constitutional amendment

EU Commissioner calls for continued Article 7 procedure against Hungary, Poland

eu brussels

The European Union’s Article 7 procedures currently under way against Hungary and Poland should be upheld until issues around the rule of law in those countries are resolved, Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice, told the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE), in Brussels late on Monday.

Reynders said, however, that he hoped the governments of the two countries would give consideration to finding a solution to outstanding issues.

Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, referring to a Hungarian bill on stipulating that fathers must be male and mothers female, called on Hungary to observe international law regarding the family.

Balázs Hidvéghi, MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz, told MTI that Monday’s session had been “the usual, one-sided performance” by left-liberal MEPs, who “regularly attack Hungary”. He insisted that the Article 7 procedure was politically motivated, and “entirely based on lies”.

“Expropriating the rule of law for political purposes will undermine trust between member states and seriously impact EU unity,” he said.

Concerning family law, Hidvéghi said such regulations were exclusively a national competence, adding it was “absurd” that the issue had been put on the committee’s agenda. “Using the rule of law as an excuse, they are seeking to prescribe what we should think about families, marriages, or raising children,” he said.

Anna Donáth, MEP of the Hungarian opposition Momentum Movement, said accused the Hungarian government of “deliberately undermining human rights”. She said that

the draft constitutional amendment concerning sexual minorities served a political purpose to “divert attention from another proposal concerning public funds”.

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Read alsoEU Commissioner calls for continued Article 7 procedure against Hungary, Poland

Hungarian government: same-sex couples should be excluded from adoption

same sex parents

According to Fidesz parliament member Gergely Gulyás, same-sex couples should be excluded from adoption “for the sake of the child’s physical and emotional development.” This comment comes shortly after the government claimed the reasoning behind their proposed bill was that “marriage lasts longer than cohabitation.”

Many have criticised the government for proposing a constitutional amendment during a national emergency.

Ironically, the Hungarian government has condemned the European Union for dealing with LGBTQ and gender matters instead of managing the COVID-19 epidemic, Telex reports. However, they just recently proposed a constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring that same-sex couples cannot adopt. The bill also wants to make sure that the constitution makes it clear that “the father is a man” and “the mother is a woman”.

hungary family shopping
Read alsoMinister: Controversial constitutional amendment proposal seeks to protect families

The government’s bill aims to make sure that all children are brought up according to Christian values, and it seeks to protect Hungarian families. Their bill specifies that “the father is a man” and “the mother is a woman” and that children have a right to their gender of birth because “these things are now being questioned in many parts of the world.”

The government finds this bill so important that they proposed it right after they announced a state of emergency in Hungary due to the second wave of the coronavirus.

The press has asked Gulyás about the interesting timing of the bill, to which he said that despite the epidemiological situation, everyone in Hungary, including members of parliament, must work. He believes that work must continue in the parliament in accordance with the ordinary legislative order. He also said that: “In order to ensure the healthy physical and mental development of children”, same-sex couples should be excluded from adoption.

Gulyás said the current government only maintained the regulation that was originally adopted by the left-wing government in 2009, and he draws people’s attention to its justification.

The bill would subject anyone except married couples to a separate ministerial permit to be able to adopt. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Hungary. Therefore, same-sex couples would practically be excluded from adoption.

The government previously claimed that the aim of the bill is not to eliminate same-sex couples. They argued that “marriage is more stable than cohabitation.” They also argued that by “preferring” married couples, adopted children could be brought up in “a loving and truly stable environment.”

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Read alsoAnother Hungarian book shredded because of ‘homosexual propaganda’ – VIDEO

Transgender couple wedding
Read alsoTransphobic law enables transgender couple to get married in Hungary

Minister: Controversial constitutional amendment proposal seeks to protect families

hungary family shopping

The government’s constitutional amendment proposal aimed at ensuring that all children are brought up according to Christian values seeks to protect Hungarian families, Katalin Novák, the minister for family affairs, told commercial news channel HirTV on Thursday.

The reason why the bill specifies that “the father is a man” and “the mother is a woman” and that children have a right to their gender of birth is because “these things are now being questioned in many parts of the world,” Novák said.

Many countries allow parents to decide whether or not they want to change their child’s gender, she said. “And if a girl in kindergarten plays with toy cars, she is taken to a psychologist to clarify if she is certain about her gender identity,” the minister added.

“This deprives the child of his or her fundamental sense of safety and this is not right.”

Concerning the new regulations on adoption, Novák said their aim was to give every child a chance to be raised in a family. Because the interests of the child must come first when it comes to adoption, she said, the law primarily supports adoption by couples. But in the event that no suitable couple can be found, a child may also be adopted by a single person, she added.

