The Government expects the migrants who attempted to break out of the Kiskunhalas closed reception centre to observe the laws of Hungary, János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at the press conference Governmentinfo 52.
Mr Lázár said regarding the Kiskunhalas incident: some 300 migrants objected to their detention in a closed facility, and even resorted to violence. He asked them not to abuse the trust they enjoy, and to cooperate with the local authorities.
In answer to the question as to whether the ringleaders may have been prepared for the incident, the Minister said: just one day after the event, this cannot be determined yet. At the same time, he mentioned that last year when a degree of resistance unfolded at the Eastern Railway Station and migrants attempted to block traffic in the capital and on the M1 motorway, it was obvious that there were leaders among them who knew exactly what they were doing and how far they could go against the authorities.
It is another matter that the 400,000 people who came here last year received guidance and instruction, he continued, adding: we now know the exact pattern that the transportation of migrants followed and that certain civil society organisations made arrangements for the migrants to receive money and telecommunication devices.
He also informed the press that migration continues to remain a major challenge on the Serbian border section. There is, however, no pressure to speak of on the Romanian section, and the Government therefore believes that, at this point in time, there is no need for the construction of a security border fence. Between 1 January and 30 May this year 13,746 illegal border-crossers were apprehended, 13,286 of them came from the direction of the Serbian border, he said, adding: a proposal which currently lies before Parliament will enable the authorities to send back the individuals concerned within a range of eight kilometres of the border.
He repeatedly confirmed that Hungary will not take back anyone from the West, and will argue that they did not arrive in the territory of the EU here, but in Greece.
At the same time, the Minister also said in the context of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Egypt: the whole of Europe, including Hungary, has a direct vested interest in Egypt becoming a stable country. In a case to the contrary, the inhabitants of the country of 90 million, too, would set out, and would place Europe under „unbearable pressure”.
The Minister was queried about whether there was a shortage of staff at the Office of Immigration and Nationality. He said: he is unable to confirm this information. However, should the organisation require additional staff, the Government will provide all the necessary funds.
János Lázár refuted the allegation that the Prime Minister misinformed the German and Austrian Chancellors
In answer to a question, Mr Lázár refuted the allegation published in an article in the Wednesday issue of the German newspaper Bild to the effect that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán intentionally misinformed the German and Austrian Chancellors last September regarding the immigration situation. He said: the Hungarian Prime Minister is an ally of the incumbent German and Austrian Chancellors, and it is out of the question that he would give them false information. Mr Orbán consulted with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on several occasions, and there was continuous communication, he said. He added: the Prime Minister informed his German and Austrian counterparts at all times in accordance with the actual facts, and drew their attention to the potential threats.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said: a great many of the migrants arrived at the Eastern Railway Station after Merkel’s invitation, and those heading for Hungary approached the border clearly in response to this invitation. „Inviting them was a gross mistake.”
The article published in Bild claimed: Germany reckoned with a few thousand refugees, and Austrian government circles take the view that the Hungarian Prime Minister intentionally attempted to create the impression that the migrants were fewer in numbers than they actually were. The some thousand refugees turned out to be 20,000: this is how many of them arrived in Germany after the decision was made to let in the migrants who set out for Hungary’s western border, Bild claimed.
Mr Lázár believes: it is indeed necessary to reconcile the positions of Viktor Orbán and Angela Merkel, or else the European People’s Party (EPP) may lose many of its voters in Europe, and far-right parties may gain in strength.
The Minister further pointed out that the Government has no intention to build a single camp. On the contrary: they wish to close them, and they are currently closing the facility in Bicske.
Mr Lázár was also asked about the security risks of the European Football Championship. He said: the police have not received information regarding specific terrorist threats from their partner organisations beyond the general ones.
The Minister was further queried about the news that three presumed Islamist terrorists were apprehended in Germany who may have prepared for a terrorist attack in the centre of Düsseldorf. In his view, this confirms the Hungarian position that every person entering the borders of Europe must be checked and that we must insist on their registration. „I am sure that hundreds, or thousands, or even more of those who crossed the Schengen border through Hungary after Angela Merkel’s invitation pose a security threat to Western-Europe”, he said.
HUF 80 billion to be allocated for developments in Pest County
As Pest County will be eligible for virtually no funds at all for developments from the European Commission, the Government decided at its meeting held on Monday to provide HUF 80 billion for the county from its own resources up to 2021, Mr Lázár said.
