Government office chief outlines 10-year Budapest strategy

Gergely Gulyás, the incoming government office chief, has called for the quick approval of a ten-year Budapest Strategy.

At a hearing of parliament’s justice committee on Monday, Gulyás said the adoption of the strategy was a top priority of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Referring to the state secretariat responsible for Budapest and its agglomeration, he insisted that the work of the new central unit for implementing the strategy would not in any way impinge on the municipal government’s powers. Balázs Fürjes, who will head the state secretariat, will establish its powers in coordination with the city’s mayor, István Tarlós, he said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás identified as a key task of the Prime Minister’s Office establishing coordination with the Cabinet Office and the new Government Office of the Prime Minister with a view to forming a “kind of government brain centre”.

Gulyás qualified regional administrative changes so far as a success and he promised further progress to be made in e-government.

The candidate was endorsed by seven votes of committee members. Four opposition members voted against.

Gulyás said the PM’s office would operate with six state secretaries and one government commissioner, and one of the state secretaries will also work as a government commissioner.

He said a strategic state secretariat operating within the cabinet system would have a preparatory role while acting as a parliamentary state secretariat. This unit will be headed by Balázs Orbán, he added.

Gulyás said the state secretariat for territorial administration led by Bence Tuzson would comprise not only government officials, government agencies and district offices but also public procurement officials and, for a short time, construction officials.

Two state secretaries will be responsible for the government’s European Union-related policy: Szabolcs Takács will see to strategy development while Judit Varga will be responsible for maintaining contacts with EU bodies.

The Modern Cities scheme, complemented by the Modern Villages programme, is to be headed by Alpár Gyopáros in his capacity as a government commissioner, he said.

Source: MTI