Put to her that the new regulations make it impossible for same-sex couples to adopt, Novák said this was already a fundamental principle in Hungarian law. “This is nothing new,” she said.

“This is the practice in Hungary.”

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Read alsoOfficial: Hungarian government spends more on families than any other country in Europe

Coronavirus – Budapest Mayor Karácsony to coordinate measures with districts

karácsony mayor

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said on Facebook on Wednesday he was ready for talks with district mayors to coordinate coronavirus-related measures.

Karácsony said it was “absurd” that each district should define their own rules on wearing masks in public areas, arguing that this made it “nearly impossible” to adopt consistent regulations for the whole of the city.

The mayor also slammed the government for failing to address among its recent restrictions issues around testing, both in terms of the need to increase it, as well as offering free screening to creche, kindergarten, and school staff.

“While we are supposed to be saving lives, the government is focused on saving its assets” through new legislation, Karácsony said.

“While we should be reining in the epidemic, the government is working to curb the opposition’s chances by amending the election law,” he added.

Karácsony said the city of Budapest would continue its efforts to step up screening in seniors’ homes and making preparations to test teachers and other school staff in cooperation with the districts.

Opposition calls on Orbán to withdraw recent amendment proposals

budapest

Hungary’s opposition parties have called on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to withdraw a set of amendment proposals to the country’s constitution and election laws the government submitted to parliament on Tuesday.

The constitutional amendment proposal seeks to strengthen protections of families and children, ensuring that all children are brought up according to Christian values appropriate to their gender of birth, the justice minister, who submitted the bill, has said. Meanwhile, the election-related bills would amend the rules on putting together national party lists.

In a statement, the opposition Socialists, Jobbik, Democratic Coalition, LMP, Parbeszed and Momentum parties said the government’s amendment proposals indicated that

“Viktor Orbán is terrified of losing the 2022 general election.”

“The prime minister and his gang are handing over billions of forints in taxpayer money to oligarchs already basking in castles, boats and private jets, setting themselves up for a loss in 2022,” the parties said.

“They are doing all of this in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic when they should be concentrating on resolving the crisis and saving and protecting as many people as possible,” they added.

They said the government’s decision to submit an amendment proposal to the election law “a year and a half out from the parliamentary elections and without consulting anyone else” was a sign that the prime minister was getting “desperate”.

“This just goes to show that Orbán does not even feel safe in an election system he designed for himself,”

the statement said, adding that the prime minister had become unfit for office.

Budapest parliament winter Hungarian flag
Read alsoDuring emergency powers: Orbán cabinet submits bill on upbringing according to ‘Christian values’

During emergency powers: Orbán cabinet submits bill on upbringing according to ‘Christian values’

Budapest parliament winter Hungarian flag

The government has submitted to parliament a constitutional amendment proposal with a view to strengthening protections of families and children, Justice Minister Judit Varga noted on Wednesday, adding that the amendment seeks to ensure that all children are brought up according to Christian values appropriate to his or her gender of birth.

Safeguards of the right of children to proper physical, mental and moral development are explicitly enshrined in the Hungarian fundamental law, Varga told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, adding that the current amendment proposal would extend those protections.

“We’re living in a period when constitutional protections must be further strengthened,” she said, adding that the changes would be reflected in lower-level legislation.

She said the emphasis of the passages on Christian culture covers cultural and historical traditions on which Europe’s identity was also built. “In today’s world, it has become necessary to declare this,” Varga said.

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Read alsoCoronavirus: Hungarian parliament votes to extend state of emergency

Orbán inaugurates new Constitution Protection Office building

orbán constitutional office

The modern Hungarian state needs a secret service, constitutional protection, national security agencies and every such institution and activity, the prime minister said, addressing the inauguration of the new building of the Constitution Protection Office (AH) in Budapest on Thursday.

In his speech, Viktor Orbán underscored the importance of protecting Hungary’s sovereignty, noting that this was primarily the responsibility of the country’s constitutional bodies and institutions.

Construction of the new building cost nearly 30 billion forints (EUR 90.0m), he said.

Orbán added that it had been a long time since the Hungarian economy had been in good enough shape, and since the state had the strength and ability, and the government the determination to be able to afford this kind of investment. The new building will house every unit of the AH under one roof instead of four different premises as it had been up until now, the prime minister said.

The purpose of the work carried out at the AH is to serve the Hungarian nation, Orbán said.

“The work you do — which sounds so special and secretive — is no different in its essence from what we do,” he told the AH workers present. What makes the AH special is not its mission, but the tools it uses, he added.

Hungary is getting stronger and attracting growing levels of interest, the prime minister said. The country’s influence in central Europe and the European Union is growing, he said, adding that “this has consequences for rival states”.

“We must be aware of the growing interest [in Hungary], we must regulate it, and counter it wherever necessary,” Orbán added.

