In a letter written to the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sought Europe’s help in the matter of illegal migration, namely that those awaiting deportation should be sent back to the country in which they first entered the territory of the European Union, János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at his usual Thursday press conference in Budapest.
The Minister told the press: according to the latest data, other EU Member States intend to deport some 16,000 non-EU nationals to Hungary; „this is phase one”. Hungary fully observes the EU regulations relating to illegal border-crossers but is unable to receive these 16,000 people, Mr Lázár said, and in reasoning his statement he indicated that illegal migration, and the related administration tie up all the resources of the Hungarian authorities. The Minister added that, based on the calculations of the Ministry of Interior, this 16,000 „may increase to 200,000” in the next six months.
Additionally the Government disputes, he continued, whether these people should be accepted by Hungary, given that they probably entered the EU in Greece. Therefore, the Hungarian position is that they should be sent back there, and this is what they request the Austrian and German authorities to do, Mr Lázár pointed out.
He confirmed the general view of the Government that what is happening in Europe today is a process of modern-day mass migration, in which we have only reached phase one, and illegal migration afflicts Hungary most in the EU.
The Minister indicated that illegal border-crossing and the closure of the border will, as expected, be the most important issues on the agenda of the joint Serbian-Hungarian government meeting to be held on 1 July in Budapest. Serbian-Hungarian inter-governmental relations have improved significantly in recent years, and the Hungarian Cabinet has a vested interest in maintaining this situation, the Minister said. The Serbian delegation to Budapest will also be accompanied by István Pásztor, President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians.
At the press conference Mr Lázár confirmed the government decision that a temporary security border fence will be built on the Hungarian-Serbian border. They are prepared to talk about this issue at next week’s Hungarian-Serbian government meeting; however, the Hungarian Government has reached its decision, he stated.
According to the Minister’s information, a four-metre-tall fence may be erected on a 175-kilometre section on the Hungarian side of the border, at a distance of 10 metres from the border line.
Mr Lázár told members of the press that they will amend the law on state borders in order to settle certain issues of ownership and use.
By Mr Lázár’s account, the area concerned on the Csongrád and Bács-Kiskun County sections is some five thousand hectares; one third of this area is in state ownership, while two thirds are in private ownership. The State is required to pay for the use of the latter, and will do so, the Minister stated, who also voiced his conviction that the construction of the temporary border fence will not interfere with the legal use of the border. He stressed that they will also fully observe any rights under natural law.
The Minister further informed the press that 870,000 questionnaires have been sent back to date as part of the national consultation on immigration; 47,000 of these were completed electronically, and these are being processed on an ongoing basis.
The head of the Prime Minister’s Office said in answer to a question related to the Dublin III Regulation that the terminology used may have been wrong, and the wording may have given rise to misunderstanding, but the Government did not intend to repeal or suspend the effect of any core EU legislation. The Hungarian Office of Immigration and Nationality provided fair information for 11 EU Member States to the effect that Hungary, due to the shortage of resources, is temporarily unable to receive the first few hundred from the 16,000 people who would be sent back to Hungary by coach, he said, and stated: Hungary seeks fairness, patience and help from its European partners.
The Minister takes the view at the same time that decision-makers in Brussels are perfectly aware of the fact that those who are to be sent back from Austria or Germany to Hungary did not first enter the EU in Hungary. Mr Lázár also remarked that he finds it unfair that rich countries attempt to shift this problem onto a poor country.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office also told members of the press that the company owned by the Hungarian State will be the largest market actor in the field of electricity and gas services in 2016, and highlighted that this will, as expected, permit further price reductions in 2017-18.
Mr Lázár, who referred to next year’s budget as the budget of tax reductions and the promotion of employment which will create greater predictability and security for the country, said in this context that this is the first time in 25 years that the Government has made its financial plan for the following year clear already in the first half of the year.
The Minister pointed out: minimum HUF 230 billion excess funds will be left in the economy, and the Government is reckoning with a 2.5 per cent economic growth and a 2 per cent deficit of the budget.
Based on the evaluation of the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, the message of next year’s budget to the European financial world, creditors and investors is – in respect of both the economic growth rate and the deficit of the budget – that in contrast to Greece, Hungary has done its homework in the last five years.
