The Government will decide next week on launching a campaign in the migration transit countries in order to break the organised human trafficking route that leads from Hungary to the West, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office announced. János Lázár proposed to the Government at his press conference “Governmentinfo 19. What does the Government do and why?” that all Hungarian calls for proposals for the EU fiscal cycle between 2014-2020 should be published by 30 June 2017.
The Minister told the press that the purpose of the campaign to be launched by the Government in the transit countries – Serbia, Macedonia and Greece – is to make clear that it is not worth setting out towards Hungary.
Mr Lázár said: illegal migrants will be informed that the assessment of asylum applications has changed significantly in Hungary as of 1 August. He added that the posters will also inform illegal border-crossers that they should not consider approaching the Hungarian border because the temporary security border fence will soon be completed, the vandalisation of which will qualify as a criminal offence.
The Minister pointed out that migrants will further be informed: human traffickers will be asking money from illegal border-crossers in the knowledge that they will not be able to deliver on their promises.
Mr Lázár told the press that the Government will decide on the launch of the campaign at its meeting to be held on Tuesday where members of the cabinet will discuss issues concerning the European mass migration crisis. Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog will introduce at the meeting the report of the chief medical officer as to whether there is any threat of contagious diseases on account of the arrival of migrants in the Hungary. It is necessary to examine the extent of the threat and the public health risks involved very thoroughly and very professionally, he added.
Mr Lázár said that they are currently studying similar German and Danish campaigns. Only a theoretical decision has been adopted on the Hungarian campaign as yet, and he is therefore unable to furnish the press with any details regarding the method and cost of the campaign.
On behalf of the Government, the Minister thanked non-governmental organisations, volunteers, church and Christian organisations for helping those who have entered the country. He made specific mention of the support provided by former President of the Republic László Sólyom and Anikó Lévai, the Prime Minister’s wife. There are two sides to every coin: the protection of the sovereignty of the country, on the one hand, and humanitarianism, helping those who are in trouble, on the other, he pointed out.
Hungary is given insufficient EU funds for the management of the situation
Mr Lázár told the press: Hungary takes the view that the EUR 64.1 million awarded to the country for the management of the migration situation is “pathetically insufficient”.
The Minister said this in response to the fact that the European Commission approved on Monday an allocation of EUR 2.4 billion for helping nineteen EU Member States during the period between 2014-2020, including an allocation of EUR 64.1 million awarded to Hungary, in order to improve their capacities available for the reception of migrants and the security of their borders. Mr Lázár takes the view that it is unfair and unjust that such a small amount has been awarded to Hungary from this allocation, in spite of the fact that it is one of the most exposed countries.
Regarding the fact that the two beneficiaries of the aid are Italy and Greece with allocations amounting to EUR 558 million and EUR 474 million, respectively, the Minister said that there was “lobbying in favour of the old Member States in the negative sense of the word”, and Hungary will raise its voice on this issue in Brussels. He said that what we are witnessing is nothing less than discrimination between the old and the new Member States. The old Member States simply siphoned the money away from the new Member States, he added.
The Minister also pointed out that while Hungary observes every rule – registers the migrants arriving in the country and complies with the Dublin Regulations –, Italy and Greece regularly fail to comply with them.
Mr Lázár made mention of a UN study which concludes that the largest migration is taking place in the world and in Europe since the end of World War II, as part of which some 230 million people are leaving their homes. As the Minister highlighted, the Hungarian Government has had first-hand experience of the increased pressure of migration since March 2015. He added: they were previously expecting 70 to 80 thousand migrants to arrive in Hungary; however, by the first days of August, 120,000 illegal border-crossers arrived in the country, and their number may reach 250,000-300,000 according to estimates.
The Minister informed the press that the police apprehended 1,521 illegal border-crossers, including 360 children on Tuesday. As he pointed out, according to some intelligence, there are some 120-150 thousand people already in Serbia who are planning to come to the EU via Hungary.
He added: Hungary keeps its official border crossing stations open to refugees. The construction of the border fence does not mean that Hungary is sealing its borders. The Minister later said in answer to a question that English-language signs will point refugees in the direction of the official border crossing stations on the fence because the Government intends to induce those coming to Hungary to enter the country amidst controlled circumstances.
Mr Lázár said that the migrant camps are full. At present there are some 4,000-4,500 people at the reception stations, and they are provided for on an ongoing basis. The Government allocated HUF 31.4 billion for the management of the situation. The first line of the temporary security border fence will be completed by 31 August, and as expected, the Government will decide on Tuesday whether a double border fence is required, i.e. whether there is a need for the construction of the originally planned 3- to 4-metre-tall border fence. At present, 900 soldiers are taking part in the construction works on 19 sites, where all the necessary conditions exist, he said.
The Minister further told the press that 861 property owners will be compensated due to the construction of the border fence; the Ministry of Interior has already transferred the HUF 60 million set aside for the purpose to the Csongrád County Government Office.