AH Director-General Zoltán Kiss noted that the government made the decision to bring the AH, the Counter Terrorism and Crime Information Analysis Centre and the Government Data Centre under one roof back in 2016.

Orbán cabinet voices support for new EU leaders 

Talks are ongoing between Hungary and Norway on the distribution of funds to Hungarian civil groups from the Norwegian government under its Norway Grants scheme, but it is uncertain if an agreement will be reached, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday. The new leaders of the European Union’s institutions should be “granted trust in advance”, he said.

Gergely Gulyás said in response to a question that

negotiations between the two countries had been made more difficult by the Norwegian government’s “insistence on supporting the civil organisations of [US billionaire] George Soros”.

Hungary, however, intends to spend the entirety of the grant on schemes aimed at improving the integration of the Roma community, he said.

In response to a question, Gulyás said he had no knowledge of the US president having been asked to mediate in the talks between the two countries.

Family protection action plan

On the topic of the government’s family protection action plan, Gulyás said the scheme’s implementation was going smoothly. Gulyás noted that the first four of the plan’s seven measures entered into effect on Monday.

The measures are attracting a lot of interest, Gulyás said, adding that

the government expects the number of applications for the various support schemes to reach record levels by the end of the month.

Constitutional amendment proposal

Gulyás was also asked about reports by news portal Index saying that the ruling parties were planning to draft a constitutional amendment proposal that would include a ban on adoption by same-sex couples if Budapest Mayor István Tarlós won re-election in the autumn. Gulyás commented on the reports by saying that “Index has gotten started on the election campaign as a member of [Parbeszed candidate] Gergely Karácsony’s team.” The PM’s Office chief said it was “completely absurd” to try to link the planned constitutional amendment with the municipal elections. He said there were no plans to change the rules around adoption, which currently allow adoption by heterosexual couples only.

Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA)

On another subject, Gulyás said he did not think the move to relocate research institutions of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) to a new body with its own, independent budget chapter violated any European Union laws. He added that he did not expect the EU to launch an infringement procedure against Hungary over the amendment.

Gulyás voices support for new EU leaders 

Gergely Gulyás said the Hungarian government and ruling Fidesz had different positions on several issues than some of the candidates, but “the head of the European Commission should act as guardian of the treaties despite those differences”. It is important that “our goals of stopping migration, protecting Christian culture and ensuring respect for a Europe of nations should not be the targets of attacks”, Gulyás said.

Gulyás insisted that the “cooperation and unity of the Visegrad countries has proved to be solid”. He added that

the V4 cooperation was the strongest such initiative within the EU. “Belonging to one region overrides the V4 prime ministers’ different [European] party affiliations,” he added.

Gulyás also said that neither Frans Timmermans nor Manfred Weber had the ability to promote consensus between member states. “In light of recent developments the spitzenkandidat-system has failed,” Gulyás said. He added that Hungary’s voters had supported Fidesz in the European Parliament “not because Weber was the spitzenkandidat of the European People’s Party but rather in spite of it”. He insisted that Weber had “insulted Hungarian voters” when he said he did not wish to be European Commission president if it was up to Fidesz’s support. As for Timmermans, Gulyás said that the focus of his activities was to “attack Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic” and “make the crudest, insinuating remarks on democratically elected leaders”.

Gulyás said he saw a good chance that Ursula von der Leyen, as commission head, would “mediate fairly between member states” and perform well in the role of guardian of the treaties.

“We don’t have a problem if somebody else has different views on migration, unless they want to force their position on us,” Gulyás said. “We just expect tolerance.”

Jobbik to submit bill tightening National Office of the Judiciary head’s responsibilities

Gábor Staudt Jobbik MP

The opposition Jobbik party on Friday said it will submit an amendment proposal to parliament that would require the head of the National Office of the Judiciary (OBH) to prepare the office’s annual reports by Jan. 31 of the following year.

Parliament’s justice committee is more than a year behind in reviewing the OBH’s annual reports, conservative MP Gábor Staudt told a press conference. This prevents the parliamentary parties from being able to respond to the office’s current affairs in committee hearings, he argued.

Because of these delays, the head of the OBH should be mandated to submit the office’s annual report to the justice committee by Jan. 31 of the following year, so that the committee can focus on current issues, Staudt said. He expressed hope that the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance would back his party’s amendment proposal.

Staudt criticised the state of Hungary’s judicial system, saying that “it has practically been left without any constitutional controls.”

He said it had recently become clear that the National Judicial Council (OBT) does not exercise oversight of the work of the OBH “even at a formal level”. The OBT has issued several statements in which it labelled OBH head Tünde Handó’s practices of appointing judges “unlawful”.

