A letter addressed to the President of the European Commission requesting changes to the EU sanctions policy related to the Russian-Ukrainian war and access to the resources of the catch-up and recovery fund, which also belong to Hungarian citizens, has resulted in an unprecedented cooperation among Hungarian municipalities in the past three decades, he told the Association of County-Right Cities (MJVSZ ) president in Kaposvár, on Tuesday.
Károly Szita (Fidesz-KDNP) reported at a press conference that the statement he sent to Ursula von der Leyen a month and a half ago has so far been joined by more than 80 percent of settlements, 2,551 municipalities.
"In the past thirty years, there has not been a case that so many village leaders have stood up for, there has not been a single topic that we wanted so much together," he declared.
He stressed: the municipalities representing many millions of people see that the cause of the current trouble clearly lives and works in Brussels, the cause of the current trouble is clearly the failed Brussels sanctions policy.
In Károly Szita's opinion, it has now become clear that the policy of sanctions involving a large increase in energy costs is ruining Europe and making the lives of Europeans, including Hungarians, much more difficult.
He reminded: he drew the attention of the President of the European Commission to the fact that if the restrictions on energy are not removed from the sanctions, the countries will go into recession and cause unforeseeable malfunctions in the functioning of the settlements.
Energy costs will increase by HUF 135 billion next year in Hungary's 25 county-level cities alone, a number of public institutions and cultural facilities will be closed, municipalities are thinking about how to reduce public lighting costs, some of them don't know whether to pay wages in kindergartens or heating bills, he said.
The president of the MJVSZ emphasized: we must want peace together, this is the only way we can achieve results.
Károly Szita said: the public will be informed about developments related to the letter written to the President of the European Commission, including Ursula von der Leyen's possible response.
Source: MTI
Photo: MTI/Zsolt Czeglédi
