Regarding the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, Dávid Vitézy, Hungary’s transport minister, said at a press conference that a comprehensive review of the entire project was under way. The current water level had been identified as an “event not expected to occur for many thousands of years”, and therefore the project documentation would need to be reconsidered, he said.
Government helps farmers
Government spokesperson Vanda Szondi said that so far, farmers have filed 31,000 claims for damages due to drought on 770,000 hectares. She noted that the deadline for filing claims had been extended until Aug 31. Szondi said the number of claims already exceeded that in 2022, another record year for drought. She added that the drought in 2022 had been described as the “drought of the century”. She also said that the yield per hectare of arable crops was 10-20 percent below the average for the past five years.
Paks II upgrade under review
In response to a question on the M6 motorway, Vitézy said the previous government had amended the motorway concession contract three times, including instances where “it is very difficult to identify the Hungarian public interest.” He added that the concessionaire, citing the war in Ukraine, had imposed war-related cost increases, meaning that the Hungarian state had assumed its financial risks.
Vitézy thanked everyone for their cooperation in the construction of the Paks underwater weir. “We do not discriminate on political grounds when it comes to whose stones we accept,” he added. He said authorities had also contacted Duna Aszfalt, and the company had made available the barges used in the construction of the Mohács bridge over the Danube. Regarding the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, he said that a comprehensive review of the entire project was under way. The current water level had been identified as an “event not expected to occur for many thousands of years”, and therefore the project documentation would need to be reconsidered, he said.
Government determined to develop Hungarian railways
In response to a question on railway development plans, Vitézy said that a lack of rolling stock would not be an obstacle to railway development. “At the same time, a great deal of work is needed to get the investor side in order, as during former minister Lázár’s time in office, the capacity, workforce and team capable of carrying out such projects in Hungary had been dismantled,” he said.
Regarding the review of the Otthon Start Programme, Vitézy said that there is no problem in itself with the government helping young people to buy their first home through subsidised loans, and that the programme’s core objective is worth maintaining. At the same time, he said aspects of the programme had encouraged abuse and property purchases made solely for investment purposes, which made a recently launched review by the finance ministry necessary.
Paks on the brink: Critical days ahead, ‘superhuman work’ underway to keep 2 turbines running
Minister talks about “crazy mistake”
Asked about the revamping of Budapest’s metro line 3, he said the funding secured was a signal of the government’s support for the capital. He said it had been a “crazy mistake” to order the carriages without air conditioning; at the same time, EU sanctions on the Russian manufacturer and lack of cooperation on part of the manufacturer to find a solution were causing “problems”. Vitézy said that members of the public have until early September to complete a questionnaire on transport reforms.
Meanwhile, he said that the government was working to pinpoint projects opened under the previous administration to include in those financed with EU funding. “We can’t eye every one of them as suspicious.” The minister said it was a major dilemma as to which of the projects completed or put out to tender during the previous government’s term the cabinet should include in the list of those to be financed under the recovery plan. He said all necessary public procurement audits, “but it cannot be ruled out that some of the previous government’s actions might result in disputes,” the minister said.
Tisza Party launches platform for public consultation – reviving name of old show featuring young Péter Magyar