“That Handó branded judges who spoke out against the government’s judicial reforms as traitors is just the icing on the cake,” Staudt said.

Photo: Balázs Béli

NVB throws out two referendum initiatives

Daily News Hungary

The National Election Committee (NVB) on Thursday rejected two referendum initiatives, one on making the enforcement of two-thirds laws contingent on the approval of voters in a national referendum. The other concerned legalising cannabis consumption.

The NVB unanimously rejected the first initiative submitted by a private individual on the ground that a successful referendum would entail a constitutional amendment, but the rules on holding referendums forbid this.

It was also united in rejecting the Liberal Party‘s other initiative to decriminalise consumption of marijuana, saying “ownership, purchase, production or any abuse of drugs for personal consumption” are criminal activities under international agreements and Hungary would have to break those accords. This would violate domestic laws.

Appeals of NVH rulings can be made to the Supreme Court within 15 days.

Also on Thursday, the NVB approved a report verifying supporting signatures for a voter initiative seeking the recognition of the Szekler people as an ethnic group independent of the Hungarian nation. The initiative was supported by a total of 1,022 people.

In its official opinion on the bid,

the Hungarian Academy of Sciences said the Szekler people could not be considered an independent ethnic group.

The decision on their recognition as an independent ethnic group will be left up to the Hungarian parliament.

Hungary’s justice ministry submits privacy protection bill to parliament

privacy security internet protection

The justice ministry on Tuesday said it has submitted to parliament a bill on privacy protection.

The bill would guarantee protection against harassment and declare that people cannot be disturbed in their homes, the ministry said in a statement.

The changes in everyday communication brought about by the spread of modern infocommunication technologies mean that privacy protection must now apply to both the physical world and the internet, the statement said. Individual dignity and privacy rights must now also be guaranteed on social media, it added.

The bill would also guarantee the protection of individual privacy with regard to content shared online for private viewing.

On the subject of privacy protection in the home, the ministry noted that the Constitutional Court in 2016 called on policymakers to harmonise laws concerning the constitutional right to assembly and the right to privacy.

The groundwork for this was laid by the seventh amendment to the constitution passed last week, the ministry said. That amendment declares that exercising the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must not violate the privacy of others.

The ministry said the bill, modelled on German law, respects and guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and is in line with international standards.

Orbán: Authorities have everything needed to protect Hungary – Interview

PM Orbán Hungary v4

Hungary’s government and parliament have all the tools they need to protect the country from migration, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday.

In his regular interview to public Kossuth Radio, Orbán said that Hungary still needed a well-equipped military irrespective of the migration issue.

If Hungary faced an armed threat today, its military would only have a limited capability to counter it, the prime minister argued.

Orbán called the “Stop Soros” package of laws and related constitutional amendments approved by parliament this week “nice, sophisticated pieces of legal work”. He said it would be “very difficult” for anyone to find fault in a parliamentary decision that had been supported by 80-90 percent of lawmakers.

Orbán noted that both decisions had been among the campaign promises of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat parties in the runup to this April’s general election.

The new constitutional amendment declares Hungary’s national sovereignty “unbreakable”, defines the country’s constitutional identity and the penal code makes illegal migration and support for it punishable criminal offences, the prime minister noted.

He said there was “nothing wrong” with civil groups wanting to exercise political influence in Hungary, adding, however, that they had a duty to declare any foreign funding they receive. But when it comes to migration, which he said Hungary considered a national security issue, the government does not accept NGOs wanting to influence policymakers, Orbán added.

As regards the European debate on migration, the prime minister said there were three main questions on the EU’s agenda: border protection, the future of migrants already in Europe and the question of who should be allowed to enter the bloc moving forward and where authorities should separate genuine refugees and economic migrants. The central European countries believe this last issue should be dealt with outside the EU’s borders, he added.

Orbáunion said there were three sides within the EU with varying views on migration. One is the Visegrad Group comprising Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, now “joined by” Austria and Italy. The second is Germany, which has its own internal disagreements on the issue and the third are northern member states which Orbán said were locked in their own heated debates.

The prime minister also touched on Thursday’s V4-Austria summit, saying that the V4 alliance had never been as strong as it is now. “In fact, we are the engine of Europe’s economy,” he said. And on migration, the V4 have always said that Europe should provide help to others “without destroying ourselves”, he added. “Time has shown that this approach was the right one.”

In connection with the Budapest visit of the European Council president on Friday, Orbán said Donald Tusk had “reached out to us” after the European Commission decided to convene an EU “mini-summit” on migration for Sunday in Brussels.

But since the council president is the only one with the authority to convene a high-level meeting of EU heads of state and government this whole affair shows that EU institutions operate improperly, Orbán said, adding that his talks with Tusk would most certainly address this issue.

