The Government will agree with all county-ranked cities regarding the utilisation of regional development funds by June, János Lázár said in Hódmezővásárhely on Friday.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at the press conference held after the two-day General Meeting of the Association of County-Ranked Cities that this is the first time in twenty-five years, in an unprecedented move, that the State will entrust the utilisation and distribution of funds worth HUF 1,200 billion to county-ranked cities or counties. This demonstrates that the Government looks upon local governments as genuine partners, and does not wish to place them under guardianship, he added.
Mr Lázár indicated that the agreements to be reached in the wake of a series of consultations and adjustments where necessary will permit settlements to implement their local economy development programmes.
County-ranked cities have used the development funds of recent years well. These may be the localities where we may expect a significant rise in job opportunities, economic growth and improved living standards in the next seven years, the Minister stressed.
There is a clear need for providing increased funding and support for large cities generating a significant proportion of Hungary’s GDP, creating new industrial areas, improving the road infrastructure, and implementing local value-generating programmes adjusted to each locality’s individual needs which may contribute to the development of communities, Mr Lázár said.
Károly Szita, Mayor of Kaposvár, President of the Association of County-Ranked Cities takes the view that the budget submitted for the year 2016 guarantees predictable operations for county-ranked cities, and enables them to close also next year without a deficit.
The mayors of large cities were pleased that the Government had submitted to Parliament the draft budget before the summer recess as predictability is very important for municipalities, the President said.
The available EU funds create the opportunity for settlements to implement their objectives in the field of the development of the economy, and enable them to achieve the goal that “everyone who wishes to earn a living should have a job”, said the politician who has led the seat of Somogy County for more than twenty years.