The government has clear answers to the questions that have provoked social debates in recent months; however, it needs a robust social mandate in order to represent them in the international arena as well as within Hungary, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said in justification of the next national consultation at the press conference Governmentinfo held on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyás mentioned the damages awarded to Roma in Gyöngyöspata, the procedure related to the multiple child murder case in Győr, the “prison business” and the issue of the independence of judges.

The politician said organisations financed from abroad which “call themselves human rights activists” appear in connection with almost every case, standing up for the rights of perpetrators, rather than for the rights of victims.

He observed that these organisations are taking part in Hungarian public life as political actors without the legitimacy they would require.

The government has decided on the issues of the consultation; however, a decision will be adopted with respect to the specific questions next week.

As expected, as part of the consultation people will be asked nine questions. According to plans, households could receive the consultation questionnaires some time from mid-March onwards. The consultation could be concluded in May, and in light of the outcome, Parliament could pass new legislation before the end of its spring session.

According to the Minister, in the context of the Gyöngyöspata case, the question arises whether it is indeed helpful if the compensation awarded upsets the peace of a given community. Another question that could arise is whether students who were absent without permission for dozens of days should be eligible for compensation. Would it not be better to support a genuine attempt at integration? – he asked.

Regarding the “prison business”, he said the government seeks to comply with those European requirements which indeed serve human dignity and are reconcilable with common sense. However, according to the Minister, it does not serve human dignity or common sense that Hungary should incur annual payment liabilities in the magnitude of HUF 8 billion about whether a prisoner has 3 or 4 square metres of personal space.

There is no question about the fact that final and absolute judgements must be observed, he said, adding that it is, however, questionable whether the Hungarian State should pay those detained in law enforcement institutions due to an international practice, primarily the practice of the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights.

He added that, as expected, Justice Minister Judit Varga will submit the relevant legislative amendment this month. In this regard, the goal is to resolve the issue of overcrowding in prisons within the shortest possible time and to ensure that no unnecessary payments should be made from the Hungarian budget, he said.

In the context of the Győr multiple child murder case, he asked whether cases of this nature could be prevented without a stringent penal policy. Another open question is whether – in light of the fact that conditional release is not permitted in the case of economic crimes committed in criminal organisations – it is justified to permit conditional release in the case of those committing murder.

Regarding judges, he stressed that the government regards the independence of judges as an essential part of the democratic rule of law. However, on account of the importance of their independence, it is crucial that not even the very appearance of independence should be curtailed due to – say – a business interest, he added, pointing out that even judges themselves could support the issue of conflict of interests.

In answer to a question, the Minister said that Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics is going to Ózd with a full mandate to ensure that none of the some one thousand employees working in ABB’s plant about to be closed down should be left without a job.

He also told the press that the central bank continues to remain the competent agency as regards the exchange rate of the forint. He observed that now that the country had been released from the trap of foreign currency debts, this problem had a lesser effect. He added that only 17 to 18 per cent of Hungary’s sovereign debt is denominated in foreign currencies, and not only in euros.

The Minister was asked about the case of former Ambassador to Peru Gábor Kaleta who, according to press reports, is suspected of paedophilia. He said by not disclosing details of the case to the public until the closing of the relevant international investigation they are obliging a request from the US authorities.

The state is the recipient of EU funds; however, if Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony is able to raise additional funds for the capital, they are most welcome, he said in answer to another question.

It is justified to commemorate soldiers who died in war, he said in answer to a question about the role of those who were involved in the 1945 siege of Budapest. He added at the same time that for Hungary both Nazi and communist occupation was tragic. For Jewish people, the Soviet occupation that followed Nazi occupation brought survival, he stressed. He added at the same time that members of the Soviet occupying forces committed an enormous number of rapes. The nation fell “from slavery to slavery,” he said, the country lost its sovereignty and never got it back.

In answer to the question regarding the fact that socialist politician Ildikó Lendvai is one of the leading figures in the protest against the National Curriculum, Mr Gulyás said it is one of the ‘beneficial’ consequences of the change of regime that “even former censors are allowed to exercise the right of freedom of opinion”.

The government has adopted a climate and nature conservation action plan, the details of which will be outlined by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his state-of-the-nation address on Sunday, Mr Gulyás said.