As regards next week’s EU summit, Orbán said its main focus would be on migration, adding that he would welcome if issues on which there is consensus among member states featured high on the agenda.

Concerning debates surrounding his ruling Fidesz party’s membership in the European People’s Party (EPP), Orbán said having such debates “is just normal”, adding that Hungary’s interest lay in a strong, united EPP.

Asked whether Hungary’s 2019 budget should be redrafted in light of fresh inflation outlook data, Orbán said the answer is a “definite no”, adding that the outlook for higher inflation did not justify any correction.

He explained that

global oil prices are among the biggest factors affecting Hungary’s CPI at present, and the budget can’t be planned based on such a “volatile” factor.

A range for inflation has to be determined and the budget should be based on the median of that range; that provides stability, he added.

Orbán noted that pension increases are already linked to inflation, providing those Hungarians especially sensitive to price changes additional security.

He reiterated that the 2019 budget bill contains significantly higher reserves because of “signs of crisis looming on the horizon”, citing the risk of rising interest rates, trade wars and high rates of public debt among some EU member states.

Photo: MTI

European Commission will examine new Hungarian legislation

EU flag

The European Commission has said it will examine whether the new legislative package adopted by Hungary’s parliament on Wednesday falls in line with EU law, and it will take the Venice Commission’s opinion into consideration, an EU commission spokesman said on Thursday.

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a government-sponsored constitutional amendment aiming to “preserve Hungary’s Christian culture”, set up an administrative high court and ban homelessness.

Pending the assessment’s conclusions, the commission will take any steps necessary, Christian Wigand, said.

The commission will take into account the impact of the law on European values as well as how those values are protected, he added.

Commenting on the new rules on homelessness contained in the constitution, Wigand said all EU member states, including Hungary, have committed themselves to sheltering and helping refugees and homeless people as well as promoting their social integration. The commission‘s policy is that homeless people should have access to shelter, he added.

Government welcomes, leftist opposition slams constitutional amendment, Stop Soros

Soros

The government welcomed and leftist opposition parties slammed on Wednesday the constitutional amendments and the Stop Soros package of laws, which parliament passed earlier in the day.

The Stop Soros laws contain amendments to the penal code that sanction entities or organisations that “facilitate illegal migration” or help with the asylum application procedures of migrants arriving from safe countries, read more details HERE.

The amendments to the constitution prohibit the resettlement of foreign nationals in Hungary, create an administrative high court and ban homeless people from living in public spaces.

In a statement after the vote, the Government Information Office said that the measures “put the will of the Hungarian people into practice”, further strengthening the country’s protection against illegal migration.

“They were necessary because mass migration continues to threaten Europe, and the Soros network and Brussels’s pro-migration approach would flood Hungary with migrants,” the statement said.

Jobbik

– Press release –

Jobbik’s parliamentary faction voted for the constitutional amendment wrongly called Stop Soros. The reason why we supported this “mixed salad”-like legislative package is because we agree with the basic intention and social need for giving priority to Hungary’s security and protection. We also agree with the protection of Christianity and private property while we reject the migrant allocation quotas. Jobbik’s main goal is to eliminate all legal loopholes that keep the gates open for any form of immigration, so we once again submitted our bill to terminate the residency bonds but the governing parties turned it down for the eighth time today.

As far as the “Stop Soros” package is concerned, we can state that the legislation has lost its Soros character since, contrary to the earlier bill, it prescribes neither a national security clearance and registration of NGOs funded by George Soros, nor a restriction of their activities that are against Hungary’s interests.

As a responsible opposition party however, we are obliged to call the attention of the public to the fact that today’s adopted bill, contrary to the statements of the pro-government propaganda, will not stop illegal migration, it is not suitable to protect Christianity and nor does it overrule the Geneva Convention, just as homeless people will stay in public areas until their housing problems are resolved.

The bill also sets a framework for public administration courts, the actual regulation of which has not even begun.

Let us reassure the communities protesting against this bill that the legislation adopted today is impractical in its current form, its implementation is infeasible, so it will cause no harm. The government’s goal is not to actually solve the problems identified. What they want is to use the bill as a communication tool in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections and the Hungarian municipal elections.

Lefitst opposition

Socialist Party leader Bertalan Tóth said the constitutional amendment “has many facets”, but was “primarily an attack on the independence of the judiciary”.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Párbeszéd co-leader Gergely Karácsony, Tóth said

ruling Fidesz “wants to create a tame court of justice” where government officials can make decisions which are otherwise the prerogatives of judges.

Fidesz “has tried setting up administrative courts before”, but failed to garner a majority, he noted. The Socialists “are not going to assist to this propaganda move,” he said, adding that the parliamentary group decided to stay away from the vote.

