Opposition parties call for halting Paks project – UPDATE

Budapest, November 23 (MTI) – The green opposition LMP on Monday demanded that the government should stop all preparations for the expansion of the Paks nuclear power station until the related European Union procedures are concluded.

Fidesz said in a statement that Paks is the cheapest source of electricity for Hungary and “the nuclear power station’s development is unavoidable for the Hungarian public and industry to receive cheap electricity sustainably.” The lifespan of the currently operating blocks of the block will come to an end, and without the expansion, Hungary and the Hungarian people will become vulnerable which Fidesz said would lie “in the interest of Brussels and the Hungarian left”.

The green opposition LMP demanded that the government should stop all preparations for the expansion of the nuclear power station until the related European Union procedures are concluded.

LMP co-chair Bernadett Szel said that preparations cost hundreds of billions of forints and if the government fails to suspend them, LMP will consider filing a criminal report for budget fraud and damage caused by administrative authorities.

The European Commission announced earlier on Monday that an in-depth probe would be started to reveal whether the Paks project’s financing meets EU regulations, Szel said. She noted that last week the EC launched an infringement procedure against Hungary for violating EU public procurement rules in connection with the project. She added that the EC environmental protection directorate launched investigation concerning the classification of the related environmental information.

“That will be the third ‘red card’ to the Paks enlargement project,” she said.

Szel noted that this year’s state budget allocated 28 billion forints and next year’s one 113 billion forints for the project. The government should not risk taxpayers’ money for a project that might not materialise, she added.

The Democratic Coalition (DK) called for stopping the project, Egyutt urged all contracts signed so far to be made public and the PM party also called for the immediate suspension of spending.

DK deputy leader Csaba Molnar said the Paks project fails to meet EU regulations in three areas and two official procedures against it are already under way, with a third one, on the classification of environmental information, being prepared. He called on the government to “make do with two slaps in the face and not run into a third one”. The Paks expansion project will push future Hungarian generations into indebtedness, it is non-transparent, poses corruption risks and only serves the interests of ruling Fidesz and its Russian business partners, he said.

Egyutt demanded that no more money should be spent on Paks expansion and the government should make all contracts signed so far public. The resources that Hungary has allocated for the investment should be instead spent on green energy and energy-saving projects, a party statement added.

The opposition PM party said the government should immediately suspend preparatory works on the Paks expansion project because all future spending on it “will most probably be money wasted”.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters