Paks nuclear plant project

Putin will visit Hungary for the second time within a year

Putin Orbán

The President of the Hungarian Judo Federation confirmed that the Russian president had accepted the invitation of the federation and would attend the opening ceremony of Judo World Cup on August 28.

The Russian president will also meet Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss the construction of Paks NPP – that has been delayed several time due to EU’s obstruction policy – and the expansion of Russian-Hungarian bilateral relations.

Vladimir Putin visited Budapest last time in February.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Russian president also met in Beijing at One Belt One Road Forum in May; the two leaders had also talked on the phone at the end of last month.

According to information obtained by mno.hu, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó will make an official visit to Moscow on July 4 to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Orthodox Church officials.

Photo: MTI

Paks upgrade ineligible for referendum?

Paks nuclear plant

The upgrade of Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant in Paks is ineligible for a referendum as it is governed by an international accord, the head of the National Election Committee (NVB) told the Tuesday edition of daily Magyar Nemzet.

The Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, already made it clear three years ago that the issue of the Paks upgrade pertains to an international treaty, is about the plant’s expansion and the financing of the project and a separate international agreement has been signed on nuclear damage as well, András Patyi told the paper. Hungary’s referendum laws prohibit even a confirmatory referendum on such issues, he added.

“To say that 70 referendum initiatives have been submitted [on the issue of Paks] is just a play on words,” said Patyi. He said petitioners were trying to create the impression that the NVB rejects all referendum questions. He said petitioners were deliberately wording their questions in ways that made it impossible for the NVB to approve them.

Hungary signed an agreement with Russia on the construction of two blocks at the Paks nuclear power plant in 2014.

Photo: atomeromu.hu

LMP: Paks upgrade funding could create 100,000 jobs if used for energy efficiency projects

Green opposition LMP on Tuesday slammed the 4,200 billion forints (EUR 13.6bn) investment into the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant for its failure to create long-term jobs.

The project will create jobs in a concentrated area, for a limited time, and in part for foreigners. Should the same amount be invested into energy efficiency, as many as 100,000 jobs could be established nationwide, co-leader Ákos Hadházy told a press briefing.

Citing the response of the minister responsible for the upgrade, János Süli, to his letter, Hadházy said that foreign experts would also be needed for the construction of the two new blocks at Paks. The minister, he said, noted that during the construction of a similar plant in Finland, 4,400 workers from 50 countries had been deployed simultaneously.

This example reveals that the Paks project would only serve the interests of a select few close to ruling Fidesz, rather than the country as a whole, Hadházy said.

The construction of two new blocks for the Paks nuclear plant has “entered into an active phase”, Foreign Minister Szijjártó said earlier, after the project has received the last environmental permits in April. Süli said earlier that the project is expected to be finished and the blocks operational by 2026, with site preparation starting later in 2017.

Photo: MTI

Government weekly press conference about Paks projects, tax and other important topics

The government is planning to make changes to next year’s budget bill to ensure more funds for a programme aimed at boosting childbirth, to finance public infrastructure projects in connection with the Paks nuclear plant upgrade, and for tourist developments, the head of the government office told his weekly press conference on Thursday. The 1.7 million people who took part in the government’s “national consultation” survey support the government’s positions on the issues that were discussed in the questionnaire, he said.

Government to reallocate funds to support families, finance Paks projects

János Lázár said that 98 billion forints (EUR 31.8m) would be reallocated. Fully 20 billion forints will be rechannelled for projects in Paks such as preparations for a new bridge across the river Danube, and home and road construction, while 16.4 billion forints would be reallocated for tourism. Other reallocations will go towards the government’s new family support programme.

Commenting on recent figures indicating a GDP growth of over 4 percent, Lázár said the Hungarian economy is on a “stable and balanced path”.

Referring to a European anti-fraud office OLAF report about the transparency of EU funds, Lazar said in Hungary “twice as many people submit complaints” compared with the European average. At the same time, out of 41,000 EU subsidy contracts, the investigations concluded last year revealed shortcomings in 13 cases affecting 4 percent of EU funding. According to OLAF, the most serious corruption case in Hungary was the metro 4 scandal, he added.

In response to a question about the revamp of the third metro line, he said the government had originally provided 137.5 billion forints support as requested by the Budapest council, and the EU had approved this “100 percent”. As it turned out later, however, even the cheapest bid for the related public procurement was above this amount, so a tender for a reduced project was invited. But even this amended tender only attracted bids above the 137.5 billion forints available, he said, adding that it would be difficult for the government to finance “more than 100 percent” because the EU would not allow this. Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos will be expected to provide a report concerning plans for metro 3 at the next cabinet meeting, he added.

Nationwide survey respondents back government’s policies

Wednesday was the last day for voters to return their answers to the questionnaire by mail or online.

Those who participated in the survey support the fence on Hungary’s southern border, low energy prices as well as the position that it should be up to parliament to set taxation policy, vote on welfare and job support schemes and set energy prices, János Lázár said at his regular weekly press briefing.

The government intends to stay in contact with voters concerning these matters, as there a number of related issues the government has to deal with, such as the infringement procedure the European Union has launched against Hungary over the border fence, he added.

Lázár also commented on recent press reports suggesting that Germany has proposed tying receipt of EU cohesion funds to compliance with standards regarding the rule of law for the bloc’s next funding cycle. He said that despite being “one of the biggest beneficiaries” of these funds, Germany had been the one to commit the “greatest violation” of the EU’s basic principles by “letting millions of illegal migrants into its territory” in 2015 and breaching the EU’s rules on border control.

Photo: MTI

Paks upgrade Hungary’s ‘largest ever’ development project, says foreign minister in St Petersburg

The upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant is not solely an energy issue, it is “the largest ever development project” in Hungary’s economy, the foreign minister said at a green forum in St Petersburg on Thursday.

Speaking to MTI, Péter Szijjártó welcomed that the project had entered into “an active phase” after it had received overall approval by Brussels.

The next step for Hungary is to prepare the site for two new blocks, which will require one and a half years, he said.

He noted that Russia’s Rosatom, the project partner, on Wednesday called a tender for a 770 million euro contract to supply turbines for the new blocks.

Szijjártó said he held bilateral talks during the day with the head of Rosatom and the CEO of gas company Gazprom, as well as with Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Minister of Energy Alexander Novak.

He welcomed it as “good news that Hungarian-Russian economic cooperation has started to flourish again” after a period during which Hungarian companies had suffered losses of billions of dollars due to EU sanctions imposed on Russia. Citing statistics, Szijjártó noted that bilateral trade increased by 46.2 percent in the first quarter of 2017 with a volume totalling 1.4 billion dollars. Hungary’s exports to Russia went up by 27.8 percent to 500 million dollars during the period, he said.

Photo: MTI

Election committee rejects LMP’s Paks referendum initiative

Paks nuclear plant

Budapest, May 25 (MTI) – The National Election Committee (NVB) rejected on Thursday a submission by the green opposition LMP party which had sought approval for referendum questions concerning the secrecy of documentation and the budget related to the planned expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant.

LMP lawmaker Ákos Hadházy turned to the committee with a request to hold a plebiscite on removing the secrecy clauses.

In the proposed referendum, voters would have been asked: “Do you agree that parliament should enact declassification of all documents concerning the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant?”

The majority of the members of the NVB judged the question to be inadmissible because, among the reasons given, the sides in the agreement to expand the Paks plant had committed themselves to treating data given to each other as a secret.

Hadházy’s second question was: “Do you agree that parliament should enact declassification of all itemised budgets based on which the total cost of the upgrade has been calculated?” The committee rejected the second question with similar arguments as in the first case.

Meanwhile, the committee also rejected seven other referendum initiatives which were similar to each other and aimed at the mandatory screening of the assets of all government officials and municipal leaders as well as their family members.

Again, the majority of committee members voted against the initiatives, saying that they were indirectly aimed at amending the constitution, that they were unclear and would affect an “extremely” large number of people.

NVB head András Patyi argued that proponents who resubmitted referendum questions with minor variations, but failed to seek legal remedy, did not sincerely seek approval of the question in hand. He therefore proposed declaring this practice a violation of the law. NVB members delegated by the opposition Socialist Party, Jobbik, and green LMP voted against establishing such a violation.

NVB’s decisions are non-binding; the proponents have 15 days to seek legal remedy from the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court.