The Minister also announced at the press conference: the Government is planning to introduce standard packaging in the case of tobacco products in the interest of reducing smoking. As a result of the contemplated change, the appearance of all tobacco products would be identical, and there will be no scope for advertising.
This system is already operational in Australia, and France and Ireland, too, are planning to introduce it, Mr Lázár said, stating that the relevant proposal may be presented to the legislature in the autumn.
The Minister further reported that the construction of the new Budapest hospital would be covered from the sector-specific levy payable by tobacco industry companies.
Mr Lázár told the press: tobacco industry companies are currently required to contribute HUF 10 billion in total, half of which is paid by Philip Morris, while the construction of a new hospital may cost up to some HUF 30-40 billion.
The Minister said: considering the number of people who die in Hungary due to smoking, this may be regarded as a fair sum. He remarked: Philip Morris has contacted the Government several times on account of the sector levy, and also because it was planning to act as a supplier for tobacco shops, but has made no offer to date.
In the new system, tobacconists may earn up to HUF 50-100,000 more monthly in general, the Minister added.
In answer to a question, Mr Lázár said that they would like to increase the resources which are at the disposal of the national asset manager as well as the number of homes to be purchased. In answer to another question, he stated that 15-20,000 homes may be a realistic number, and designated the magnitude of the required funds as around ten billion forints. The Minister did not supply any more specific figures; the Government will repeatedly deal with this issue in July.
The Minister further told the press: he appointed 19 county development commissioners on the Prime Minister’s behalf. It will be the duty of the Members of Parliament concerned to attempt to coordinate and assist with the payments of funds made available during the development cycle between 2014-2020, calls for proposals, and other county grants which may be used locally. Everyone will receive the same pay as before, but they will now have to work more, Mr Lázár reacted to the information released in the press in this context.
Mr Lázár also said that a programme will be launched for the promotion of electric cars and mass transportation vehicles. The plan is, the Minister outlined, that there should be minimum 50,000 hybrid and electric vehicles in Hungary by 2020. Some 3,000 charging stations will have to be installed by that point in time. The necessary legislative amendments will have to be passed by 30 November 2015. The drastic reduction of costs, including the issues of the registration tax, duty and automobile tax, has also been raised. The programme is based on the Norwegian model; electric cars account for 13 per cent of Norway’s automobile fleet already at this point in time, Mr Lázár said.
The Minister said: the ministries support 479 of the 1,107 proposals regarding the reduction of red tape; the Prime Minister will decide on the rest of the proposals in the light of the evaluation of the work of the Government.
A wider public consultation has also been launched regarding the issue of the reduction of procedural expenses. Citizens sent back some 115,000 questionnaires by the beginning of June, and 415,000 recommendations were received. 350,000 initiatives are related to members of the public, while 65,000 to businesses, the Minister detailed. In these, members of the public propose the reduction of the procedural costs associated with procedures related to name changes, the replacement of documents, certificates of good conduct, the replacement of stolen identity cards, licences for the operation of stores and company documents. The Government will accept these proposals, and they will form part of the reduction of expenses in the magnitude of ten billion forints, the Minister said.
Mr Lázár further reported that a social consultation council has been set up in Paks; the Government will provide HUF 1 billion for this purpose.
Mr Lázár remarked: at present, we are paying HUF 37-38 for electricity, and there is no alternative today that would be able to supply electricity for less than Paks.
In answer to a question concerning the restitution decision adopted at the end of 2013 and the Herczog lawsuit, the Minister said: the Government must resolve that, in cases where the State is unable to prove its title on a definitive basis, the objects of art must be restored to their owners. Mr Lázár proposed to the Prime Minister that the Government should engage in out-of-court negotiations in the Herczog lawsuit.
Upon answering a question concerning the painting entitled Calvary by Munkácsy, Mr Lázár said: they are ready to buy the object of art because they believe that it must be in national, public ownership. He added that they respect Mr Imre Pákh’s passion for Munkácsy, and have faith in his generosity, which will be required on account of the limits of the state budget.
The Minister said the following in response to the statement made by Mr István Tarlós, Mayor of Budapest on Wednesday concerning poor communication between the Government and Budapest: he is concerned that Mr Tarlós may have specifically referred to his person in the interview, but would like to reassure the Mayor that the Government is committed to the cause of Budapest.
The uncut version of the press conference may be downloaded from the Press Room (5.88GB).
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
