Hungarian government: Common border protection must be supported

At Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office press conference in Budapest – rendering an account of the proceedings of the Wednesday cabinet meeting – Gergely Gulyás said that common border protection must be supported.

Mr Gulyás said that due to Brexit there will be reduced funds available. He added that, in Hungary’s view, a fair budget is needed, a budget which distributes the emerging losses among Member States in a fair and proportionate manner.

He further pointed out that migration falls within the competence of the Member States, and therefore a budget which takes funds away from European citizens and gives them to migrants is not acceptable. He added that the budget must support the continent’s common border protection efforts, and Hungary maintains that

the EU should reimburse a part of the expenditures it incurred in connection with the protection of its borders.

Money should be saved on Brussels bureaucracy above all, he stated, with reference to the fact that the European Commission itself shared this view earlier.

The Minister said it is also unacceptable that in actual fact the draft consists of two budgets as there are separate development funds allocated to members of the Eurozone. He said it is likewise unacceptable that Member States would only be allowed to retain 10 per cent of their customs revenues instead of 20 per cent.

Mr Gulyás took the view that the proposal clearly demonstrates the legitimacy of the Hungarian government’s criticism to the effect that the European Commission has a flawed view on its role. He added that the Commission must serve as a guardian of the Treaties, and its duties are laid down in the Treaties. The fact that the Commission looks upon itself as a political body has already caused a great deal of harm as it is, he stressed.

In his view, the proposed budget is a political proposal which does not serve the interests of the whole of the European community, and contains a concealed amendment to the Treaties. He believes that the fact that the drawdown of budgetary funds would be rendered dependent on criteria regarding the rule of law constitutes an amendment to the Treaties.

The politician said it is also unacceptable that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) should be used as a means of political blackmail. Fifty-two per cent of OLAF procedures affect the very Member States which do not wish to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, he said.

Mr Gulyás stressed that the Hungarian government is open to a swift agreement on the budget, and believes that a fair compromise hurts everyone equally. He said that from now on the government will hold a meeting focusing on EU issues every month.

Budget of safe growth

He spoke about the budget submitted to Parliament on Wednesday which he described as a budget of safe growth. Among the goals of next year’s budget – in addition to security – he mentioned growth, family support and full employment. He added that the country’s growth prospects are very good as economic expansion has not been this promising in Hungary for some 15 years.

In his view, full employment appears to be an achievable goal, against the background of the current 3.8 per cent unemployment rate. He observed that, according to the science of economics, a 3 per cent unemployment rate practically means full employment, but the government believes that the attainment of a 2.5 per cent unemployment rate is also realistic.

Among the priority plans of the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Gulyás mentioned the Modern Villages and Modern Cities Programmes – an allocation of HUF 150 billion will be available for the latter –, the development of Budapest and its environs, and the coordination of suburban transport.

In answer to a question regarding the Modern Villages Programme, he said that the concept is expected to be completed by the autumn, and they will then assign the required funds to the programme through the amendment of the Budget Act.

Regarding the amendment of the Fundamental Law, he said that the protection of Hungarian culture – as a Christian culture – is a constitutional duty of the state also today. In answer to another question he added that no one should feel excluded from Christian culture just because they are not a member of a Christian denomination.

In answer to another question asserting that HUF 150 billion would be withdrawn from Hungary due to irregular EU calls for proposals, Mr Gulyás said that today the conditions of an unbiased audit on OLAF’s part do not exist in the case of Hungary. He indicated at the same time that he would investigate each case in dispute.

He said they will have talks with the owner regarding the purchase of the painting Calvary by Mihály Munkácsy. In his view, the Hungarian state’s offer of HUF 3 billion appears to be a reasonable starting point.

He also said that since 1998 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had attended every World Cup final, and if that is the case on the present occasion as well it is hardly conceivable that he should not meet with the Russian head of state.

He said it is to be hoped that the pay of civil servants will increase by more than 10 to 15 per cent next year.

Regarding the grants provided for the Red Bull air race in Budapest, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said that a tax revenue of HUF 5 billion – well in excess of the grants provided for the event – is expected to be raised, and if the entire tourism sector is also included in these calculations, the budget may raise a total revenue of some HUF 20 billion.

European Commission’s official proposal continues to feature a mandatory mechanism without an upper limit

According to the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary has good chances in the struggle against the mandatory quotas.

Mr Gulyás said at his Thursday press conference held in Budapest that migration will be one of the priority topics of the meeting of the European Council scheduled for 28-29 June, and in this respect there was an important development last week when the proposal of the Bulgarian Presidency was discussed in the Council of home ministers. At this point in time, 16 Member States do not support this draft, while 5 Member States indicated their unconditional support for the proposal, the Minister said.