Hungarian opposition proposes environmental damage control fund

The opposition Párbeszéd – Greens is proposing to create a fund to prevent environmental and industrial damage, Benedek Jávor said on Thursday.

Jávor, who heads the party’s list for next year’s European parliamentary elections, pointed to a mudslide in Recsk, in north-east Hungary, in June, where some 50 people had to be evacuated due to damage to some 24 houses. The disaster had been a result of negligence, he said.

Jávor insisted that the company responsible, which he said was connected to Fidesz lawmaker Lajos Kosa, had rejected victims’ claims for compensation. The 500 million forints (EUR 1.3m) the government had earmarked for their aid has yet to arrive, he said, adding there were no plans to restore the environmental damage.

Párbeszéd is now proposing to set up a fund that could cover the costs of environmental damage control and compensation quickly and effectively, he said.

The proposal would also obligate companies to conclude liability insurance contracts and financial guarantees for dangerous operations that would adequately cover possible costs, he said.

“The environmental security of Hungarians is our priority, and we can’t subjugate that to the interests of entrepreneurs with links to Fidesz,” Jávor said. “The proliferation of cases shows we can’t wait any longer.”

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Source: MTI