The Government is expecting a drastic decrease in the number of abuses related to asylum in the wake of the legislative package passed on Monday.
At the press conference, mention was also made of the situation in Greece, in the context of which Mr János Lázár told the press: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will attend the Sunday meeting of the European Council which will focus on Greece. In answer to a question concerning the management of the tax authority, the Minister said that a new regime of tax administration warrants a new structure.
The damage caused by the storm on Wednesday may be in the magnitude of billions of forints, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday in Budapest. In answer to a question regarding the extent of the damage caused by the Wednesday storm, Mr Lázár said: it is expected “to cost billions of forints”; the assessment of the damage is ongoing. He also told the press that he will meet with the heads of the government offices during the course of the day to discuss issues related to the governmental assistance which may be necessary for the alleviation of the damage, and will ask them to assess the damage at a municipal level. Those seeking to apply for state aid may file their requests with the municipalities.
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The press conference was also attended by György Bakondi, the Prime Minister’s advisor for internal security, former head of the disaster control agency, who informed the press that the disaster control agency had received more than 4,500 emergency requests in connection with the storm. The number of instances in which the fire brigade’s assistance was called upon equalled the average of six weeks; the fire brigade were mainly alerted to deal with roof structure damage, fallen trees, overhead cable breakages, fallen pylons and columns, and water pumping. Mr Bakondi remarked that there were electricity supply disruptions in a number of places, and water supply problems emerged in Borsod County.
Mr Bakondi told the press: the strongest wind gusts at the speed of 111 kilometres/hour were recorded in the central part of the country, while the most precipitation, 39.5 millimetres fell in the locality of Fehérvárcsurgó.
At the Governmentinfo press conference mention was also made of Greece, in the context of which Mr Lázár told the press: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will attend the Sunday meeting of the European Council where EU heads of state and government will focus on the situation in Greece.
The Minister said: the Hungarian Government regards the situation of Greece as serious. At the same time, the Minister also pointed out that Hungary was in the same situation in 2010 as Greece. However, Hungary has done the homework assigned by Berlin and Brussels, he said.
While the European Council will be discussing the details of the bankruptcy of Greece on Sunday, the Hungarian Government is sincerely hoping that credit rating institutions may improve Hungary’s debtor rating in the autumn, the politician remarked.
In answer to a question whether Hungary would contribute to a common European budget set up with a view to rescuing Greece, the Minister said: “we are not considering any contribution at all”.
Mr Lázár was also asked whether he has any information about the removal of Ildikó Vida from her position as head of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). In answering this question, the Minister said that they would like to embark on major procedural reforms in taxation this year, and added: in his personal opinion, the new regime of tax administration warrants a new structure, and he does not rule out the possibility that the current leaders of NAV will not take part in this process. The Minister, as he said, also has specific information on the matter, but did not wish to share it with the press. At the same time, he stressed that „it is not the current leadership that the Government is not happy with”, but the procedural regime of taxation.
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Members of the press raised the issue that some stores will have themselves reclassified as markets because they may stay open in that capacity also on Sunday. The Minister said in reply: „a market is not a store, and a store is not a market”. This rule must also be observed by companies within the Hungarian national sphere of interests. The Ministry of National Economy is right when it proceeds with due stringency as „this is an obvious abuse of the law”, Mr Lázár said. State Secretary for Government Communications András Giró-Szász remarked at the same time that investigations are currently being conducted on the matter before the government offices.
Mr Lázár was further questioned about the criticism levelled by Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós at his work in the press. The Minister pointed out in his reply: the Government’s Budapest policy is not about the Mayor but about Budapest. The Government does not focus on István Tarlós but on Budapest because it regards Budapest as an enormous opportunity for the advancement of Hungary in the world, he said, and described the capital as a modern, open, youthful and intelligent city. The Government will provide its full support in the interest of the advancement of the city, even if “the Mayor calls members of the Government imbeciles”, the Minister pointed out, and added that the Cabinet approved a development plan worth HUF 340 billion “which is a most generous contribution, considering that the European Union is not earmarking a single penny for this purpose”.
