More people get cheap gas in Hungary

The government is enabling universities run by asset management foundations and companies owned by ethnic minority authorities to opt for fixed gas prices, rather than paying indexed prices, the energy ministry said late on Wednesday.

The fixed prices will be in place until the end of September, the ministry said.

So far, the option has been open only to state, municipality and church institutions.

Bodies originally targeted by the scheme will have to decide by Friday. The deadline for those newly included is Feb 2.

Although international gas prices are much lower now than they were last year, the market is still plagued by uncertainty, the statement said. The scheme aims to help institutions in making their utility costs more calculable, it said.