Brussels: Hungarian MOL may acquire Slovenian oil company
The European Commission approved Hungarian oil and gas company MOL’s acquisition of Slovenian peer OMV Slovenija on Wednesday.
Austria’s OMV had agreed to sell MOL its Slovenian unit, including 120 petrol stations and a wholesale business, in June 2021, MTI reports.
The EC aired concerns over the deal, in its initial form, as it would reduce the number of significant retail motor fuel operators in Slovenia from three to two and significantly reduce competition in the market for retail motor fuel sales from non-motorway fuel stations.
In March 2023, MOL said it agreed to part with 39 of its petrol stations in Slovenia to win EC approval of the deal.
On Wednesday, the EC said commitments, including the divestment of the 39 petrol stations to Shell Group, “fully address” competition concerns identified earlier.
Hungarian President: ‘We won’t send our sons and husbands to battlefield’
Hungary and Slovenia continue to nurture and build good relations, President Katalin Novák said after meeting Slovenian counterpart Natasa Pirc Musar in Budapest on Wednesday.
Novák noted that Hungary is Pirc Musar’s first official port of call after her election, and their talks focused on the war in Ukraine, prospects for the European integration of the Western Balkans, as well as bilateral cooperation, national minorities and demographics, she added.
Pirc Musar and Novák agreed on condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine and finding a quick route to peace, and seeking allies to achieve this. Peace in the region and Europe “is at stake,” she said. Ukraine should not be “encouraged to harbour irrational expectations regarding the aid they get: we won’t send our sons and husbands onto the battlefield,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region is home to 150,000 Hungarians fighting to restore their acquired rights, she said. If Ukraine aspires to become a European country, it should live up to European standards, she added. At the same time, Hungary has accepted and aided some 1.5 million refugees since the start of the war, she added.
Novák also said the situation of minorities was “exemplary” in Hungary and Slovenia, and “set an example for how to support and honour minority citizens”. The EU has an interest in the integration of the Western Balkans, and the process should be speeded up, she added.
Meanwhile, Hungary is working to curb its dependency on Russian energy, and counts on Slovenian support in this, she said. Novák also invited Pirc Musar to a demographics summit in Budapest in September, saying that challenges in the field had an impact on Europe as a whole. Responding to a question, Novák said noted she would receive Pope Francis in her office in the Sandor Palace next week, and they would together pray for peace in Ukraine.
Orbán: Hungary and Slovenia can count on each other
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received Natasa Pirc Musar, the president of Slovenia, in his office in Budapest on Wednesday, MTI reported.
As good neighbours, Hungary and Slovenia can always count on each other, Orbán said at the meeting. Ties between the people and economic players of the two countries are also strong, he said. The Hungarian and Slovene national minorities serve as a bridge between the two countries, Orbán said.
At the meeting, Orbán and Pirc Musar discussed the issue of European security with a focus on the war in Ukraine and the possibilities of promoting peace.
They both underlined the importance of the integration of the Western Balkan region with the European Union.
This Hungarian train route is one of Europe’s best!
Want to find the best scenic train route in Europe? Euronews collected the best ones for you, and even a Hungarian one is included.
According to Euronews, the Ljubljana – Budapest route by train with Hungarian Railway is one of Europe’s most scenic train routes. Based on their compilation, it was launched in December 2021. “The Hungarian Railways train from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Budapest, Hungary, runs through Graz in Austria for a scenic ride. The journey takes 7.5 hours, and prices start as low as €16 each way”, they wrote.
The railway is one of the most eco-friendly means of public transport. That is why the European Union is investing in the modernisation of several lines, including some in Hungary and the neighbouring countries. They would like to promote this option because train travels are not just environment friendly but also fun.
HERE you may find their collection of the best European train lines.
Here is a video, though not a professional one:
The most significant acquisition in OTP Group’s history is closed
OTP Bank has been committed to Slovenia via its subsidiary SKB banka, which has been part of the banking group since 2019. The integration process of Nova KBM and SKB banka, which begins now with strong support of OTP Group, will result in creating a leading financial institution providing innovative solutions and inspiring opportunities to its clients and employees. During the integration process both banks will continue to operate at the usual high quality of services without any changes in the product portfolio. Customers of Nova KBM do not need to do anything in connection with the ownership transfer.
