Local elections – Oppsition candidate: EU to boost direct funding for localities

The new European Commission assuming office in November plans to increase direct funding for towns and villages, distributed not on a political basis but on the quality of their programmes, opposition mayoral candidate for Budapest Gergely Karácsony said on Thursday after meeting European Union officials.

Karácsony said he had met Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president-designate of the EC in charge of climate protection, and assured him that after the local elections Budapest would boost its role in the fight against climate change.

He said he had also met Nicolas Schmit, the commissioner designate for job creation, President of the European Committee of the Regions Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Party of European Socialists Sergei Stanishev, leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Iratxe Garcia Perez, and the secretary general of Eurocities.

Fidesz MEP Tamaás Deutsch said in Brussels that Karácsony was “completely unfit” for the job as, ten days before the elections, he was lobbying to ensure that EU development funds for Hungary were kept to a minimum, and this would make all Hungarians worse off.

Deutsch told Hungarian journalists that Karácsony was in Brussels “meeting pro-migration politicians” just before the election rather than meeting Budapest residents.

He said a candidate who met Timmermans, “one of the leaders of the left-wing pro-migration forces”, proved that Karácsony was vying for the post of Budapest mayor but to lead European and Hungarian pro-migration political forces.

Source: MTI