György Gémesi, head of the Új Kezdet (New Beginning) party, said after the meeting that they would start collecting signatures to promote the asset screening of officials despite NVB’s veto and turn to the Kúria at the same time. He also insisted that NVB’s decisions were politically motivated.

Photo: atomeromu.hu

Greenpeace, Energiaklub launch legal attack against Paks II environmental permit

paks

Budapest, May 24 (MTI) – The environmental organisations Greenpeace Magyarország and Energiaklub said they have asked a court to withdraw the environmental protection permit awarded for the planned upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant.

The environmental groups said in an earlier statement that the Pest County Government Office had turned down their earlier appeal against the project’s environmental permit. They insisted that “a number of crucial issues” around the planned project, such as the handling of radioactive waste and protecting residents, as well as contingency plans for acts of terrorism, sabotage or war were still unresolved.

They also suggested that there were “no guarantees” that the plant, complete with two new blocks, would not overheat the river Danube, whose water is used in the plant’s cooling system.

The permit also fails to address a number of questions sufficiently, such as the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel rods, the organisations said.

The environmental protection permit for the upgrade came into force in March 2017.

Hungary is building two more blocks at the Paks plant, the country’s only commercial source of nuclear power.

LMP to collect signatures to support initiative against Paks nuclear plant upgrade

Budapest, May 22 (MTI) – The opposition LMP party has decided to start collecting signatures to force the authorities to allow a referendum on a planned upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, LMP co-leader Ákos Hadházy noted security, financial and corruption risks around the upgrade project, which his party has opposed since the beginning. He referred to a referendum in Switzerland, in which residents rejected nuclear energy, and said that “the Hungarian prime minister, however, thinks that Hungarian people should not occupy themselves with such trifles”.

Bernadett Szél, LMP’s other co-leader, said that “the government would not ask the Hungarian people but Russian President Vladimir Putin for directions”.

“Orbán has become a communist… who governs against the people, because more and more are aware of the risks around the Paks project and would vote accordingly in a referendum,” she said.

Szél also urged that parliament should ratify the Istanbul Agreement and pass legislation against domestic violence before the end of its spring season.

Photo: MTI

Jobbik files complaint over MVM donation to pro-government NGO

Budapest, May 19 (MTI) – The opposition Jobbik party has filed a complaint at the chief public prosecutor’s office over a 508 million forint (EUR 1.6m) donation received by the pro-government Civil Unity Forum (CÖF) from state-owned energy company MVM last year, a party lawmaker said on Friday.

Over the past 7-8 years it was impossible to know how CÖF could afford to finance its activities organised in support of the government, István Szávay told a press conference.

It has now been revealed that MVM was supporting the organisation which raises the suspicion that CÖF posters showing Jobbik leader Gábor Vona and opposition DK leader Ferenc Gyurcsány in the company of a clown were financed from public monies, he said, referring to a billboard campaign mounted by the NGO last year.

Szávay said this could imply the misuse of public funds and said he had filed a complaint over it to the chief public prosecutor’s office.

He said he is expecting information from all the ministries on whether any of the institutions belonging to them have supported CÖF.

Weekly press briefing about Paks, economy, Horthy statue and other topics

Paks nuclear plant

Budapest (MTI) – Concerning the planned upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, the government office chief said on Thursday said that the Hungarian Debt Management Agency (AKK) would evaluate financing options every time it is presented with bills for the project.

The agency has been given the option to decide whether to settle outstanding charges related to the upgrade project using loans from the open market, funds from the budget or by drawing on a 10 billion euro credit line provided by the Russian state, János Lázár told a weekly press briefing.

Lázár noted that Hungary’s position on the financial market had improved since signing the loan agreement with Russia in June 2014.

The government’s economic cabinet asked for the opinion of AKK, the economy ministry and the Rothschild Group on replacing the Russian loan with financing from the market but decided to stick with the original contract as even an international consortium would struggle to provide 10 billion euros of financing with a 30 years maturity, Lázár said.

Up until March 6 this year, work costing around 100 million euros was completed. The Russian credit line has been available since April 29, and in the next twelve months around 600-900 million euros of work is expected to be carried out, Lázár added.

