Hungarian farm minister: environmental conditions in Hungary significantly improved

Budapest, June 29 (MTI) – Hungary’s environmental conditions improved significantly in recent years as a result of targeted efforts in environmental protection and agriculture, and modern and efficient policies for industrial site management, the farm minister said on Wednesday.

After talks with a delegation of the European Environment Agency (EEA), Sándor Fazekas told a press conference that between 2005 and 2010, Hungary achieved the highest increase in the efficient utilisation of resources next to Ireland, Spain and Slovenia.

Waste per capita decreased by nearly 50 kg and recycling increased from 2 percent to 30 percent in 10 years, he said. Air pollution has been dramatically reduced, with a 51 percent cut in nitrogen oxides emission and 36.5 percent cut in carbon dioxide emission since 1990, he added.

He said sustainable development was a highlighted topic at the talks with the EEA delegation and a joint conference will be organised by the farm ministry and the EEA on progress towards sustainability. A great part of environmental challenges can be best managed with the help of close cooperation between countries, he added.

He said the issue of Hungary staying GMO free was also discussed at the meeting. A total of 11 European Union member states have joined a movement for GMO-free Europe run by Hungary and 7 non-EU states have also expressed their support, he added.