All EU calls for proposals to be published by June 2017
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office is proposing to the Government that all Hungarian calls for proposals of the EU fiscal cycle between 2014-2020 should be published by 30 June 2017. Mr Lázár said that he will table this proposal at the Government’s next meeting to be held on Tuesday. He reiterated that HUF 12,000 billion will be available to Hungary during this period. The Minister said that Hungary is required to publish 133 calls for proposals this year.
The Minister highlighted: the fact that the European Commission has approved the Hungarian rural development programme for the period between 2014-202 is one of the most important decisions of the past 30 years. The Government is seeking to enforce the criterion in every field that small and medium-sized business actors should have access to 80 per cent of the funds, and the Commission did not only approve but supported this concept, he said. Mr Lázár added: the Commission has approved a system of allocation in respect of funds amounting to some HUF 1,300 billion. Funds will be available, inter alia, for the modernisation of animal husbandry, the development of horticulture and the food industry, watering projects, effective frost prevention, drought control, the subsidisation of the use of renewable energy sources, forestry, and the promotion of young farmers.
Mr Lázár also spoke about the closure of the EU development cycle between 2007-2014. In his opinion, “we had to bring the available EU funds back from the brink”, and the European Commission now believes that Hungary will not lose a single forint of the 8,200 billion it is entitled to.
Regarding the Quaestor case, Mr Lázár told the press: damages have been paid to almost 29,000 customers to date, amounting to HUF 79 billion. This means that 90 per cent of the 32,000 customers have received significant amounts, and a large percentage of those who were wronged now have their money back. At present, those customers have yet to wait for the settlement of their losses who risked sums in excess of EUR 20,000 as it is necessary to wait for the decision of the Constitutional Court, given that financial institutions contacted this body for its view on the case, he explained.
In answer to a question, Mr Lázár said that it has been decided, according to his information, that the Indian company Tata will not build its automobile manufacturing plant in Hungary but in Slovakia. He said that the Hungarian State made every effort, as far as the financial offer is concerned, to win the project for Hungary. He added: it is necessary to study the criteria, on the basis of which the investor eventually decided.
Prime Minister to decide on personal performance by 15 September
The personal performance of Members of the Government will be evaluated by 15 September, and the Prime Minister will make every relevant decision by the middle of next month, Mr Lázár said.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office told the press: the Government will hold its next meeting on Tuesday which will be continued on 24 August, and on 25 August a government conference will be held in Parliament – with a view to creating a tradition – for the evaluation of the work of the Government. This will “effectively be an extended government meeting”, he remarked.
Mr Lázár said that the Prime Minister and invited guests will evaluate the activities of the Government in the past one year as well as the past five years at the conference.
The event will be attended, inter alia, by OECD Ambassador Zoltán Cséfalvay, András Patyi, Rector of the National Public Service University, Árpád Kovács, President of the Fiscal Council, László Domokos, President of the State Audit Office, József Pálinkás, President of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, László Parragh, President of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, György Matolcsy, Governor of the central bank, Mihály Varga, Minister for National Economy, and Human Resources Minister Zoltán Balog.
In answer to a question regarding possible personal changes and László L. Simon, Minister of State at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Minister said: “naturally, I’m going to retain the services of the Minister of State”.
Automobile debtors will also be on the agenda of next government meeting
Mr Lázár told the press regarding the agenda of the government meeting to be held next Tuesday: they will discuss the mass migration crisis, the changes to be implemented in construction affairs, the results of the transformation of the national public education system, and further measures. Minister of Justice László Trócsányi will render an account of the status of the EU infringement procedures relating to the food chain inspection fee and the health care contribution imposed on tobacco industry companies, and the Government will make decisions on these issues.
Additionally, the Government will also deal with automobile debtors as some 200,000 people have automobile and any-purpose debts in Hungary at present, and 30,000 of them also have mortgage debts. Mr Trócsányi will make a proposal as to how this situation could be resolved, the Minister explained.
Mr Lázár pointed out: the national security screening of Andy Vajna has been closed, and no risk factors emerged in connection with the Government Commissioner from a national security point of view. He found it is regrettable that Andy Vajna’s successful activities as a businessman and in the film industry for decades in Hungary have been insufficient to secure the trust of many of his fellow-patriots, and some felt the need for a national security screening regarding his person, the Minister said. He added: he sincerely hopes that the country will some day recover from the standard Hungarian illness called jealousy, and that success will not be a vice, but a virtue.
Mr Lázár was also queried about the border guards who became involved in cigarette smuggling at the Ukrainian border. The Minister said that they are monitoring business activities on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border closely. He told the press that the internal intelligence units of the law enforcement agencies are continuously working, and the ongoing investigation does not only focus on smuggling but also on crimes related to applications for Hungarian nationality.
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
