Fidesz lawmakers authorise PM to sign CETA

Budapest (MTI) – Lajos Kósa, the head of Fidesz’s parliamentary group, said Fidesz lawmakers on Tuesday authorised the prime minister to give Hungary’s consent to the start of talks on an EU-Canada free trade deal. Kósa said that no temporary measures would take effect under the CETA deal which would require Hungary’s authorisation.

Yesterday Marcel Szabó, the deputy ombudsman in charge of future generations, and green organisations lobbied the government not to sign the planned free trade agreement, as in their view it holds the danger of allowing the spread of GMOs, it is unclear on how disputes between investors and states can be settled and its temporary effect would be problematic.

Green opposition LMP spokesman József Gál said that by supporting CETA, the Hungarian government has once again proven that it represents the interests of multinational corporations instead of Hungarian workers and businesses. CETA will only favour companies that view Hungary as “an assembly plant,” he said. When CETA enters force, “Hungary’s autonomy will significantly decrease” because “an anti-democratic procedure for settling disputes” will enter into force that grants special rights to companies registered in Canada, he added.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI