Following his visit to Székesfehérvár as part of the Modern Cities Programme, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told Fehérvár Television on Tuesday that the Government firmly believes that the road to even the smallest settlement leads through a city.

The Prime Minister also announced that after having signed agreements with county-level city councils, the Government will do the same with county councils.

He stressed that Hungary is unimaginable without the provinces. Many people associate the provinces with villages, but the key to the development of provincial Hungary is its cities, he said. Mr. Orbán pointed out that if provincial cities succeed in becoming modern industrial and agricultural centres, they can “carry along with them” village areas, adding that if cities do not develop, the quality of rural life cannot improve either.

The Prime Minister said that in order to support the development of the provinces, the Government will first sign cooperation agreements with all the 23 county-level city councils. This will be followed by agreements on the development of small and medium-sized settlements to be signed with all the 19 county councils, he added.

Concerning the agreement signed with the Mayor of Székesfehérvár András Cser-Palkovics, Mr. Orbán said that the people of Székesfehérvár deserve this, as they have worked for it. The city has proven itself: it has become a modern industrial city, although it faced serious unemployment problems following the collapse of socialist industry at the beginning of the nineteen-nineties.

He noted that today the question is no longer the presence of factories and industries, but taking the next step. The city needs to improve the quality of life, in order to attract further investors and to provide security for its labour force, he said, adding that sufficient provision of skilled labour can only be ensured if new homes are built.

The Prime Minister emphasised that the city cannot meet the labour force needs of investors, who wish to employ hundreds of people; therefore workers’ accommodation centres must be reopened, and the city must be made attractive to employees through new residential areas.

(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)