“The new legislation on fair banks will protect borrowers”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told the Hungarian press on Tuesday following a meeting of the Fidesz Parliamentary Group. He also stated that the Government was pushing for foreign currency loans to be converted into Hungarian forints as soon as possible and confirmed that the previously planned extension of the telecommunications tax was no longer on the agenda.

The Prime Minister told the press that at the Tuesday meeting, the group of MPs from the governing party had made recommendations with regard to the planned bill on fair banking, which the cabinet would discuss on Wednesday. The legislation will protect borrowers and create a balance between banks and debtors, Mr. Orbán said.

Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga would be providing information with regard to the conversion of foreign currency loans into forints and the planned scheduling of the conversion at the same Wednesday cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister said.

Viktor Orbán also spoke about the planned extension of the telecommunications tax and confirmed that it was no longer on the agenda; on what day the motion to this effect would be presented to Parliament was simply a question of legal technicality.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the discussions with the director of Deutsche Telekom and the fact that the Government has already signed a joint development agreement with the company. The goal is to ensure that every home in both Germany and Hungary has access to broadband internet by 2018. Deutsche Telecom is a key partner in this endeavour, Mr. Orbán said.

Also a topic of discussion at the meeting of the Parliamentary Group was the restructuring of the education system. According to the Prime Minister, the most important task for the next four years is to improve competitiveness, which can primarily be achieved through improving the quality of the education system, meaning that the Government plans to invest a lot of money and energy in this field.

(Prime Minister's Office)