Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga received in his office EBRD Risk Management Vice President Betsy Nelson. At the meeting, the Minister emphasised that the Government has been committed to complying with the MoU concluded with the EBRD in February this year and he also stressed that the institution may play a major role in the financing of the economy.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed concern over investigations launched by the Romanian authorities into Hungarian politicians in Transylvania. At the meeting of the Hungarian Standing Conference held on Thursday in Budapest, the Prime Minister also stated that programmes may be launched to help young Hungarian entrepreneurs beyond the borders.
In Hungary, the upward retail sales trend has been in place for the 29th consecutive month, and according to expectations of the Ministry for National Economy, this positive trend is set to continue in the rest of the year, Deputy State Secretary for Domestic Economy Áron Márk Lenner told public news channel M1.
On Tuesday at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that Hungary continues to be committed to the stability of Afghanistan; therefore the country will not withdraw its soldiers from the region and will contribute with 500 thousand dollars annually to NATO’s Afghanistan mission.
In accordance with a unanimous vote by the Hungaricum Committee, chimney cake, which is at once a Sekler, Transylvanian and Hungarian treasure, was declared a Hungaricum at the body’s Thursday session”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas told the press in Budapest.
At the agriculture forum organised by the Zala County Farmers’ Circles Association held on 1 December in Keszthely, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture István Nagy said that “Agriculture once again achieved excellent results in 2015. Cereal production was exceptionally high and animal husbandry output increased despite a drop in producer prices”.
Regarding mandatory resettlement quotas, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expects to see a “secret background agreement” to be revealed in the next few days, based on which the European Union would take in some 400–500 thousand Syrian refugees.
On Tuesday evening, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Human Capacities Bence Rétvári told public television channel M1 that the migrant resettlement quotas proposed by the European Union would burden the Hungarian healthcare and social system with billions of forints of extra costs.
On Wednesday, Chief Security Advisor of the Prime Minister György Bakondi told public television channel M1 that the increased level of police preparedness and related security measures are needed as long as the threat of terrorism exists.
Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga appointed Ágnes Hornung, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, as head of the OECD National Commission in Hungary.