Hungarian minister: Get ready for a prolonged war, gas power plants to be built in Hungary

Besides the annual opening of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, another important political event is taking place in Budapest today. The PM’s Chief of Staff, Gergely Gulyás, and the government’s spokesperson, Alexandra Szentkirályi, are holding a government briefing. Find below their most important statements.

Gergely Gulyás, Head of the PM’s Office, and Alexandra Szentkirályi, Government Spokesperson, are holding a Government Briefing titled What are the reasons behind the government’s actions?. 

1. Gulyás: Prepare for a protracted war

Gergely Gulyás said that we must prepare for a protracted war, Index reports. And, if the war lasts for a long time, the negative economic consequences will remain. The Hungarian position is clear: the government clearly condemns Russian aggression and is providing humanitarian aid, he said.

2. “The Hungarian left would drag the country into war”

The Hungarian left has learned nothing from its electoral defeat, Gulyás said. He thinks the defeat was also due to its pro-war policies last year. Gulyás spoke about inflation. He said that the impact of energy prices on the Hungarian economy and domestic inflation is higher than average. He said that the causes of inflation are war, sanctions and energy prices. There are government intentions to reduce inflation. They want inflation to be in single digits by the end of the year.

3. Gulyás: The child protection debate must be fought at European level

On the subject of child protection, the minister said that Minister Judit Varga had submitted a counter-appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union in the infringement proceedings initiated against the Hungarian Child Protection Act.

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The Government is convinced that this debate needs to be fought in the European arena. It believes that the Child Protection Act is necessary, and that it is important that it is enforced and defended in international debates.

4. Consultations with teachers’ organisations are ongoing

Gulyás said that in January the increase was 10 percent, and for another two years teachers’ salaries would be raised to 80 percent of the average salary of graduates. However, this would require that the opposition does not stand in the way of this at the European Commission and that we get the EU funds needed for the pay rise, he added.

5. The government pays the back wages at Dunaferr

On Dunaferr, the minister said that it was a complicated legal case, and the government was trying to protect the company. He promised that everyone would get their salaries. He asked the Dunaújváros municipality if it could not help, at least not to make things difficult for the government.