Government’s regular press briefing about Eu monies, Mezohegyes farm and EC infringement procedure

Budapest, December 10 (MTI) – More than 9,000 billion forints (EUR 28.4bn) of European Union funding has been paid out in Hungary, government office chief Janos Lazar said about the 2007-2013 EU budget period on Thursday. The government will guarantee that farmers working at the state-owned Mezohegyes stud farm will have jobs to go back to once the farm reopens after it is auctioned off, the government office chief said. Lazar said the European Commission’s new infringement procedure against Hungary over its asylum law is an act of “revenge”.

More than HUF 9 tr paid out in EU monies

Tenders have already been invited for the 2014-2020 EU budget period amounting to 3 billion forints, he told a weekly government press briefing.

The government is involved in disputes with the European Commission in connection with several projects totalling 600 billion forints. Citing a case involving blocked road construction projects, Lazar said Hungary was ready to go to court and road construction companies may in the end be held liable. Commenting on halted construction of the M4 motorway, he said the competition office will have to clarify whether the suspicion of cartel can be proven.

He confirmed that an agreement has been reached in connection with the Norway Fund NGO case. The programme will be relaunched despite earlier disputes. A total of 37-40 billion forints will be available from the Norway Fund and the accounting period will be extended. The question of who should be in charge of distributing the funds in the 2014-2020 period is still under dispute and the Hungarian government insists on being in charge, Lazar said.

Government to guarantee jobs for Mezohegyes farmers, says Lazar