As of today, OTP Bank officially owns Nova KBM Group, including Nova KBM d.d. and Aleja Finance d.o.o. The bank has purchased the group from funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (80%) and EBRD (20%). At closing, Nova KBM’s 100% stake in Summit Leasing Slovenija d.o.o. has been divested from the Nova KBM Group and retained by the Apollo funds and EBRD.
The Nova KBM acquisition will further strengthen the position of OTP Group on the Slovenian banking market. With the transaction closing, the banking group represents a dominant position and capabilities with about 30% market share, and became market leader in terms of loans and deposits.
- read also: Hungarian OTP to establish a bank in China
“Nova KBM is one of the most innovative banks on the Slovenian market, and it has become a very valuable member of OTP Group. With this transaction and merger, we confirm not only our long-term and serious commitment to Slovenia but also demonstrate that OTP Group has a solid foundation, it is well capitalized, has an outstanding liquidity, and the management is committed to strengthening regional presence,” stated Sándor Csányi, Chairman and CEO of OTP Bank. He added that this event is an important milestone, not only in the development of the banking group in Slovenia but also for OTP Group generally.
“The purchase of Nova KBM is the most significant acquisition of the Group to date, and Slovenia is the fifth country where we became market leaders. We work to ensure that the future merger of SKB banka and Nova KBM will be highly beneficial for individual customers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, but corporate clients and the employees of both banks will also profit from the optimal size of the new, merged bank. This not only implies the development of superior quality and excellent value for money banking products and services, as well as easier access to branches and ATMs, but also brings bigger digital and innovation capacities. Nova KBM will continue to serve its clients with cutting-edge services, a high level of professionalism and friendliness – now the first difference they will see when they visit the branches and online channels will be the color of the corporate logo, which gradually goes green in line with OTP Group’s brand,” Mr. Csányi added.
John Denhof, CEO of Nova KBM: “We are excited about the planned merger of Nova KBM and SKB banka, we believe the winners of the integration will be our clients and our employees.
With closing of this transaction, Nova KBM also completes its unprecedented transformational journey under the ownership of the Apollo funds and EBRD. On behalf of the Management Board, I wanted to thank them for all the support, focus and guidance over the last few years, which allowed Nova KBM to become one of the leading financial institutions in Slovenia. OTP’s rich experience in banking and mergers will mean a lot of contribution and support and we look forward to our progress toward becoming the very best bank in Slovenia. Together with SKB banka we are committed to ensure a smooth integration process and will make sure that all our clients will be timely notified about the key milestones related to the merger of both banks.”
Anita Stojčevska, CEO of SKB:
“In the period of being a member of OTP Group, our mother company has already proven its strategic role and development orientation. SKB banka was successfully integrated in the OTP Group and we will be more than happy to share our knowledge and experiences with our new colleagues. We also believe that past OTP and Nova KBM merger stories will help us all to successfully build the new future leading bank of Slovenia together. In the period of integration in SKB banka, we will continue to be strong and reliable financial partner, always focused on clients’ needs. As an employer we will continue to enable employees to develop their potential and encourage team spirit. We are committed to combine the best of each bank to become the story of success.”
Michele Raba, Apollo Partner, said: “Following six successful years of Nova KBM ownership by the Apollo funds and EBRD, we are all very proud of what we have achieved together with Nova KBM’s team, and thank all of Nova KBM’s incredible management, employees and Supervisory Board for their hard work and support. Under our ownership, Nova KBM underwent an amazing transformational journey and met or exceeded all its strategic targets, successfully merging and integrating four banks including Abanka. Nova KBM has profoundly strengthened its corporate culture, simplified products and improved client services, and ultimately attracted the interest of a high-quality strategic buyer.
We wish Nova KBM and OTP Group best of luck in this new, exciting journey.”
