Hungarian Atomic Energy Office independent from 2022?

Illustration: Pixabay / distelAPPArath

The government has submitted a bill to parliament that would make the National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) independent of the executive branch from 2022, an official of the innovation and technology ministry told the daily Magyar Nemzet on Saturday.

The OAH’s reorganisation would create a strong authority free of outside influence, state secretary Tamás Schanda said.

Explaining the reason for the planned change, Schanda said Brussels had often questioned the adequacy of the OAH being under government control, emphasising the need for the office to operate independently.

Under the bill, the OAH, as an independent regulatory body, would obtain an independent legal status and would be overseen by parliament, Schanda said.

The change will give the OAH the highest degree of independence, as warranted by its functions, the state secretary said.

It will also have greater organisational, regulatory and budgetary autonomy, “dispelling doubts over the body’s independence once and for all”, he added.