At a press conference held in Budapest, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office described next year’s budget as a budget of families.
Gergely Gulyás stressed that in the 2020 fiscal year grants to be provided for families will increase most. Since 2010, the government has doubled the amount allocated for the purposes of supporting families; it is currently the highest in Europe, and in next year’s budget more than HUF 2,200 billion will be available for helping families, he said.
He added that the government will decide on motions regarding the adjustment of the budget on Wednesday.
The Minister also said that while in the Hungarian economy nothing as yet indicates the slowing down of European and global growth, they have adopted the economy protection action plan in order to maintain the expansion of the Hungarian economy at a similar rate, and to ensure that it is at all times minimum 2 per cent above the average of the European Union.
He confirmed that also this year they are expecting a growth rate above 4 per cent, the sovereign debt will further decrease, and they are planning with a 1 per cent budget deficit. He said the growth of the economy has firm foundations.
Regarding both the strategy of the European Union in the next five years and the issue of its leaders, the EU must adopt decisions which divert it from the path of failure to that of success, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Concerning the strategy, Mr Gulyás highlighted that Hungary has made it clear that Member States must be given ample freedom in their economic policies, and that the EU should clearly state that there is a dominant culture, and that is Christian culture. It is important that the EU protect persecuted Christian communities, and in this respect, too, Hungary seeks to lead the way by setting an example, he added.
He said it is also important that during the next five-year period the EU should open up the prospect of accession to the countries of the Western Balkans region because several countries have done a great deal to accelerate the progress of EU accession talks; however, it seems that the EU is not ready to admit new Member States.
The Minister highlighted that climate strategy will also be on the agenda of the EU summit, and in this department Hungary can boast exemplary results. The Visegrád countries (V4: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia) will adopt a common position also regarding this issue, and to this end the prime ministers will conduct consultations before the summit, he added.
He observed that today it is impossible to meet the Paris climate targets without nuclear energy.
In the context of the prospective leaders of the EU, he stressed that the Visegrád countries have already come to an understanding and will represent a common position at the EU summit starting on Thursday. All Visegrád countries agree that they do not support the Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) system, and they likewise do not support Manfred Weber for the position of head of the European Commission, he said.
According to the Minister, the Spitzenkandidat system is contrary to the Treaty of Lisbon and community law; it is wrong to hand over this important decision to the party families. At the same time, Manfred Weber made it clear that he will not require the support of the party which received the highest number of votes from the Hungarian people in the European parliamentary (EP) elections, he recalled. He added that the EU needs a leader who did not attack any of the Member States in recent years.
Mr Gulyás highlighted that while the V4 do not have specific candidates for the leadership of EU institutions, they find several candidates acceptable. It is important that the institutions of the EU should be led by people who have extensive leadership experience and do not engage in open conflicts with any of the Member States, he explained.
In answer to a question, he said European Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier is one of the candidates they would be able to support.
He also said it is only worthwhile for Fidesz to stay within the European People’s Party (EPP) as long as it believes that it is able to help the party family. It is not Fidesz that needs help, but the EPP; the results achieved by Fidesz and the EPP in the latest EP elections clearly testify to this. Fidesz would be happy if it were able to share its experience with the People’s Party in order for it to turn into a party family that is able to preserve its own values and to have clear views regarding the future, he pointed out.
Mr Gulyás informed the press that the government would make available additional funding without an upper limit for the purposes of mosquito control as the extent of the mosquito invasion is alarming in a number of settlements. Therefore, in the coming weeks there will be more mosquito spraying throughout the country than ever before.
The Minister referred to the incident in the Úzvölgy military cemetery as intolerable and unacceptable, stressing that they expect the Romanian authorities to guarantee the peace and security of cemeteries in the future. At the same time, it is not a failure of Hungarian diplomacy that while the Hungarian Foreign Minister summoned the Romanian Ambassador to Budapest, he did not present himself at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It testifies more to the lack of manners on the part of another country.
Regarding the case of Nikola Gruevski, Mr Gulyás said they are not engaged in any contractual relationship with the former Macedonian prime minister; he is only helped by the authorities to the same extent as they would assist any other similar person in refugee status. He said he has no information on any change in the refugee status granted by the authorities, and it is for the court to decide on the extradition request.
In answer to a question concerning the fact that a number of financial institutions have not yet carried out the necessary customer identification, the Minister said that if there is a need for the extension of the deadline, the government expects banks to initiate it. This would require the amendment of the relevant decree, he added.
In the context of a question regarding the Western section of the M0 motorway, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said the national infrastructure company Nemzeti Infrastruktúra-fejlesztő Zrt. published a plan without a political decision, and as such it has no legal foundations. There is no decision on the route of the completion of the M0, he stated.
Regarding the remuneration of health care workers, the Minister drew attention to the fact that they had brought forward the 8 per cent pay rise stipulated in an agreement concluded with health care specialists from 1 November to 1 July, and that in the next three years there would be a further 64 per cent rise.
In answer to a question, the Minister pointed out that he is unable to promise that there will be a single-digit personal income tax during this term of government.
The politician said in response to a statement made by Klára Dobrev – who obtained an EP mandate on DK’s list – praising departing MEP Judith Sargentini that DK is the most extremist party in Hungarian politics, and Klára Dobrev’s statement, too, testifies to this extremism.
Regarding the fact that as part of the collection of signatures by independent Member of Parliament Ákos Hadházy the details of Hungarian citizens may have been accessed by foreigners, Mr Gulyás said they will ask the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information to conduct as thorough an investigation in the case as possible.
In response to the promise made by independent candidate for Mayor of Budapest Olga Kálmán – who is nonetheless supported by DK – that she would make public transport in Budapest free for those under the age of 18, the Minister said Olga Kálmán is only one step away from MSZP’s Csaba Horváth who promised completely free public transport for everyone. He said the opposition’s search for a candidate for Mayor of Budapest reminds him of a wreck race.
He also pointed out that incumbent Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós is able to achieve the most with the government currently in office, and candidates who see an opportunity for fighting the government in the leadership of Budapest would surely be able to achieve less than István Tarlós.
In answer to a question concerning education, he said the government continues to maintain the goal that the new National Curriculum should be introduced on 1 September 2020.
He further informed members of the press that the extension of the administration of the anti-HPV vaccine to seventh-form boys will start as early as this year.
In answer to another question, Mr Gulyás said he believes that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior can realistically move to the Castle District by the end of the government’s term.
He said replying to a further question that it is possible that this year’s inflation will be higher than the planned 2.7 per cent.
Regarding the leaked audio recordings made during talks about the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he said the government had agreed with the Academy that research institutes would remain within the institution; however, “the President failed to adhere to” the agreement, or “failed to obtain a majority for it,” and therefore this is no longer featured in the relevant legislation. The Minister found it objectionable that such audio recordings could be leaked. The research network has performed a public duty also to date, and this will not change in the future either. At the same time, the representation of academia in the management of research will be guaranteed also in the future, he said.
In response to reports that a proposal would be submitted for collecting the details of festival visitors, Mr Gulyás said the organisers of major events contacted the government, and they are now meeting their request in order to organise events of this nature with maximum security.
In answer to the question about what they can do about Wizz Air’s cancelled Wednesday Brussels-Budapest flight, he said that they will institute a consumer protection procedure, and as part of this they will propose to the authorities the imposition of the most stringent possible fine as they have done in similar cases in the past.
He also said that the mandate of Justice Minister László Trócsányi will expire on 30 June, and the Prime Minister will decide who will be his successor “from among many excellent candidates”.
Regarding the fact that the government windows at the Western and Eastern Railway Stations have closed down, he said that while there are indeed staff problems, the reason for the closure of the above-mentioned government windows is that in the summer – when there is less administration – the air-conditioning and heating systems will be refurbished.
In response to reports that Mayor of Kaposvár Károly Szita was allegedly an informer of the authorities during communism, the Minister said he has not seen any documents that support that Károly Szita harmed anyone with his reports.