Hungarian government buys a EUR 200,000 luxury piano for a luxury building in Brussels

Responding to a question on reports that a concert piano designed by Hungarian pianist Gergely Bogányi would be purchased for HUF 80 million (EUR 209,450) and exhibited at the headquarters of the Hungarian EU presidency in Brussels, Zoltan Kovacs, the government commissioner responsible for the preparations, said that the government had a duty to support cultural innovation. A Bogányi piano would greatly help the success of the Hungarian presidency, he added.

Gulyás said the prospect of Hungary losing the right to take over the presidency in the second half of 2024 “is not realistic”.

“Nowadays the most corrupt European institution, the European Parliament, is one to talk about corruption prevention and it judges member states, while the gravest corruption cases of the most repulsive and most spectacular kind are connected to MEPs,” he said.

Regarding Hungary’s support of Sweden joining NATO, Gulyás said parliament would approve its accession this year should two-thirds of Hungarian lawmakers support the proposal. Asked whether the Hungarian or Turkish parliament would be the first to adopt it, Gulyás said: “We have said we wouldn’t be the ones to hinder Sweden’s accession to NATO.”

Gulyás said Hungary continued to expect answers from Sweden on “why they would want to become our allies in another alliance if they continue to be hostile to us in the EU“.

On the topic of the extraordinary session initiated by the opposition for Monday, he said the parliamentary group of ruling Fidesz would stay away from the session. “There is currently no reason to hold an extraordinary session,” he added.

Gulyás rejected press reports that Sándor Pintér would be replaced as interior minister from September as “untrue and utterly unfounded”. The government was set up for a four-year term, and changes are always connected to developments such as the resignation of Justice Minister Judit Varga from Aug. 1, who is slated head Fidesz’s list for the European parliamentary elections next year.