Regarding the studies concerning the capital’s Olympic bid, the Minister said: an international audit firm already prepared a study earlier, and is preparing another one now; the latter is 80% finished and must be completed by November. Mr Lázár pointed out: there is nothing to hide regarding the contents of the study, and they are ready to publish it.
In answer to a question concerning the Budapest Pride event, the Minister stressed: he does not concern himself with other people’s private lives, and has no interest in the matter.
In the context of a question related to the Volán long-distance coach company, Mr Lázár mentioned the possible merger of the railway company MÁV and Volán; this is, however, just one of the concepts relating to the modernisation of public transport which is currently before the Government. This issue will be presented to the Cabinet in the autumn, he added, and pointed out at the same time that the option of privatisation does not emerge in the case of either MÁV, or Volán.
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Finally, regarding the compensation of Quaestor customers, the Minister said: “banks, led by OTP, frustrated the possibility of one-time compensation” as they turned to the Constitutional Court. Until the adoption of the decision of the Constitutional Court, the Investor Protection Fund may offer compensation up to EUR 20,000 per person; this is now in progress to the value of HUF 88 billion in total. Amounts between EUR 20,000 and 100,000 may, however, only be reimbursed with the approval of the Constitutional Court, the Minister said. Mr Giró-Szász remarked that out of the 32,000 victims, the reimbursement of damages up to EUR 20,000 may fully compensate 22,000 people.
The Government is expecting a drastic decrease in abuses
The Government is expecting a drastic decrease in the number of abuses related to asylum in the wake of the legislative package relating to immigration passed on Monday.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office stressed the importance of filtering out ineligible migrants, and added that the legislative amendment guarantees standard procedures and more effective sanctions. At the same time, those who meet the criteria laid down in the conventions may rely on being afforded the protection they are entitled to.
In citing the relevant data, the Minister said: 75,000 persons arrived in Hungary illegally in the first six months of the year, and the number may even reach 170,000 by the end of the year. Combined with the individuals who are deported from the West, Hungary “may find itself between two fires”, he told the press. Regarding the 15 to 20,000 people planned to be turned back to Hungary, the Minister drew attention to the need for maintaining ongoing talks with the European Union, Germany and Austria, and welcomed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s words on behalf of the Government by means of which she confirmed the gravity of the migration situation in Serbia and Hungary. Concerning the comments made in relation to the closure of the border, the Minister said: the EU has been unable to make a decision on the issue of curbing migration for weeks, and a few dozen German and Austrian policemen are more of a joke than genuine help.
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The Minister further informed the press at the two-hour press conference that the construction of the temporary border fence is “in full swing”; the Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Interior to erect the structure within the shortest possible time. He added that the first construction works must begin in the next few weeks. The legal border crossing stations will continue to remain open to all refugees, the Minister pointed out.
Mr Lázár also confirmed: it is possible to conclude on the basis of the available secret service intelligence that organised human traffickers are active in Serbia who identify the border sections which are deemed easy to cross. They identify these locations “with engineering precision”, and direct illegal migrants there.
The Minister said in answer to a question as to what the Government intends to do to prevent the development of xenophobia: if migrants do not observe the rules of the game, they will provoke the dislike of the locals with first-hand experience. In reference to his personal experiences, the Minister pointed out: people can distinguish only too well. Those who escape the horrors of war, who are persecuted on account of their convictions, faith, political views or origin will be welcomed in Hungary and will be granted refugee status; however, those who “take the Hungarian people for idiots” and believe that they can enter Europe illegally and can come here just to have a better life will never be embraced by the local communities.
The Cabinet will evaluate the latest developments related to migration at an all-day cabinet meeting to be held on 21 July. The agenda of the meeting will also feature the tasks related to the storm damage, and cabinet members will further evaluate the measures adopted by the EU in response to the crisis in Greece, Mr Lázár informed the press.
The full uncut version of the press conference may be downloaded in the Press Room (6.16 GB).
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