Karácsony noted Wednesday’s was the seventh amendment of the basic law since its adoption in 2011. The constitution, “which Fidesz likes to call rock-solid, is more like candy floss,” he said.

Photo: MTI/AP/Francois Mori

Hungarian parliament passes seventh constitutional amendment: banning homelessness

homeless income hungary

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a government-initiated constitutional amendment on “the preservation of Hungary’s Christian culture”, the creation of an administrative high court and on banning homelessness.

The amendment also declares the protection of Hungary’s constitutional identity as a duty of the state. It also states that foreign nationals cannot be resettled in Hungary.

The amendment also includes the protection of the home and the protection of private life, stating that “people must not be bothered in their homes”.

The amendment requiring a two-thirds majority was passed with 159 votes in favour and 5 against.

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has said on 13 July, it wants the government to consider inserting a provision into the current round of changes to the constitution that would create the legal conditions for banning people from living in public spaces given that everyone without a home is guaranteed shelter. Read more HERE.

Hungarian government: Common border protection must be supported

Gergely Gulyás Minister hungary

At Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office press conference in Budapest – rendering an account of the proceedings of the Wednesday cabinet meeting – Gergely Gulyás said that common border protection must be supported.

Mr Gulyás said that due to Brexit there will be reduced funds available. He added that, in Hungary’s view, a fair budget is needed, a budget which distributes the emerging losses among Member States in a fair and proportionate manner.

He further pointed out that migration falls within the competence of the Member States, and therefore a budget which takes funds away from European citizens and gives them to migrants is not acceptable. He added that the budget must support the continent’s common border protection efforts, and Hungary maintains that

the EU should reimburse a part of the expenditures it incurred in connection with the protection of its borders.

Money should be saved on Brussels bureaucracy above all, he stated, with reference to the fact that the European Commission itself shared this view earlier.

The Minister said it is also unacceptable that in actual fact the draft consists of two budgets as there are separate development funds allocated to members of the Eurozone. He said it is likewise unacceptable that Member States would only be allowed to retain 10 per cent of their customs revenues instead of 20 per cent.

Mr Gulyás took the view that the proposal clearly demonstrates the legitimacy of the Hungarian government’s criticism to the effect that the European Commission has a flawed view on its role. He added that the Commission must serve as a guardian of the Treaties, and its duties are laid down in the Treaties. The fact that the Commission looks upon itself as a political body has already caused a great deal of harm as it is, he stressed.

In his view, the proposed budget is a political proposal which does not serve the interests of the whole of the European community, and contains a concealed amendment to the Treaties. He believes that the fact that the drawdown of budgetary funds would be rendered dependent on criteria regarding the rule of law constitutes an amendment to the Treaties.

The politician said it is also unacceptable that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) should be used as a means of political blackmail. Fifty-two per cent of OLAF procedures affect the very Member States which do not wish to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, he said.

Mr Gulyás stressed that the Hungarian government is open to a swift agreement on the budget, and believes that a fair compromise hurts everyone equally. He said that from now on the government will hold a meeting focusing on EU issues every month.

Budget of safe growth

He spoke about the budget submitted to Parliament on Wednesday which he described as a budget of safe growth. Among the goals of next year’s budget – in addition to security – he mentioned growth, family support and full employment. He added that the country’s growth prospects are very good as economic expansion has not been this promising in Hungary for some 15 years.

In his view, full employment appears to be an achievable goal, against the background of the current 3.8 per cent unemployment rate. He observed that, according to the science of economics, a 3 per cent unemployment rate practically means full employment, but the government believes that the attainment of a 2.5 per cent unemployment rate is also realistic.

Among the priority plans of the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Gulyás mentioned the Modern Villages and Modern Cities Programmes – an allocation of HUF 150 billion will be available for the latter –, the development of Budapest and its environs, and the coordination of suburban transport.

In answer to a question regarding the Modern Villages Programme, he said that the concept is expected to be completed by the autumn, and they will then assign the required funds to the programme through the amendment of the Budget Act.

Regarding the amendment of the Fundamental Law, he said that the protection of Hungarian culture – as a Christian culture – is a constitutional duty of the state also today. In answer to another question he added that no one should feel excluded from Christian culture just because they are not a member of a Christian denomination.

In answer to another question asserting that HUF 150 billion would be withdrawn from Hungary due to irregular EU calls for proposals, Mr Gulyás said that today the conditions of an unbiased audit on OLAF’s part do not exist in the case of Hungary. He indicated at the same time that he would investigate each case in dispute.

He said they will have talks with the owner regarding the purchase of the painting Calvary by Mihály Munkácsy. In his view, the Hungarian state’s offer of HUF 3 billion appears to be a reasonable starting point.