The Minister stressed: the Government also discussed the future of the revenues derived from the land auctions, and regards the construction of industrial parks as a priority social policy objective. The Government will decide on the necessary funds at its meeting on Friday.
Mr Lázár said: they will also finalise the list of road construction projects to be implemented. Hundreds of kilometres of new roads will be built from an allocation of thousands of billions of forints with a view to improving the country’s infrastructure which may contribute to economic growth.
Banks have already awarded benefits worth HUF 16 billion
Some 36,700 people have enquired to date about the housing benefits available to families, and banks have awarded funds worth HUF 16 billion to applicants, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office told the press. He said: from among those who enquired, some 14,000 would build new houses or homes, while others would avail themselves of the available funds for housing refurbishment projects.
So far applications have been submitted for planning permission for the construction of eight thousand new homes with a ground space of less than 300 square metres. This number is higher than the total number of planning permissions issued last year, he said. The Minister added: as a result, the benefits provided for families agreeing to have children will also contribute to economic growth.
Government’s decision on state operation of schools is final
The Minister described the Government’s decision on the state maintenance and operation of schools as final. As he said, they cannot make exceptions in any specific district or locality which may be operating a well-functioning educational system. The Government is required to consider the good of the whole of the country.
In his view, the former system bankrupted municipalities, and according to international surveys, students were continuously deteriorating in terms of the level of knowledge acquired. He added: in the future the State will bear full responsibility for everything in a professional and political sense.
Mr Lázár further told the press that the Government reviewed the state of the expropriation system at its meeting held on Monday. According to the Interior Ministry, it takes 605 days to complete an expropriation procedure. The goal is to accelerate the procedure, he pointed out.
He said: at the meeting to be held on Friday, the Cabinet will summarise the cases pending before Parliament, and will review the state of health care, the pay situation of health care workers and physicians, the issue of health care in Budapest, the situation of general practitioners and public health care programmes.
In answer to a question, he also told the press that the Government will offer to the ambulance service a separate career model opportunity, and is ready to make available excess funds for the implementation of a pay rise in excess of that provided for health care workers.
The cabinet meeting to be held on Friday will also discuss the entire child meals programme, the situation of local bus manufacturing, and the modernisation of public administration. They will additionally also decide on the autumn legislative package, he listed.
They will further debate a number of metropolitan issues, such as the fate of metropolitan railway stations, the takeover of suburban transport and some major transport projects, he added, indicating: they will also expect Budapest Mayor István Tarlós to attend the meeting. The Metropolitan Mayor’s Office had indicated in the interim that the mayor will be unable to attend the cabinet meeting due to an engagement abroad. Mr Lázár said: they will wait for the Mayor’s return before they adopt any decisions.
Regarding the buses which are to replace the metro service on a temporary basis, he said: the Government has to reach a theoretical position, and certain decisions will have to follow from that. „Haggling is not the Government’s job.” Hungarian bus manufacturers, too, must be given a chance, „this is a normal issue, there is nothing extraordinary about it”, he said.
In answer to the question of whether the Government will investigate whether the Russians sent refurbished metro carriages to Budapest or completely new ones, he said: it is the contractor that must consider whether this is in line with the tender documentation.
The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office told the press regarding the fact that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has published its annual report: compared with the number of reports filed from sources within Hungary, the organisation has discovered a small number of alleged errors.
Mr Lázár also told the press: the Government and the European Commission have closed the asphalt case. The Commission intended to impose a fine of EUR 120-140 million on Hungary, but after long negotiations we „got away” with an adjustment of HUF 48 billion, and EU grants worth HUF 450 billion will also be released. As a result, „we managed to strike a good deal” with the Commission, he took the view.
The third and last round of land auctions is taking place at present, under smooth and lawful circumstances. Further state-owned tracts of land may be offered for sale until 31 July, he said. He added: in the first two rounds 180,000 hectares of state-owned land were acquired by some ten thousand farmers, and the State may expect to raise a revenue worth HUF 240 billion from the sales.
Mr Lázár described the Government’s decision on the state maintenance and operation of schools as final. He said: they cannot make exceptions in any specific district or locality which may be operating a well-functioning educational system. The Government is required to consider the good of the whole of the country.
In his view, the former system bankrupted municipalities, and according to international surveys, students were continuously deteriorating in terms of the level of knowledge acquired. He added: in the future the State will bear full responsibility for everything in a professional and political sense. As municipalities will have fewer responsibilities, they will naturally be given less funding, he pointed out, indicating: these funds will be much needed in the operation of the educational system.