The Hungarian government supports all EU proposals that lead to a decrease in energy prices, but does not support those that destroy the security of supply, the minister in charge of the Prime Minister's Office stated in Kossuth radio's Sunday Newspaper program.
Speaking about the results of the EU summit held this week, Gergely Gulyás emphasized that it would have been disadvantageous for Hungary if the European Union had introduced sanctions and an embargo on gas, as well as adopted gas pricing that jeopardizes long-term gas contracts. In the case of Hungary, this would mean that the Russians would cancel the previously concluded contract and the country's gas supply would be in jeopardy from then on, he added.
In essence, the committee had proposals that did not reduce prices, but rather extended the sanctions to gas, which clearly and surely means that families and businesses in Hungary do not get enough gas, the minister said, adding that this was prevented, regulations on long-term gas agreements not introduced by the European Union.
"In our opinion, the decisions of the EU summit are based on a rational basis, and we were able to protect the situation that was important, and we can also take part in what is beneficial"
– evaluated Gergely Gulyás.
He believed that Europe is not able to supply itself with gas, so it is not in a position to dictate prices, although it is self-sufficient in the case of electricity, but in this segment as well, for the time being, the gas market determines the prices on the electricity market. It doesn't solve the problems, but it might be a good idea to use renewable energy, which can be produced cheaper today, it can alleviate our problems and lower the price of electricity in particular, he said.
Regarding the idea of joint EU gas purchases, Gergely Gulyás believed that
the Hungarian government insists that it is not mandatory to participate in any procurement.
As long as such a mechanism and procedure is not a joint action, but voluntary and we can freely decide on joining from time to time, this is also in line with our interests, the minister said.
Commenting on the economic measures announced at Saturday's government briefing, the minister said that by extending the interest rate freeze to loans from small and medium-sized enterprises, extending the Széchenyi card credit program and announcing the factory rescue program, the government's aim is to ensure that the Hungarian economy suffers the smallest possible losses in the current situation .
The goal is for businesses to be able to pay their loans and not go bankrupt, in the case of the industrial rescue package, to help businesses contract for the purchase of gas, without which mass unemployment can develop, and this is the most important thing to avoid in this situation, he added.
Gergely Gulyás answered the question about the Russian-American negotiations that appeared in the press, saying that the Hungarian government welcomes the news of the negotiations, and that it is very important to have a dialogue that leads to peace negotiations and peace.
It is crucial that there is a dialogue and that this dialogue takes shape as soon as possible in the form of peace negotiations, the minister noted.
MTI
Photo: MTI/Noémi Bruzák
