The government is asking everyone travelling abroad to exercise special caution, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at a press conference held on Thursday in Budapest.

Gergely Gulyás said even travelling to countries classified into the green category requires caution, and the government is asking everyone to use common sense and to make carefully considered decisions.

He stressed that it is possible to travel to some neighbouring countries, including Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia without extra risks.

In other European countries, not including the Baltic states and Finland, infection rates are substantially higher than in Hungary, he added.

The government recommends that people considering travelling even to countries classified as green should exercise particular caution, the Minister said. He recalled that Spain has been moved from the green category to yellow as the rate of coronavirus infections and risks are no longer low there.

He reported that at the Wednesday cabinet meeting the government had concluded that the coronavirus situation was deteriorating in Europe; in some countries “there are dramatic numbers”. He observed that in addition to Spain, other countries had also been considered for reclassification; however, in the case of those countries, there was a less radical rise, and so for the time being, they have decided to wait and see.

Mr Gulyás said in Hungary the rules in effect at present have proved to work, and the number of active infections has stagnated between 500 and 600 for some time now.

He said the fight against the first wave of the epidemic was successful in Hungary because people did not only make every effort to observe the mandatory rules, but they also assessed the situation realistically and behaved accordingly.

He underlined that the 20 August fireworks display could be held according to the rules in force at present. The government decided nonetheless to cancel major events because at this time we need to be cautious.

Therefore, they welcome the fact – as a responsible decision – that some organisers have even cancelled seated concerts, despite the fact that based on the rules currently in effect they could be held, he added.

The Minister also highlighted that there is a good chance that Hungary might reach last year’s employment data before the end of this year.

Mr Gulyás added that later in the autumn they would have more data regarding the functioning of the Hungarian economy this year.

He observed that no one in the world can do anything about the fact that there was a shutdown for a month and a half and there were extremely limited operations in the economy. According to his information, at present, 4,472,000 persons are in employment; the last employment data stood at 4,457,000.

Government Spokesperson Alexandra Szentkirályi informed members of the press that the government had decided on another package worth HUF 2.12 billion for music clubs and festival organisers.

In the countryside, 80 music clubs and venues can receive grants to the value of maximum HUF 9 million, from which they can organise ten pop or rock music events each, meaning that in total 800 events can be held from grants worth HUF 720 million.

Additionally, approximately 20 major clubs and concert venues could be granted funds to the value of HUF 30 million, from which they are required to organise ten pop or rock music events each. This means 200 concerts in total to be implemented from an allocation of HUF 600 million, she stated.

She said they will also provide grants for music venues beyond the borders; 11 clubs could receive funds which will be required to organise 11 pop or rock music events from maximum HUF 9 million each. As a result, HUF 100 million will be available for the organisation of 120 events in total.

Ms. Szentkirályi said in the case of festivals, the grant allocation amounts to HUF 700 million which will be distributed among festival organisers. In the case of clubs and concert venues, the calls for proposals will be coordinated by the Petőfi Literary Museum, while in the case of festivals, the Hungarian Tourism Agency will be in charge of organisation.

She recalled that most recently the government had decided on a grant allocation worth HUF 5.3 billion for the organisation of warehouse gigs and for Roma musicians. The more than HUF 2 billion now announced will be available in addition to this allocation. She stressed that the grants could enable the Hungarian pop and rock industry to remain on its feet, and could help those working in the sector to find jobs.

In answer to a question about the planned garage gigs, she said the concerts will be streamed by Antenna Hungária (AH). The recordings will be not streamed live; they will be made available after the completion of the necessary post-production work. However, as to how long they will be available free of charge is as yet a matter of negotiations.

The base infrastructure will be provided by AH, and each band will be able to bring their own sound engineers, technicians and experts, she detailed, observing that there will be no spectators at the events. She added that recordings could start in the last two weeks of August.

In answer to a question about the Debrecen Campus Festival, Mr Gulyás said there are clear rules which must be observed, and there is common sense as well as responsibility which require more than that.

At this time, it is best to cancel these events, he added.

Regarding the fact that Ukraine placed Hungary into the red category as a country that is especially risky from the viewpoint of the coronavirus epidemic, Mr Gulyás said in Ukraine the number of active cases falling on one million persons is 762; in Hungary the corresponding number is 54. Based on this, anyone can decide for themselves whether the Ukrainian decision was well-founded.

At the same time, many of the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia have Hungarian citizenship, and they are not affected by the ban on entry into Hungary. However, if as a result of the Ukrainian decision Ukrainians are not coming to Hungary at this time, this is a welcome development from the respect of slowing down the spread of the epidemic, he added.

In answer to a question relating to the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, the Minister said research is ongoing; however, the Hungarian government – similar to other governments – has availed itself of the opportunity of reserving 5 million vaccines. At the same time, he indicated that he would not like to raise high hopes that are not well-founded at present, given that there is no way of knowing when a vaccine could become available.