The integration process of the two banks is planned to be completed in about 1.5 years. Until the end of the integration process, the two banks will operate as separate entities and under separate brands. The merged bank will offer great opportunities for the group’s collective clients and employees. A notable benefit of the future merger of Nova KBM and SKB banka is that clients will be able to use a wide network of about 450 ATMs of both banks in Slovenia without fees for debit card cash withdrawals soon after closing.
Read also Orbán: Hungarian OTP will buy a big Uzbek bank
Hungary and Slovenia in talks
Hungary and Slovenia are working to develop mutually advantageous cooperation in forestry, wildlife management and to coordinate preventive steps in animal health, Agriculture Minister István Nagy said on Saturday, after meeting Irena Šinko, his Slovenian counterpart.
Nagy told a joint press conference after the meeting in Felsőszolnok, in southwest Hungary, that Hungary was cooperating with Slovenian experts to increase the size of wooded areas to 27 percent of the country’s territory by 2030, from 23 percent today.
He also said the two countries would cooperate to make sure that African swine fever, which has not yet spread to the west of Hungary or to Slovenia, remains contained, he said.
Šinko called for support for small farms and traditional forms of agriculture on both sides of the border.
Read alsoVIDEO, PHOTOS: Brutal windstorm in Hungary, buildings collapsed, trees uprooted, traffic disastrous
PM Orbán holds talks in Slovenia
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks with former counterpart Janez Jansa, head of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), in Slovenia on Wednesday afternoon, Orbán’s press chief said.
The talks focused on current bilateral and international affairs, Bertalan Havasi said.
The Defence Forces plane was also in Rome and then headed to Slovenia. It is not known whether the Hungarian Prime Minister was on board.
It is not known whether Viktor Orbán was on the plane. “Either the Prime Minister is so unlucky that he is always with his wife where the luxury jet of the Hungarian Defence Forces is, or he really travelled on it”, Ákos Hadházy, an independent Member of Parliament, said on Facebook.
PM Orbán changed his favourite personal accessory – can you spot it on the photo?
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán travelled to Slovenia today to celebrate the linking of the two countries’ electricity grids with his Slovenian counterpart. The photo he posted of his departure shows that something important changed in his outfit. Can you spot it?
The Hungarian prime minister has a new black backpack, the official one of the 2022 Qatar Football World Cup. Mr Orbán has always been a football fan and regularly used the official backpacks of the world cups. He has used that bag of the 2006 world cup (organised by Germany) for years. In July 2014, he bought the Brazilian version and donated the previous one to the Hungarian National Museum.
Orbán shared a post on the first day of the 2022 Qatar World Cup saying that Serbia would win the tournament. Serbia is currently last in group G but still has a chance to advance from the group stage if they defeat Switzerland this evening.
Read alsoPM Orbán’s scarf scandal extends: Austria jokes, Slovakia horrified, Orbán reacted
Bertalan Havasi, the prime minister’s press chief, said when Orbán’s timetable allows him, he will watch the matches in the stadium as an official guest of FIFA. However, he did not tell whether Orbán had already been to Qatar for the world cup. Telex.hu asked who gave the prime minister his new backpack, but they have not received an answer yet.
Orbán: Hungary-Slovenia relations free of problems
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Slovenian counterpart Robert Golob for a working lunch in Maribor on Friday, Orbán’s press chief said. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, and the talks focused on the challenges affecting energy security in Europe, Bertalan Havasi said. The two sides were in agreement that the linking of the two countries’ electricity grids was a great success, with work already completed and a ceremonial event to be held in the presence of the two prime ministers in Cirkovce later in the day, he added.
Orbán and Golob also stated that bilateral relations between Hungary and Slovenia were free of any problems and they expressed support for further economic development in border regions.
Read also PHOTOS: Centre for Hungarian children opened in Slovenia
Hungary-Slovenia energy link ‘symbol of hope for the future’
The linking of Hungary and Slovenia’s energy infrastructures is a symbol of the two peoples’ hope for the future, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a ceremony marking completion of the construction of the cross-border Cirkovce-Pince electrical transmission line, in Slovenia’s Cirkovce on Friday. Hungarians and the peoples living on the territory of the former Yugoslavia used to be cut off from each other, the prime minister said. Hungarians therefore built all of their links in an East-West context, whether it be gas, oil or electricity, he added. This separation remained after the breakup of Yugoslavia, making Slovenia the only one of Hungary’s neighbours with whom it had not had its gas, oil or electrical grids linked, Orbán added.
