After signing a cooperation agreement as a part of the Modern Cities Programme with the Mayor of Székesfehérvár András Cser-Palkovics on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that developments aimed at improving the quality of life are to begin in Székesfehérvár: the city centre will be expanded, a concert hall and a multifunctional sports and events centre will be built, and a housing programme will be launched.
The Prime Minister said that the recent development of the Fehér County Szent György University Hospital have recently been completed and a new investment is about to begin, the cost of which is soon to be discussed with the city leaders.
The Prime Minister highlighted that Börgönd Airport – repurchased earlier with support from the Government – will be turned into an airport for sporting and business purposes.
Viktor Orbán said that a modern secondary school education centre – where arts and sports will play a special role in addition to education – will be established in one of the city’s empty properties.
The Prime Minister said that linking Zichy Park with the city centre will be one of the developments improving quality of life. It will be realised by diverting road traffic underground in the relevant section. The Fekete Sas Hotel – which has been empty for years – will be turned into a concert hall; the planning costs of this will be taken on by the Government, he added.
According to Mr. Orbán, there is almost full employment in Székesfehérvár, thus the local economy’s biggest problem is now a lack of professional workers. Inadequate housing provision results in the lack of a suitable workforce, which is why a housing programme will be launched, he added.
He also mentioned that the city will be involved in the improvement of water tourism for Lake Velence.
Talking about the multifunctional events centre to be built in the near future, the Prime Minister said that the city has already chosen the site and it has now been agreed that the planning costs will be covered by the Government. The overall costs of the centre can only be estimated after plans have been approved, but the Government will provide HUF 500 million for the planning.
Mr. Orbán recalled that most of the developments realized from funds allocated at the 2013 special cabinet meeting have been implemented. The Székesfehérvár heating plant has been repurchased with HUF 2.55 billion of state support. The preparations for restructuring the National Memorial have started, together with the construction of the Sóstó Stadium and the rehabilitation of Sóstó. The College Department of Geoinformatics has been saved and construction of a bypass road costing HUF 14.5 billion is ongoing. The establishment of community spaces for Maroshegy are also promised, and preparations for this have already begun, while a new wing for the county hospital has been completed at a cost of HUF 8.3 billion, the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Cser-Palkovics (Fidesz) highlighted that in the course of its long history, the city has never received as much support from the state as from the government of Viktor Orbán in recent years. He added that, apart from development funds, the Government’s debt consolidation appears in the form of HUF 18 billion in support; without this the city would have had to pay billions of forints to the banks.
The funds for the Modern Cities Programme come from two sources: from the Hungarian budget for next year; and the other from EU funds allocated for the development of cities.
In answer to a question, the Prime Minister said that the issue of the death penalty will be the subject of a 10-year-long debate, but the issue of refugees must be resolved soon. If Hungary does not act in time and does not take responsibility, we will not be able to recognize our country in ten years’ time, he said; he added that the essence of the refugee situation is that if we make a mistake on this, it cannot be remedied later. He emphasised that Hungarians must take the decision: the refugee situation will not change life in Brussels, but in Hungary.
According to Mr. Orbán, press reports suggesting that he will be President in 2017 and János Lázár will take over his position as Prime Minister are absolutely groundless. He said that he “would not be able to serve the country appropriately as President: a more suitable person must represent the unity of the country”.
He added that at its next congress Fidesz will elect a party leader for two years, who will be responsible for preparing the party for the 2018 elections; he said that he would gladly undertake this task.