“We did not win,” but there is a chance to win on the issue of the management of carbon-neutrality by the EU.

On Kossuth Radio, Gergely Gulyás, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office pointed out that no one denies the need for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions; the question is who should bear the burden. The Hungarian position is that polluters, multinational companies and large countries should pick up the bill. All the more so as the attainment of the goal set – achieving full carbon-neutrality in the EU by 2050 – would cost Hungary fifty thousand billion forints, meaning it would cost every Hungarian HUF 170,000 every year, the Minister warned.

In the context of the EU’s budget for the period between 2021 and 2028 which is currently in the making, the Hungarian government’s top priority is that cohesion funds should not be reduced more than warranted by the departure of the net contributor Britain, meaning 10 to 15 per cent, he highlighted.

Regarding the rule of law procedure under way in Brussels, Mr Gulyás pointed out that after decades of dictatorship, the rule of law is important for Hungary. It is not just an empty phrase as in the case of some Western European politicians who, in the guise of the rule of law, are conducting a witch-hunt against Hungary.

On this issue “we do not trust the EU,” the Minister observed.

He highlighted in connection with the recent general elections in Britain that the decision of the electorate must be respected.

In the context of the amendment of the parliamentary house rules, Mr Gulyás drew attention to the fact that in every workplace there are rules of conduct which must be observed as people are required to do their jobs in their workplaces. The duty of the Hungarian National Assembly is to enforce the will of the people, to uphold democracy and to conduct debates on the basis of reasonable arguments. “We did not identify any requirement” that the opposition could find objectionable, the Minister stressed.

Talking about the new regulations applicable to theatres, Mr Gulyás said theatres which request state funding will have to enter into an agreement with the government which could also have an impact on the selection of the institution heads. In the context of the sexual harassment scandal at Katona József Theatre, he pointed out it is unacceptable that the incident has had no consequences of any kind for the incumbent director of the institution.

(MTI)