Trade tool for peace, mutual understanding
Trade is a tool to bring about peace and mutual understanding between communities, the regional development minister told a business forum organised by the Zala County and the Prekmurje chambers of commerce in Lenti, in southwest Hungary, on Thursday.
Joint economic regions, independent from “borders which merely outline administrative units”, make trade easier, cheaper and safer, thereby boosting growth and prosperity, Tibor Navracsics said.
Aleksander Jevsek, the Slovenian minister for development and EU cohesion, said the joint projects offer new business opportunities in the region. The next financial cycle prioritises digitalisation, innovation, green transition and shaping a smart society, and will offer opportunities to companies as well as local authorities and non-profits, the traditional beneficiaries of cross-border schemes, he said.
Hungarian FM: Cooperation with neighbours even more valuable in current situation
Predictable cooperation with neighbours, based on mutual respect, is made even more valuable in the current crisis situation, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday, adding that Hungary-Slovenia relations were extremely useful to both sides.
The ministry cited Szijjártó as telling a joint press conference with Slovenian Minister of Economic Development and Technology Matjaz Han that prices were skyrocketing as a result of the Ukraine war and sanctions which threatened recession in Europe. It is therefore all the more important to discuss developing economic cooperation, he said.
Szijjártó praised Hungary-Slovenia relations and said the sides planned to further develop them by mutually supporting investments in each other’s countries, which could significantly contribute to maintaining economic growth. He added that the foundations were solid, with bilateral trade turnover getting close to 3 billion euros last year and increasing by 30 percent in the first six months of this year.
Certain large Hungarian companies have become regional players, such as MOL, OTP and Wizz Air, he said. The first two companies are to become the largest participants in their respective markets and Wizz Air is developing a hub in Slovenia, he added.
He also said that an international test environment has been developed for self-driving vehicles in the Zalaegerszeg-Graz-Maribor triangle which will result in an advantage in competition. Hungary-Slovenia cooperation contributes to energy security between the two countries, with their interlinked electricity networks operating in test mode since June without any problems.
He welcomed the regional power exchange to be set up with the participation of Hungary, Slovenia and Serbia by the end of this year which he said could result in lower prices. The current recession is not caused by economic problems but by security challenges and Hungary is determined to be a “local exception” in a situation that threatens with continental recession, he said.
In response to a question, he said the escalation of the situation in Ukraine was clearly going in a dangerous direction and “we are in the very last minute to turn the events back”. “Instead of efforts that result in escalation and the use of war rhetoric, it is high time for Europe to shift the focus and concentrate all efforts on establishing peace,” he added.
He said he will participate in events of the Russia Energy Week on Thursday in order to talk about the importance of peace and to ensure that Hungary has no problems with energy supplies. “Those who criticise me for this do not want peace to return. And they do not care about ensuring that Hungarians get their energy supplies,” he added.
Read alsoZelenskiy’s advisor gives his views on Hungary
PHOTOS: Centre for Hungarian children opened in Slovenia
Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, inaugurated a children’s preschool development centre built with Hungarian government support in Radamos, in north-eastern Slovenia, on Tuesday.
The centre has been built with the aim to provide help to preschool children in need with their development, Potápi told public media in the town. The facility will provide care for children, Hungarian and Slovenian, coming also from Lendava (Lendva) and other towns and villages in Slovenia’s Prekmurje (Muravidek) region, he said.
The centre cost 276 million forints (EUR 660,000) to build within the framework of the Carpathian Basin nursery development scheme, the state secretary said.
Here are some photos:
Photos: facebook.com/potapiarpad
Council of Europe: Hungarian education in the neighbouring country must be improved
The Council of Europe’s specialised body for the protection of minorities has recently published a report on the situation of national minorities in Slovenia. According to the European Council, the Hungarian language and education in Hungarian should be improved in Slovenia.
