian-Russian dispute related to the debt of the former Hungarian airline company Malév. Mr Lázár said that the legal situation is unequivocal and is in favour of Hungary, given that there are court judgements against the Russian claim. At the same time, he indicated that they regard this issue as closed, but in the interest of maintaining good relations, they are ready to explore the matter, and Hungary agreed to consider the arguments of Russia and the financing bank in the next one year. Mr Lázár said that the claim in question is significant, around HUF 100-150 million.
Regarding the reorganisation of governmental support institutions, he stated: they have been given a more extensive authorisation and mandate than they had originally sought for the job in hand, given that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has obtained the consent of both the executive board and parliamentary group of Fidesz and has been given carte blanche in the matter. As he said, according to plans, the first decisions may be adopted on 24 February; until then, consultations with the support institutions concerned will be ongoing. Mr Lázár only mentioned the pension board among the offices yet to be decided upon.
Mr Lázár agrees with the statement made by the Speaker of the House as part of the Salgótarján campaign. In his view, László Kövér put his message in the most careful and restrained possible terms. He stressed: a mayor must be able to negotiate with the government, and Salgótarján is very much in need of cooperation, given than a chunk of HUF 1.5 billion is missing from its finances and it has no approved budget.
The minister responsible for the economy will present a proposal to the Government as to how to achieve a break-even budget already in 2017, and how to ensure that state agencies should not plan the material and personnel expenditures of their operations with a deficit. He stressed at the same time: this does not apply to the financing of developments. In answer to a question seeking the possible reasons for the limited number of families which availed themselves of the option of family bankruptcy protection, he said: the conditions are stringent, and those who request it place themselves under financial guardianship.
Upon answering the question as to whether the case of Béla Kovács of Jobbik was at all mentioned during the Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow, Mr Lázár highlighted: it is not customary for Fidesz and its government to „showcase” the issues and internal political disputes of domestic parties abroad.
In reply to a question regarding the implementation of the Government’s energy policy objectives, he said: those who are currently guessing as to which institution will supervise the energy companies bought by the State “are chasing shadows” because the State has yet to purchase them. He added: it is not even certain at present whether the transactions will be completed by the 2018 elections, but the items in question are worth some HUF 500-1,000 billion, he said.
Mr Lázár answered a question raised by a journalist at an earlier press conference, and said that the Government Decree related to the protection of the air – under which trees must be planted in parking lots accommodating minimum 10 vehicles – will enter into force in March 2016. This was also the case before, he remarked, adding: he is exploring possible ways of penalising multinational retailers whose parking lots do not feature sufficient green areas.
The Minister further spoke about charging stations available for electric cars. As he said, charging stations will have to be built on a mandatory basis as of 1 January 2017, and this will require a legislative amendment. He added: based on the relevant decree, in parking lots 2 out of 100 parking spaces have to be equipped with charging points.
Mr Lázár informed the press that the liquidation of the First Hungarian Environmentally Aware Social Cooperative is ongoing, with 2,504 people in its employment. He added: out of the 2,504 people, 1,949 were registered as job-seekers on 16 February, 832 persons are already engaged in public employment, 156 persons have found jobs on the labour market, and 747 persons are receiving benefits. He said: 361 persons are not receiving benefits or support because they have not submitted their applications to the government offices.
If the court decision on the liquidation of the cooperative is adopted, the Government will have another chance to provide assistance, he said. He further informed the press that the Government will discuss plans regarding the cemetery at Fiumei út, now in state ownership, on 24 February. According to plans, the cemetary may be converted into a national burial ground worthy of the status of a national remembrance site from a budget of billions of forints by 2018.
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
