Following an almost two-year preliminary consultation round, and with a view to the importance and magnitude of the Paks nuclear plant’s capacity maintenance project, on 23 November 2015 the European Commission decided to carry out an in-depth examination of the competition law aspects of the investment, in order determine whether it includes state funding. With this decision the issue has arrived at a new, more open stage in the procedure, throughout which third parties can also give their opinions on the competition law aspects of the project.
On Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated that the blindness of Hungary’s critics could lead to the end of European civilisation. The statement sent to Hungarian news agency MTI was a response to the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) calling on Hungary to “refrain from policies and practices that promote intolerance, fear and fuel xenophobia against refugees and migrants”.
In response to Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann’s interviews on migration, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Hungarian news agency MTI that the Austrian Chancellor does not see the difference between solidarity and foolishness.
In an interview with Czech daily Lidové Noviny published on Saturday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that “considerations of common sense” have been removed from European politics for some time now.
In a press conference held after the summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that a recent dispute between Hungarian pop singer Ákos Kovács and Magyar Telekom "may seem minor, but it raises important questions of principle and of a constitutional nature".
Hungary welcomes the political agreement to set up a national unity government in Libya, which could be instrumental in resolving the situation in that country, the Hungarian foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
In Brussels on Friday Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the heads of state and government of the European Union fully agree that border control is a national competency, but if a member fails to meet that obligation the other members should have the right to jointly enforce controls on that section of the bloc's external borders.
“We are honouring enterprises today which have successfully taken advantage of opportunities and brought their ideas to fruition through talent and diligence," Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said at the presentation ceremony of the Awards for Successful Enterprises.
On Friday Head of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Antal Rogán told Hungarian television channel TV2 in its morning show Mokka that Magyar Telekom abused its powers being a large company with lots of money and influence when it terminated its sponsorship contract with pop singer Ákos Kovács.
The volume of retail sales in Hungary grew by 4.6 percent year-on-year in the month of October 2015. The largest increase of 8 percent was registered at durable goods retailers, which signals the improvement of consumer confidence and higher disposable incomes at households.