He highlighted that the government had made it clear on several occasions that it would do everything it could both in Europe and in Hungary “in order to make progress on green issues”. The goal is for the Hungarian State to make every effort also during the period of climate change, based on the criteria of sustainability, to enable future generations to inherit a Hungary which is in a better state than it is in at present, he added.

In answer to a question about the new coronavirus, the Minister confirmed that they are still not aware of any Hungarian coronavirus patients, there are no such cases in Hungary, the Minister stated.

He told the press that at present there are 188 Hungarian nationals in China, two of them in Wuhan which is the most affected by the epidemic. They were offered assistance to return to Hungary; however, they did not wish to avail themselves of this offer. Mr Gulyás added that the seven Hungarians who returned home earlier with the assistance of the Hungarian government continue to remain in the Szent László Hospital; as expected, they will be released on Sunday.

He stressed that the Hungarian State is fully prepared, and the 28-point action plan of the operational corps responsible for protecting the population from the coronavirus epidemic contains all necessary precautions, preparations, preventive decisions and measures.

The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at the cabinet meeting the Prime Minister informed members of the government about his talks with the German Chancellor and the German Defence Minister. Mr Gulyás pointed out that today both economic and political relations between Hungary and Germany are balanced. He said in the past few years intergovernmental relations have proved to be positive. There are issues, however, on which the two parties disagree; this was made abundantly clear during the 2015 migration crisis.

According to the Minister, the challenges facing the two countries are of an economic nature. Part of this is the impact it could have on the Hungarian economy if the Western European economy came to a halt or slipped into recession. By his account, one of these economic issues is the seven-year budget starting in 2021 which was also discussed at the talks between the Hungarian Prime Minister and the German Chancellor. Mr Gulyás sincerely hopes that the parties will reach an agreement on the issue of the EU budget. He indicated that the next summit of EU heads of state and government will take place on 20 February which will serve as a first attempt to adopt a budget.

In answer to a question, the Minister described the amendment of the National Curriculum as “a step forward” compared with the earlier version. He added that they are ready to take part in a debate with wider political involvement, and take the view that the updated National Curriculum is an improvement on the former one. As to whether the only Nobel Prize winner Hungarian author Imre Kertész should feature in the National Curriculum, Mr Gulyás said the head of the Klebelsberg Centre stated that Imre Kertész will form part of the curriculum.

In the context of the exhibition entitled “Budapest Is Free” which was launched by the Mayor of Budapest, Mr Gulyás was asked for his opinion regarding the fact that “the siege of Budapest was described again as liberation”. The Minister dismissed the claim that with Soviet occupation Budapest had been liberated as a lie, adding that after Nazi German occupation, Hungary lost its sovereignty which was only restored in 1990.

In answer to another question, Mr Gulyás described press reports claiming that the government is planning to organise awareness camps concentrating on Christianity and national values for 10,000 young people from an allocation of HUF 4.5 billion as fake news. He said the government had not discussed any such proposal. In answer to a further question about the matter, he said it is not fair on the part of the press to present documents which do not reflect the government’s position as such.

He confirmed in answer to a question about the relationship of Fidesz and the European People’s Party that they still hope that the European People’s Party will not reject, or will return to the values it shared at the time of its establishment. He added that if this is not the case, then this will be the beginning of the end for the People’s Party not because of Fidesz’s departure, but because a party that is no longer sure about its identity cannot be successful in Europe. The Minister took the view that the People’s Party should return to “the Martens legacy” when the party was open to the Right, but not to any form of extremism. Today there are many parties right of the People’s Party in Europe, including the government parties, which represent people’s party values more authentically, the Minister said, highlighting that there is no set term for how much longer they should continue to wait. However, “common sense sets a limit” to how long such an uncertain situation should be maintained.

In answer to a question, he also said that the government discussed the health care proposals of the Ministry of Human Capacities on a preliminary basis. He said they attempted to assess with the involvement of the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office – in addition to the Ministry of Human Capacities – which problems are genuinely caused by a shortage of funds and which ones are down to poor management. The necessary additional funds should be provided on a regular basis, monthly if possible, in order to prevent the recurrence of a situation where there are accumulated debts at the end of the year, the Minister added. According to his information, this will require HUF 55 billion additional funding annually.

Regarding the negotiations with hospital suppliers, Mr Gulyás said they are currently in the process of settling debts under HUF 100 million, while they are still negotiating with large suppliers.

The Minister also told the press in answer to a question that the government has not yet decided on changes regarding the local trade tax.

(MTI)