Government abuses ‘priority investment’ legal category? – UPDATED

The introduction of a legal category for priority investment in the national economy has been harmful because the government has been abusing it, an opposition LMP national board member said on Friday.

Mária Szendefy told a press conference that the legal regulation enabling projects to be classified as priority investment should be void. In its current form it did not serve the public interest, she said, adding a new law could be introduced to achieve the intended goal.

Szendefy said the supreme court Curia had recently approved LMP’s initiative for an referendum to be held on withdrawing the law introducing the category of priority investment in the national economy. If the constitutional court does not prevent it, the collection of signatures necessary for holding a referendum could be started within weeks, she added.

In her criticism of the law, she cited a tourism development project near Lake Fertő as an example. The government declared it a priority investment in 2018 and even though the “mad plan” could not be fully implemented as a result of financial constraints, the locals could not use the lakeshore for years, “the natural habitat was practically destroyed on an area of nearly sixty hectares”, and many of the iconic hay-roofed huts were destroyed, she said.

It was only recently revealed that the local government office had issued its environmental permit for the original plan, and so it is currently not known what exactly will come out of the project, she added.

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UPDATE: LMP calls for abolition of law on priority investments