There is great pressure regarding the issue of the mandatory distribution of illegal immigrants within the EU, and while the Central-European position is clear, Germany would like to achieve a breakthrough at the next meeting of the European Council, János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said at the press conference Governmentinfo 74 which he held jointly with Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács.
Mr Lázár reiterated at his Wednesday press conference held in Budapest during the break of the cabinet meeting that there are two competing positions on the issue: one of them is based on the principle of the voluntary distribution of illegal migrants, while the other is based on mandatory distribution.
According to the Hungarian position, the mandatory quotas are out of the question, as migration should not be organised, but stopped, and the relevant proceedings should not be conducted within the territory of the EU, but outside its borders, he confirmed. He added: solidarity must be adjusted to the specificities of each nation state, and external border controls must be reinforced. Hungary is opposed to the installation of internal border control points within the territory of the Schengen Area, such as those that operate on the Austrian border.
Hungary has no right to say yes to mandatory distribution
The Minister took the view that Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will face a major struggle in the next 48 hours. However, our hands are tied both by the referendum and the decisions of the Constitutional Court: Hungary has no right to say yes to an EU proposal which would force mandatory distribution upon the country. As he said, Brussels wants to make a definitive decision on the mandatory quotas which „are alive and well, and try to prevail everywhere”. It may well be that on Thursday certain European great powers, including Germany, would like to achieve a victory over those who are much smaller than themselves, the Minister said.
He told the press that item No. 3 on the agenda, that is, the Dublin reform is about whether there will be mandatory quotas or not. In his view, a unanimous decision is required on this issue, but even before they tried to adopt rules with a view to the enforcement of the quotas with simple-majority decisions.
As a chief item on the agenda of the Council’s meeting, he mentioned the agreement between the EU and Turkey which has been, in his evaluation, partially successful as the number of migrants heading from Turkey for Greece has decreased, as has the number of those who died at sea. The EU has a vested interest in a fair agreement with Turkey, he said.
He pointed out: it is important that the European Council is ready to authorise the EU to enter into partnership agreements with third countries. These agreements provide help for the Western Balkans countries, while they are absolutely key for Italy. The possibility of redirecting illegal immigrants to North Africa may emerge in these agreements which fundamentally favours the Hungarian position, Mr Lázár said, adding that this may create a precedent for keeping immigration under control and conducting the entry examinations outside the borders.
Government to settle hospitals’ debts overdue by more than 30 days
The agenda of the cabinet meeting featured this year’s financial closing, and as part of this, the Cabinet decided on the fate of a sum in excess of HUF 200 billion, the Minister told the press. He said that from this sum, they will provide HUF 80 billion for hospitals for the settlement of their outstanding bills and the establishment of a development fund. At the same time, in the context of debt settlement, he drew attention to the fact that they will enter into grant agreements with the hospitals, and those which incur high debts will be scrutinised by the Government Control Office – all their bills will be inspected.
Mr Lázár further reported that the single most significant item of this sum of more than HUF 200 billion is next year’s pension increase, but funds will also be allocated for the refurbishment of schools and social institutions, for cultural and sports purposes, as well as for the procurement of military transportation vehicles.
The Minister informed the press about several other decisions of the Cabinet. He announced that, based on the Government’s decision, the pay of social workers employed in health care positions will be raised to the health care pay level. There will also be a pay rise in the public works schemes, but consultations regarding this pay rise are currently ongoing between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry for National Economy, he added, also informing the press that the Ministry for National Economy will provide the necessary funds for the minimum wage increase and the increase of the guaranteed wage minimum for public sector workers.
He further told the press that the Károli Gáspár Reformed Church University will receive priority excess funding: the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace in Budapest, which will function as the University’s central building, will be refurbished as part of a project worth HUF 12 billion. The relevant public procurement procedure will be announced in the spring of 2017.