He also said that since 1998 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had attended every World Cup final, and if that is the case on the present occasion as well it is hardly conceivable that he should not meet with the Russian head of state.

He said it is to be hoped that the pay of civil servants will increase by more than 10 to 15 per cent next year.

Regarding the grants provided for the Red Bull air race in Budapest, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said that a tax revenue of HUF 5 billion – well in excess of the grants provided for the event – is expected to be raised, and if the entire tourism sector is also included in these calculations, the budget may raise a total revenue of some HUF 20 billion.

European Commission’s official proposal continues to feature a mandatory mechanism without an upper limit

According to the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary has good chances in the struggle against the mandatory quotas.

Mr Gulyás said at his Thursday press conference held in Budapest that migration will be one of the priority topics of the meeting of the European Council scheduled for 28-29 June, and in this respect there was an important development last week when the proposal of the Bulgarian Presidency was discussed in the Council of home ministers. At this point in time, 16 Member States do not support this draft, while 5 Member States indicated their unconditional support for the proposal, the Minister said.

It is to be hoped that the Bulgarian Presidency’s proposal regarding the mandatory quotas will not be pushed through at the upcoming summit of EU heads of state and government, he said. As far as they can see, the balance has shifted in the direction of the position of the Hungarian government – due to political changes and changes of government, among others – and today we have incomparably more allies on the issue than we had a few years or even a few months ago.

Mr Gulyás said the European Commission’s official proposal continues to feature a mandatory mechanism without an upper limit, but they believe that the chances are good in this struggle, the decision on the quotas can be deferred, or can even be changed.

He indicated that the Venice Commission will decide on the Stop Soros legislative package next week, and according to the usual practice the draft of the Commission’s recommendations will be disclosed a few days earlier.

Parliament will be able to decide in light of those recommendations.

Regarding the amendment of the Fundamental Law on homelessness, he said that also today the situation is that – while there are no precise statistical figures concerning the number of homeless people – according to the majority of experts there are enough beds and other facilities for everyone. This means that the required capacity is available, and the government is also ready to allocate significant extra funds for extending the capacity of these facilities if necessary, he stressed. In the government’s view, no one has the right to use public premises in the way that homelessness involves. Those who do so must be taken to night or daytime shelters.

He told the press that the government is determined to take action, and they support Fidesz’s proposal.

Regarding a recent Fidesz proposal that administrative courts should not come under the supervision of the National Judicial Council, he said that this is a perfectly legitimate proposal. Judicial administration has a number of different forms, and each and every one of these operating in Europe is constitutional and operational.

In answer to a question he said that there is no proposal before the Government that would change the VAT on new housing properties, meaning “the intention that was made clear earlier” to uphold the preferential VAT rate until the end of 2019.

In the context of the instruction regarding a review of motorway projects published in Magyar Közlöny [Hungarian Gazette], he said that the Minister will table a report, and the government will decide in light of the findings of that report. They are examining several motorway sections, including the Miskolc-Kassa (Kosice) section, he indicated.

In response to a journalist’s suggestion that there is a contradiction between the communique of the Ministry of Human Capacities and a statement made by the minister regarding the school year, he said that the World Cup is just beginning, and the school year will not be extended. He said as a child he only ever sympathised with governments in his “childhood political experiences” which did not want to shorten the summer holiday, and in this respect he still has not grown up. In answer to another question, he said that he is rooting for the England team at the World Cup as the Italians did not qualify.

Mr Gulyás said he believes that the ten-week summer holiday is a good thing. According to the government, the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to go to summer camps for two weeks should be fully supported, but there is no need to make this compulsory. Everyone should decide for themselves, and it is good if the state is able to provide favourable conditions for that decision, the Minister highlighted.

Regarding reports that “Lőrinc Mészáros should have a giga-bank as a rival to OTP”, he said he is not aware of such plans, and the government has no intentions of this nature.

They would like minimum 50 per cent of the Hungarian banking system to be in Hungarian ownership. This is an issue of national sovereignty, but the rest of the story is nothing but journalistic indulgence, he said.

He said regarding opposition reactions to next year’s budget that it is nonsense to claim that less money will be spent on education and culture than on the construction of stadiums. There are no excess funds for the latter in general: the construction of the Puskás Stadium must be finished, and there are additional funds allocated specifically for the purpose, he laid down.

Concerning the raising of the security reserves in the budget, he indicated that there are signs which call for caution. He agrees with the Finance Minister that there will probably not be a crisis, and certainly not on the scale of the 2008 crisis, but a number of EU Member States struggle with very high sovereign debt rates, and interest levels are rising throughout the world. At the same time, a trade war is unfolding between the United States of America and Europe, and there is no way of knowing to what extent this will escalate. The government supports the approach that the EU should adopt clear and proportionate counter-measures.

