Hungarian minister: We are a sovereign country, we invite whoever we want to the state ceremony

Why were EU leaders not invited to the 20 August celebrations? Is there a shortage in teachers? Who bought the Hungarian left? Today’s Cabinet Briefing.

Why were EU leaders not invited to the 20 August celebrations? – Gergely Gulyás was asked. “We are a sovereign country, we invite whoever we want”, he said, noting that former Austrian and Czech leaders were also present. The state holiday was mainly attended by leaders of Central Asian countries, rtl.hu reports.

No teacher shortage, says minister

According to Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, there is no shortage of teachers in the country, because there are far fewer students in educational institutions, and the number of teachers has decreased only slightly.

20 August celebrations successfully completed

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, on Thursday welcomed the successful completion of celebrations marking Hungary’s 20 August national holiday.

Speaking at his regular press briefing, Gulyás said the government had arranged for “the most spectacular light and fireworks show of all time”, which attracted a record number of spectators on site and public television viewers.

Meanwhile, Gulyás highlighted the World Athletics Championships now under way in Budapest, saying “Budapest is able to arrange for major events and is an excellent host to those programmes”.

Gulyás: Inflation could fall into single digits by Oct-Nov

Despite the current difficulties, Hungary’s government is able to deliver on its commitment to push inflation into the single digits by the end of the year, and there is a good chance that this could happen by November or even October, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

The government has achieved its most important economic policy goal of protecting jobs in the wartime situation, and Hungary is battling a labour shortage rather than unemployment, Gergely Gulyás told a regular government press briefing. Interest rates are also falling, Gulyás said, underlining the importance of returning to an interest rate environment that promotes lending and investment.

The government wants to ensure that wage growth continues to outpace inflation, he said, adding that there was a good chance to achieve real wage growth this year.

Gulyás: Hungary proposes extension of import ban on Ukrainian grain

The Hungarian government proposes that the European Union should extend its ban on grain imports from Ukraine beyond 15 September, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Should the EU reject the proposal, Hungary will introduce the same measures it applied earlier similarly to Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, Gulyás said.

He said he hoped the EU would find a solution, adding that “destroying the agriculture of countries bordering Ukraine is no solidarity.” Gulyás noted that Europe’s introduction of a “solidarity corridor” for Ukrainian grain imports had resulted in those imports increasing to a monthly 250,000 tonnes in 2023, from an annual 40,000-50,000 tonnes before the war.

“The problem is that the EU’s rules forced Ukraine’s neighbours only to exercise solidarity rather than the whole of the community,” he argued. Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia therefore decided to “close their borders to Ukrainian grain” Gulyás said.

Who bought the Hungarian left?

According to Gergely Gulyás, we will finally find out who was able to buy the Hungarian left. According to an article in Átlátszó, the municipality of the capital has received USD 3 million from Soros foundations for epidemic management. According to Gergely Gulyás, the goal is good, but the office led by Gergely Karácsony failed to properly account for the money.

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