On the subject of next year’s budget, Lázár said that the bill would be on the agenda of the cabinet’s meeting on May 24, and parliament is expected to pass it into law before June 15. He said next year’s budget deficit was seen at 2.4 percent. “Hungary’s public finances are in order and this is a proof against allegations of corruption: if the funds had been stolen the budget would be empty,” he said.

District nurses will receive a monthly wage supplement of 33,000 forints from November and this will be paid throughout 2018, he said. Concurrently, preparations will be made for developing a national network of district maternity nurses, and the government wants the service to operate along common standards by 2018. He said that maternity nurses now employed by municipalities should be organised into a national service, and together with family doctors, should form “a pillar” of national health care.

He confirmed that wages of ambulance workers will increase by 10 percent from next year as part of the new career model in the sector. He added that while in 2010 the government had spent 22.5 billion forints on the ambulance service; next year’s spending will reach 39.7 billion forints.

Lázár noted Hungary’s growing construction sector. While 5,000 home construction permits were issued in the first quarter of last year, twice as many were issued in the same period in 2017, he said.

Concerning an investigation into recent allegations of child abuse at a home for the disabled in Göd, near Budapest, Lázár said that “the government must help the parents”. He insisted that parents are “not interested” in the views of politicians but “do care about the circumstances of their child”.

On another subject, Lázár said he had filed a criminal complaint in connection with company Welt 2000, which he said had illegally privatised a software used in connection with European Union tenders and the distribution of EU funds in the 2003-2009 period. Referring to former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, he also suggested that people implicated in the case had occupied senior positions in Altus, a company “belonging to the Gyurcsány family”.

Lázár said that a deputy state secretary of the foreign ministry was in talks with officials of Thailand, Malaysia, and China, concerning the operation of foreign universities in Hungary. These countries “consider the matter a technical issue and have assured the government of their cooperation”. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will sign a relevant agreement during his current visit to China, he added.

Orbán is leaving for Beijing on Thursday and will stay until next Tuesday, participating in the One Belt, One Road Forum.

Meanwhile, Lázár said the government was not planning to buy an aircraft for the prime minister. He added that military planes used by the government had been withdrawn, but once the army has new aircraft, the government would make use of them.

On the subject of plans to erect a monument to Miklós Horthy, Hungary’s regent in the interbellum era, in Perkáta, in central Hungary, Lázár said that the government would not pay tribute to Horthy for his role during Hungary’s German occupation, but it “cannot strip a community of the right to erect such a monument”.

Photo: atomeromu.hu

Minister trusts Paks nuclear plant upgrade to be completed by 2026

Budapest, May 8 (MTI) – János Süli, the minister without portfolio in charge of the Paks nuclear plant upgrade project, voiced confidence on Monday that the two new blocks would be completed and operational by 2026, as planned.

Süli added, however, that his team was “evaluating the possible impact on the final deadline” of delays in the preparations “caused by the European Commission’s investigation” into the project.

The minister stressed the government’s focus on ensuring that 40 percent of the contracts in the upgrade project should go to Hungarian companies, as stipulated by the general agreement, but also noted possible complications.

Süli said that the Russian loan to finance the project was made available, and the first payments could soon be made to the Russian general contractor.

He also announced that Attila Aszódi, who was earlier government commissioner in charge of the upgrade, will work with him as state secretary in the future.

LMP: Inviting referendum on Paks ‘obligation’ for Áder

In his capacity as the re-elected president of Hungary, it will be one of Janos Ader’s most important obligations to invite a referendum on the Paks nuclear power plant upgrade project, the green opposition LMP said on Monday.

Áder said last October that the right for a public vote is one of the most fundamental constitutional rights, LMP co-leader Bernadett Szél told a press conference held jointly with the party’s other co-leader Ákos Hadházy.

Hadházy said that Áder should have raised his voice in response to recent statements by politicians inciting to violence, including one by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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LMP launches billboard campaign for green energy and better education

Budapest, May 7 (MTI) – The green opposition LMP party’s Ökopolisz Foundation has launched a billboard campaign to promote green energy and better education in the service of better informed citizens, Szilvia Lengyel, co-leader of the foundation said on Sunday.