Mr Lázár also rendered an account of the implementation of a national shooting range development programme, as well as of the fact that construction activities will be further simplified by virtue of the circumstance that not only construction works, but extension projects will likewise not be subject to planning permission. These projects will only be subject to reporting.
The Government will additionally identify further priority tourism regions which will include the Tokaj, Upper Tisza and Nyírség regions.
The economic cabinet decided on providing grants for the construction of factories, the approval of a priority bicycle path development programme, and state aid worth HUF 1.3 billion to be granted to the Tokaj-Hegyalja region for the purchase of grapes, Mr Lázár listed.
He said: in addition to the results of the PISA survey, in January the Government will also review the data released by the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regarding the state of Hungarian health care. Regional differences must be examined because both in education and in health care, the relevant sector-specific performance is poorer in the disadvantaged regions, he explained.
He added that the Cabinet will also review the debate on the cancellation of daylight saving time. The Government’s professional apparatus does not support the cancellation of daylight saving time, but this does not mean that the Cabinet itself has a firm position on the matter, he said, adding that this issue cannot be discussed on its merits without a social consultation.
There will be pay rises in public works schemes and for health care workers working in the social sector
Based on the Government’s decision, the pay of social workers employed in health care positions will be raised to the health care pay level, the Minister told the press, who also rendered an account of the government decision, based on which there will also be a pay rise in the public works scheme, but consultations regarding this pay rise are still currently ongoing.
Mr Lázár further informed the press about several other decisions of the Cabinet, including the decision that the Károli Gáspár Reformed Church University will receive priority excess funding as the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace in Budapest, which will function as the University’s central building, will be refurbished as part of a project worth HUF 12 billion.
Prime Minister expected to visit Szeged in January
Mr Lázár also told the press that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will pay a visit to Szeged in mid-January as expected, in order to hold talks with MSZP Mayor László Botka regarding the Modern Cities Programme. According to plans, a 200-hectare new industrial park will be built in the county seat, and State Secretary for Education László Palkovics will oversee the project in the capacity of government commissioner. The Government has also approved the construction of a new Tisza bridge and a new swimming complex in the city, he added.
In answer to a question, the Minister said that the Government is ready to review fuel prices in the context of the world market prices of oil more frequently than quarterly.
In answer to another question, he said: they are reckoning with a deficit in excess of 2 per cent for this year. He remarked at the same time that they will, as expected, adjust next year’s prospects for growth – upwards –, but he is cautious, primarily on account of the data of the vehicle industry. According to his summary, for a real boost, we need a long-term 4 to 5 per cent expansion, rather than a 2 per cent growth rate.
He was also asked about the fact that, according to press reports, US soldiers may come to Hungary as part of a larger regrouping. He said in reply that the Government has no information about any such scheme, and this issue is not on the agenda. He added: this would be subject to the agreement of Parliament. The Government is in favour of reinforcing the Hungarian army, „we would not like to station a foreign army in the territory of Hungary”, he said. Mr Lázár pointed out: if such a request is received from within NATO, the Government always fairly assesses the fact that it has obligations within this system of alliance, and honours those obligations.
Mr Lázár was further asked about press reports to the effect that Jobbik and the left have been monitoring popular reactions to their possible cooperation in the Szentendre by-election. According to his reply, there is nothing new about this, they have united their forces against the Government in the past year as well. In his evaluation, on the issue of the Fundamental Law, Jobbik diverged from the path which many had previously seen as trustworthy, and „this clearly indicates that a country cannot be entrusted to them” because party interests are more important than the interests of the country.
Regarding the schedule of the period to come, he said: the Prime Minister will have to honour an engagement abroad on Monday, while on Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be a Fidesz leadership meeting where the main topic will be the preparations for the year 2017. As expected, the Government will hold its first official meeting next year on 11 January.
Regarding the statistics of the Cabinet’s work this year, he highlighted: the Government had 34 sessions and discussed 788 proposals. They submitted 148 bills and legislative proposals to Parliament, and adopted 412 decrees and 1,752 resolutions.