Great emphasis has been assigned to EU affairs in the government’s operation, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at a hearing held in Parliament’s Justice Committee on Tuesday.
Gergely Gulyás indicated that remaining within the European People’s Party is not a strategic goal; Fidesz will stay within the party family if this is possible without surrendering its fundamental principles.
Regarding the indefinite postponement of the establishment of administrative courts, the Minister highlighted that with the establishment of independent administrative courts, judicial control over public administration would have become more robust. However, due to heavy criticism from abroad, this “major step in the direction of a liberal rule of law” has been sidelined. The appeal system will not be compromised as a result, however, and while the postponement “has resulted in some uncertainty,” the planned date for the introduction of a two-tier administrative court appeal system continues to remain 1 January 2020.
The simplification of the system for the adoption of administrative decisions will result in staff rearrangements. Some 2,500 persons have already left public administration on a voluntary basis. It would have been better if this had happened on 1 January 2020; however, the some 15 per cent staff reduction was a justified measure, the Minister observed. He added that the goal is to have more people in the government windows and more people to deal with the cases of citizens, though also at present the average administration time is only 8 minutes, and there is a fifteen-minute waiting time.
Mr Gulyás also said that the government is currently debating the reform of public administration which will simplify the procedures of the authorities and will reduce their number.
In the context of the reorganisation of the supervision of public procurements, the Minister said that while even in the past it was not costly, it is now ever cheaper by virtue of the fact that it is no longer outsourced to external companies.
He added that 80 per cent of the public procurement law is based on EU directives, and in many cases this is what makes projects slower and more complex.
Regarding regional development, Mr Gulyás said the elaboration of the capital’s development programme for the period extending to 2030 is under way. He also said that, as part of the Modern Cities Programme, in the past few years, county-ranked cities have been given access to central funds worth some HUF 1,500 billion in total. They will have to explore which projects have been implemented, and where there is a need for adjustment or for the allocation of further resources due to price rises. Thanks to the country’s economic growth, there are ever more funds available, including the local trade tax which may be collected by local governments, he added.
He indicated that the Hungarian Villages Programme is a major step forward in the life of the countryside, for instance, through the development of inferior roads and public services in villages. The village family housing benefit ‘csok’ helps with the construction and refurbishment of homes in the countryside, the Minister said.
In the context of the built-up heritage, Mr Gulyás drew attention to the fact that it is necessary to review the degree and extent of the listed status as in many cases it constitutes an obstacle to refurbishment. There are instances when the refurbishment of the back door of a village church costs several times as much as it should simply because the building is listed. In this field, too, we should resort to common sense, the Minister observed, stressing, however, that economic interests must not jeopardise our listed heritage.
Mr Gulyás said regarding the donations provided by state-owned companies for the Civil Union Forum that the organisation of the demonstration in 2012 which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people is an historic merit of the civil-society organisation. There is scope for disputing how this should be rewarded and supported, but it is useful to be aware that non-state-owned companies provide more funding for civil society than state-owned companies, he added. At the same time, civil society is diverse, and donations are likewise diverse, the Minister observed.
According to LMP group leader László Lóránt Keresztes, several public services, including the water public works, are on the verge of collapse. The funding of public transport is also uncertain, there is some HUF 3,000 billion missing from the system, he said.
Several opposition Members of Parliament said it is unfair and pathetic that Member of Parliament Bernadett Szél – who is not a member of the committee – was not given a time slot to ask the Minister questions.
In his contribution, Fidesz Member of Parliament László Vígh highlighted that local government is a success sector of the Prime Minister’s Office, and congratulated the Minister on this achievement.
The government-party majority of the Justice Committee have approved Mr Gulyás’s report.