The campaign dubbed “You decide on your future!” turns on three messages: “Good education instead of government propaganda”, “Green surfaces instead of concrete” and “Renewable energy instead of Paks 2”, the latter referring to the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant.

Education should aim to contribute to a knowledge-based society instead of training workers for work on assembly lines, the statement said. Policymaking should support sustainable, renewable and economically viable energy resources instead of dangerous nuclear energy. It should also advance the right to a healthy environment, LMP added.

Meanwhile, LMP board member Péter Ungár said in a statement on Sunday that it appeared the Paks project served as an excuse for ruling Fidesz to form a “new grand coalition” with the Socialists. He cited speculation that István Kocsis, who held influential posts during successive Socialist governments, is to work together with János Süli, the minister responsible for the Paks upgrade.

Kocsis headed the Paks nuclear plant between 2002-2005, the Hungarian electricity provider MVM Group between 2005-2008 and the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) between 2008-2011.

Kocsis’s presence in parliament when Suli was sworn in as minister is a sign of how little accountability the seven years of Fidesz rule has brought about, Ungar said. Referring to what he called “the grand nuclear coalition” from before 2010, he insisted Fidesz and the Socialists were again about to decide on the use of public funding together.

Photo: LMP.hu

Green opposition: Hungary’s energy needs can be satisfied without Paks 2

Paks nuclear plant

Budapest, May 5 (MTI) – Clean energy rather than more nuclear can satisfy Hungary’s energy needs, the green opposition LMP party has said.

Unveiling an “alternative programme” to the Paks 2 nuclear power expansion project on Friday, LMP lawmaker Benedek R Sallai said the party’s plan would ensure the country’s energy independence.

The plan involves providing a subsidy of 1 million forints to each Hungarian household for taking measures to achieve 40-50 percent energy savings. He insisted the scheme could create 100,000 jobs in Hungarian regions.

He rejected the government’s assertion that nuclear power would provide the cheapest electricity. Neither would the project create 10,000 new jobs. Moreover, the country’s energy independence could not be guaranteed by the Paks plant’s expansion because fuel was still needed, he added.

Photo: atomeromu.hu

Süli sworn in as minister in charge of Paks upgrade

Budapest, May 2 (MTI) – János Süli was officially sworn in as minister without portfolio in charge of overseeing and managing the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant in a session of parliament on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced early last month that he would appoint a minister without portfolio to oversee the project.

The new minister was congratulated by the prime minister, members of government and the group leaders of the parliamentary parties.

As an act of protest against the project, LMP group leader Bernadett Szél handed Suli an enlarged mock agreement entitled “Agreement on the Cancellation of the Paks Deal” with signature lines for Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign their names.

The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) earlier in the day said Hungary needed neither the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant nor a minister in charge of the project. Speaking before Suli’s swearing-in as minister, DK spokesman Zsolt Gréczy told a press conference that “it seems Vladimir Putin can hardly wait to see Hungary consumed by debt, and his junior officer Viktor Orban wants to reassure the Russian president with the minister’s appointment … which now chains Hungary to Moscow.”

János Süli should resign immediately unless he wants to become “directly responsible” for Orbán’s “betrayal” of Hungary, Gréczy said. He urged the next “democratic government” elected in 2018 to abolish the “Orbán-Putin pact” as well as the Paks upgrade that “will put Hungary in debt to Russia”.

Hungarian president Áder appoints minister for Paks 2 upgrade

Budapest, April 26 (MTI) – President János Áder appointed on Wednesday János Süli minister without portfolio responsible for Hungary’s nuclear power station upgrade known as Paks 2.

János Süli, the mayor of Paks, the town in central Hungary nearby the plant, will be responsible for the planning, construction and installation of two new blocks. This includes coordinating administrative tasks and the overseeing surrounding area’s development, among others, in keeping with the Hungary-Russia intergovernmental agreement.

Government office chief János Lázár will continue to represent the Paks project in talks with the European Union with Süli’s input.

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Hungarian government: 2018 budget designed to benefit employees

Daily News Hungary economy

Budapest, April 20 (MTI) – Next year’s budget, the draft of which is to be submitted to the Fiscal Council on Thursday, is targeted at people who make a living as employees, János Lázár, head of the government office, told his weekly press conference.