The Minister agreed that

Budapest should have a stadium with a capacity of almost 70,000 which will also host concerts, in addition to sports events,

and will be the region’s largest facility of this type. This will clearly enhance Budapest’s attractiveness, and will generate revenues for the city which will offset the expenditures, he argued.

In answer to another question, he said they support the development of bathing complexes, but the municipalities concerned will make the relevant decisions.

Mr Gulyás said regarding recent talks in Germany that there is a good dialogue between CDU and Fidesz as between two allies, while as far as the dialogue between CSU and Fidesz is concerned, there was never any faltering. They agreed with the Secretary General of CDU that there must be permanent cooperation between the two parties, and in the future they would like regular, annual meetings on the most important content issues Europe faces as at any time in order to lay down what they agree and what they disagree on.

Photo: MTIernm

Parliament committee approves constitutional amendment proposals on banning homelessness

homeless

Parliament’s legislative committee on Thursday approved two constitutional amendment proposals on “the preservation of Hungary’s Christian culture” and on banning homelessness.

The proposed amendments were submitted by ruling Fidesz lawmakers.

Under the first,

the fundamental law would oblige all state organisations to “protect Hungary’s self-identity and Christian culture”.

“There is no Europe and Hungary without Christian culture,” the proponents said, citing recent developments in Europe that they said could “culturally transform the continent”.

The other constitutional amendment would create the legal conditions for banning people from living in public spaces given that everyone without a home is guaranteed shelter under state or local council schemes.

Pál Völner, the justice ministry’s state secretary, told the committee that the government supported the proposed amendments.

Government and opposition members of the committee held a two-hour debate about the proposals.

Lawmakers of the leftist opposition Socialist, Democratic Coalition and Párbeszéd parties insisted that enshrining the preservation of Christian culture in the constitution contravenes the basic principles of the freedom of conscience and religion, and the separation of church and state.

They also raised concern about the implementation of the provision in practice.

Socialist lawmaker Tamás Harangozó asked from whom Christian culture should be protected, “from the Jews or the non-faithful?” Sándor Burány of Párbeszéd qualified the planned provision as a “move towards Christian fundamentalism”. Lóránt László Keresztes of LMP spoke about what he saw an absence of Christian culture from government policies.

In response, István Bajkai of Fidesz said that Christian culture was not a matter of faith or religiousness but what Christianity had given to mankind.

“It is blindness not to see that Christian culture is in danger when women, children and families are being murdered in Europe and alternative legal systems have developed in several European cities,” he said.

Concerning the second amendment, opposition lawmakers said that the government should rather increase funds for homeless care and prolong the ban on forced evictions.

Bajkai said that speaking about the right to live on the street reflected a misinterpretation of freedom, and emphasised that sufficient places of accommodation are available to the homeless.

As we wrote before, Hungary currently has around 15,000 homeless people and 4,000 or so live on the streets at night, the head of a charity for the homeless said, read more HERE.

Parliamentary parties consult on constitutional amendment, ‘Stop Soros’ bill

parliament session law government

The ruling alliance of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats and the opposition LMP and Párbeszéd parties on Monday met to discuss the government’s constitutional amendment proposal and the “Stop Soros” bill currently before parliament.

Speaking to public news channel M1 after the talks, Fidesz lawmaker György Balla called the meeting “a sad experience”, saying that the opposition parties “haven’t learned anything, and it is perfectly clear that they still support illegal migration”. Balla said the opposition’s only proposed changes to the bills would prevent the organisation of illegal migration from being written into the criminal code or make it impossible from a procedural standpoint.

He said the opposition was “looking for excuses, but their true intention is still to support [US financier] George Soros’s NGOs”, instead of taking action against illegal migration.

Asked about the timetable for the vote on the bills, Balla said it was certain that parliament will vote on them before the summer recess.

Párbeszéd MP Olivio Kocsis-Cake said his party had proposed at the talks that parliament should not vote on the bills until the meaning behind terms such as “aiding” and “organising” is clarified in the context of illegal migration. He said Párbeszéd prioritises the safety of migrants and their humane treatment, and agrees with the premise that mass illegal migration and human smuggling should be stopped. But the bills before parliament would not adequately combat human smuggling in Hungary, Kocsis-Cake insisted. Párbeszéd still believes that the aim of the bills is to intimidate civil organisations that help refugees, he added.

LMP’s László Lóránt Keresztes said the aim of the bills was not what they purported to be, namely the creation of a clearer legal situation in Hungary with a view to strengthening the country’s security.

He underlined LMP’s belief in the importance of stopping illegal migration and that immigration policy should be a national competency.

People’s patriotic Jobbik, the Socialist Party and the Democratic Coalition were absent from the talks.

Featured image: MTI