Gergely Gulyás, the minister in charge of the Prime Minister's Office, and Alexandra Szentkirályi, government spokesperson, held a Government Information from 12:00 p.m., in which they gave information about the government's meeting on Wednesday, and then answered the journalists' questions.
Gulyás pointed out that the root cause of the forint exchange rate fluctuation is the war and the responses to it, adding that the whole of Europe is suffering from the effects of the sanctions. The minister stated: despite all market nervousness, the fundamentals of the Hungarian economy are particularly strong. The latest industrial production data show a 9.4 percent increase, full employment has been achieved, and budget revenues are significantly higher than expected.
Gulyás also said that the negotiations on the restoration fund have progressed , the government has sent out its further proposals in order to reach an agreement.
The government accepted the position of the committee in four important areas:
even in national public procurements, the proportion of single-bid public procurements will be below 15 percent,
the court can decide on further steps in the case of corruption cases, if the prosecution closes it,
Hungary must use part of the EU funds to achieve energy independence,
the EU funds received as loans must be used to achieve energy independence
Gergely Gulyás stated that the government's goal is to accept the proposals of the European Commission and come to an agreement as quickly as possible. In the meantime, however, the representatives of the Hungarian left are intensively lobbying to prevent the agreement - the politician noted, mentioning that the EP's decision on Wednesday is proof of this.
Gulyás also spoke about the fact that an agreement on the recovery fund is expected to be reached in the fall. The biggest obstacle is the EP, where the Hungarian left does everything to prevent it from getting the appropriate resources. The EP is taking steps that seriously harm European cooperation, the minister said.
The government would extend the operating hours of Paks1
Gulyás said that the government is taking the initiative to extend the operating time of Paks1, and that domestic gas production will be increased to at least two billion cubic meters per year, and the 3 gigawatt solar power plant capacity will be expanded to 6 gigawatts.
In response to a question, Gulyás said that the height of the gas price affects the forint exchange rate the most, so it can be stabilized by achieving as much gas independence as possible. The government maintains the budget deficit, he added.
The Ministry of the Interior is hiring 4,000 border guards
110,000 people had to be detained at the border this year , compared to 47,000 last year Last year, 431 human traffickers were caught, while this year, 836 human traffickers were caught. Border hunter units will be created within the Ministry of the Interior, there will be roughly 4,000 border hunters - the minister announced, according to whom 2,200 border hunters will be hired in the first round, which will relieve the military, and the cost of employing border hunters will be provided from the national defense fund. Border hunters must be prepared to deal with acts of violence. The shortage of grain, which threatens to lead to famine, will affect those countries that are responsible for migration. They decided on the 4,000-person border guard squad because this number of people is sufficient, including soldiers and policemen, but it can be expanded if necessary.
The left is always against utility cuts
The minister emphasized: the left has always taken a stand against utility reduction, while the government believes that everything must be done to support families. Hungary has no financing difficulties, so there is no need to expect miracles from a possible EU agreement, Gulyás said in response to another question. The agreement on the RFF was delayed due to the adoption of the Family Protection Act in 2021, the minister said.
A four-day series of programs awaits the celebrants of August 20
Government spokesperson Alexandra Szentkirályi announced that there will be fireworks on August 20, and not only fireworks, but also a four-day series of programs at 20 locations. It will be a 32-minute fireworks show, visible over 4.3 kilometers.
The government is not preparing for any nationalization in the case of water providers , Gergely Gulyás said in response to a question. Several municipalities would, for lack of a better option, hand over their water supply companies due to the increased costs. For now, there are only inquiries.
According to the head of the ministry, there is no need for protective measures due to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases, as the increase is minimal.
The government is pushing for family and household protection, while others are pushing for sanctions
In the current situation, the government is in favor of family and utility protection, and others are still thinking about more sanctions, Gulyás said in response to another question. We want to bring Europe back to the ground of common sense, but since we are small, we don't have much of a chance to do that , and that's why we focus on maintaining employment and utilities locally, the minister underlined.
Gulyás stated that we are now trying to protect what we have achieved. Of course, the government's goal is to raise salaries, but the current international situation must be taken into account.
He emphasized: the filling of the gas storage tanks is continuous, currently the filling rate is 35 percent. The government is not afraid of the EU introducing a gas embargo, the German fear of not getting enough gas is much greater.
He pointed out: inflation is the lowest in Hungary among the Visegrad four.
In response to a question, the head of the ministry said: car chases are taking place in Budapest, and those who get into the car are considered criminals by the capital's administration.
Source and cover image: Magyar Hírlap