Lázár said the 2018 budget will focus on “employment, support for families and security”. He added that “when Fidesz is in government there is no election budget”.

Concerning actual measures in the budget proposal, Lázár mentioned reducing VAT on fish and internet services to 5 percent.

He confirmed that the government targets an economic growth rate of above 4 percent, a budget deficit of 2.4 percent of GDP and a public debt-to-GDP ratio of 72-73 percent. Around 80 percent of the budget will go towards running the country and 20 percent towards economic development, he said.

Lázár added that next year’s tax laws and legislation supporting the budget, as well as an amendment to the 2017 budget, will also go before parliament. This year’s budget needs to be modified to reflect wage hikes, lower employment-related contributions as well as revenues from state-owned land sales, he said.

The budget is expected to be submitted to parliament next week and the national assembly will vote on it before June 15.

Speaking about the project to upgrade Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant in Paks, he said the investment was not dependent on a loan from Russia and could be financed from the country’s own coffers or from other loans which “may even be cheaper” than the Russian one. Preparatory works for the upgrade will cost 100 million euros, and Hungary has the option of financing from the budget, the Russian loan or through the issuance of government bonds to be underwritten by an international consortium. The Government Debt Management Agency and the Economy Ministry will have to choose the fiscally optimal financing method, he added.

He said there were no obstacles in the way of preparations for the upgrade. Paks is not dependent in any way when it comes to fuel supplies either, he said, adding that the fuel could be purchased “from any source”.

Lázár said the reason why the project needed a minister without portfolio to oversee it was because it is a priority investment that would greatly impact Hungary’s economy and the entire region. He noted that János Süli is expected to be sworn in as minister in charge of the project on May 2. Lázár added that Süli would practice ownership rights over the company managing the Paks project. In addition to keeping in contact with the European Commission concerning the project, the minister will also be the one dealing with matters regarding the plant’s capacities, Lazar added.

Concerning the government’s energy strategy, Lázár said the goal was to secure 50 percent of Hungary’s electricity from Paks and the other half from green sources, primarily solar.

On the subject of planned changes in connection with domestic trade policy, the minister said the economic cabinet had come to the realisation that new negotiations must be opened up between employers, employees and representatives of consumer protection bodies. “It’s difficult to get on with the regulation of multinationals because they’ve got a lot of friends at every level,” he said.

The government office chief also talked about the need to reduce tax bureaucracy. He said the cabinet had discussed a strategy for carrying out a complete overhaul of the national tax office (NAV) after 2018 in the interest of boosting the country’s competitiveness. He said the authority would continue to be headed by a state secretary, adding that NAV would not be able to prepare companies’ tax returns before 2018.

He also said the government was proposing to re-regulate the profession of legal advisor and to add clarifications to the laws regulating the lawyer’s profession.

Environmentalists sue govt over Paks nuclear expansion project

Paks nuclear plant

Budapest, April 19 (MTI) – Environmental groups in Hungary are launching a lawsuit to prevent the planned upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, a project which they see as hazardous to residents and the environment.

Greenpeace Hungary and Energiaklub said in a statement on Wednesday that the Pest County Government Office had turned down their earlier appeal against the project’s environmental permit. They insisted that “a number of crucial issues” around the planned project, such as the handling of radioactive waste and protecting residents, as well as contingency plans for acts of terrorism, sabotage or war were still unresolved.

They also suggested that there were “no guarantees” that the plant, complete with two new blocks, would not overheat the river Danube, whose water is used in the plant’s cooling system.

Photo: atomeromu.hu

Parliament committee approves minister in charge of Paks upgrade

Budapest, April 19 (MTI) – Parliament’s committee for sustainable development on Wednesday approved the appointment of János Süli as minister without portfolio in charge of overseeing and managing the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant. Süli’s appointment was approved with seven votes in favour and one abstention.

Süli’s appointment was approved with seven votes in favour and one abstention.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced last week before parliament that he would appoint a minister without portfolio to oversee the project.

Süli, the current mayor of Paks, worked at the nuclear plant for 31 years in a variety of positions, including as its chief executive.

The amended government decree on the creation of the position of minister without portfolio in charge of the project was published in the official gazette Magyar Közlöny last Wednesday. The amendment took effect on Thursday.

 

Photo: MTI