In response to a question, Mr Gulyás spoke about the public procurement procedure related to the refurbishment of the Chain Bridge which was found by the Public Procurement Authority to be contrary to the law.

He said there is no issue regarding the interpretation of the law in this matter, the legal rules in effect clearly lay down that in the case of construction projects, projects completed in the past 5 years or maximum 8 years can be taken into consideration as references.

He added that this rule is not new, it has been in effect since 2013, and additionally, during the socialist governments, the maximum reference period was five years which was then extended by the Fidesz-KDNP government to maximum eight years.

“In light of this, it is nothing short of irresponsible – and could even convey legal consequences – to accuse different businesses and to seek economic interests in the event of the intervention of an otherwise independent authority that is evidently based on the law,” the Minister said.

He observed that Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony should regain the composure that previously characterised him, and should apologise to the government parties.

In answer to a repeated question, he said it would take even a law student only around ten minutes to amend the public procurement document found to be irregular.

In response to suggestions that, according to Mr Karácsony, he is being persecuted by the government, the Minister said the Public Procurement Authority which is independent of the government is taking the Mayor of Budapest to task over the eight-year reference period prescribed by law.

Additionally, the government decree in question was already in effect during former Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós’s time, he said.

He also said Mr Karácsony would like more favourable rules for himself than those agreed to by Mr Tarlós. He added that notwithstanding this the government would like to help the people of the capital so that they can use the Chain Bridge within the shortest possible time.

Reacting to a statement made by DK President Ferenc Gyurcsány attacking Attila Vidnyánszky, the chair of the board of trustees of the foundation responsible for the operation of the University of Theatre and Film Arts, Mr Gulyás said “threats of this kind are always a sign of weakness;” at the same time, he described the style of the statement as shocking.

In answer to the question as to why the university was not allowed to nominate members to the board, the Minister said the law clearly lays down who is entitled to nominate members, and the nominations were made accordingly.

He added that the competent ministry made the decision on the basis of a clear concept, and the persons of the board members guarantee the maintenance of marketable education to high artistic standards at the university at a level that will be much more modern than at present.

Mr Gulyás asked everyone to give the board a chance to work.

One year on, it will be possible to review whether the operation of the board of trustees has been beneficial for the institution or not, he added, indicating that they also have further plans with the university, but he did not reveal further details.

Mr Gulyás was asked about an earlier statement made by Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony on television in connection with the Pesti út elderly care home in which he did not provide a clear answer to how they would remedy the shortage of staff, and shifted the responsibility for the deficiencies uncovered at the institution onto the social care system in general.

The Minister said the elderly care home is operated by the metropolitan municipality, and if they are unable to operate it, then instead of looking for excuses they should transfer it to another operator that is able to do so.

The operator has no scope for not providing the conditions that are necessary for the safe and lawful operation of the institution, he added.

He said, due to the infections that occurred in the elderly care home during the coronavirus epidemic, the authorities established that the institution had failed to comply with the applicable rules. There was no infection epicentre similar to the Pesti út elderly care home anywhere in the country, he observed.

He pointed out that based on experiences of the past, it would be the duty of the metropolitan municipality to pay special attention to ensuring lawful operating conditions in the elderly care home.

If they are unable to maintain such conditions, it would be best if they transferred the institution to another operator, he added.

Mr Gulyás said it was a good decision to provide child supervision services at the Prime Minister’s Office during the coronavirus epidemic as the ministry staff of 1,300 were not allowed to work from home. He pointed out that they had spent HUF 4.1 million on the pay of the teachers on the basis of contracts of engagement.

He also said the Hungarian government would have liked to buy the Mátra Power Station also three years ago, but the German owner decided to sell it to someone else. He highlighted that the goal was to transform the power station into a carbon neutral facility.

In answer to a question relating to the compensation of fishers, he said he had presented a proposal to the government in line with an earlier ministerial promise; however, it has not yet been adopted.

The Minister also said a task force set up by the Justice Minister around a month and a half to two months ago is dealing with issues related to Facebook legislation; at this point, the activities of the task force have no final result yet.

In some aspects of this issue, it would make sense to create standard European regulations, Mr Gulyás pointed out.

In answer to the question as to whether the government is planning to do anything to protect journalists as recently members of the press have harassed journalists at their homes, the Minister said everyone is entitled to privacy, regardless of their occupation.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that seeking out a journalist at his or her home could constitute a violation of privacy for which such journalist could institute a lawsuit; however, this has nothing to do with freedom of assembly.

The law protects the private homes of journalists also at present, and they never agreed with any distinction made between public figures and non-public figures as regards privacy, Mr Gulyás said.

In answer to a question, he said there are ongoing negotiations with the Banking Association regarding the possible extension of or changes in the current rules relating to the credit debt repayment moratorium from 1 January 2021.

(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)