The Advisory Committee for the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), overseen by the Council of Europe, has recently reported that Hungarian is taught in Slovenian-Hungarian bilingual classes in Slovenia. This does not ensure equal use of Hungarian and Slovenian in schools, index.hu writes.
Read alsoHungarian FM: Chinese investments could ensure Hungary growth amid recession
This project, according to the FCNM, does not guarantee that students will acquire a full range of Hungarian language skills. According to representatives of the Hungarian national minority, the proportion of Hungarian in bilingual classes depends in practice on the teacher.
Both Hungarian and Italian are available in Slovenia. However, there is a shortage of civil servants. The Slovenian Ministry of Culture supports cultural programmes proposed by Hungarian and Italian national minorities through an annual direct call for proposals. Measures to combat hate speech have been included in the 2019-2023 national anti-crime programme.
The authorities fight stereotypes and prejudice and publicly condemn anti-minority rhetoric.
Read alsoHungarian minister: UN should ensure protection to ethnic minorities’ identity
What is the message of August 20 for the Hungarians living in Slovenia?
“Wherever we may live in the Carpathian Basin or the world, August 20 finds us Hungarians together,” Péter Szilágyi, a deputy state secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, said in Dobrovnik, in eastern Slovenia, on Sunday, marking the national holiday celebrating Hungarian statehood.
“The message of August 20 is that we should go back to the foundations, examine them and examine ourselves in relation to these foundations,” Szilágyi told a ceremony.
Wherever they may live in the world, Hungarians are bound together by those foundations which can be recognised by their shared language, their uniform culture, traditions and in history, he said.
- Read also: PHOTO report on the 20 August celebrations
“In Dobrovnik there is no need to emphasise the importance of learning traditions, following the customs of our ancestors or unity in action,” he said. Szilágyi pointed out that the village of Dobrovnik was not only preserving the cultural heritage of Slovenia’s Prekmurje (Muravidék) region, but also passing it on to future generations.
The Hungarians of the Carpathian Basin have the Hungarian community of Prekmurje to look to as an example when it comes to their achievements in recent years, Szilágyi said. “The Hungarians living here regularly demonstrate their attachment to the land they live on,” he added.
Read alsoDefence minister: army officer corps must regain prestige
Hungary Armed Forces aiding Slovenia fight against wildfires
The Hungarian Armed Forces are aiding Slovenian forces combatting the largest wildfire of the country’s history, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook on Sunday.
Hungary is aiding the efforts with an Mi-17 helicopter and a crew of 13. The operation is under joint Slovenian and Hungarian command.
“We are proud of the helicopter unit of the Hungarian Armed Forces who helped their Slovenian brothers in arms in stopping the destruction,” Szijjártó said on Facebook. Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Falon thanked Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia for their help in combatting the fires.
Read also Hungarian minority headquarters opened in Lendava, Slovenia – PHOTOS
Hungarian minority headquarters opened in Lendava, Slovenia – PHOTOS
Presidents Katalin Novák of Hungary and Borut Pahor of Slovenia attended the opening of the new headquarters of the Prekmurje Hungarian local government ethnic community (MMÖNK) in Lendava (Lendva) on Friday afternoon.
At the event wrapping up her two-day official visit to Slovenia, Novák welcomed that Prekmurje Hungarians are represented in the Slovenian parliament and their rights to their language, education and cultural self-determination are guaranteed. She said that by contributing to the building’s refurbishment the Hungarian government also aimed to help Lendava prosper.
Pahor said “this is a fortunate phase of history for both Slovenians and Hungarians because they live in a sovereign state, with ethnic Hungarians in Slovenia and ethnic Slovenians in Hungary binding together the two nations”. “We, Slovenians and Hungarians are proud of our national identity which we must nurture in Europe, our great common home,” he said.
Ferenc Horváth, the president of MMÖNK, said that “an old dream of the [Hungarian] community has come true”, adding that the new headquarters will help them keep together and preserve their heritage.
Hungarian president in Slovenia: Europe must be united in response to war
Europe must be united in its response to the war in Ukraine, Hungarian and Slovenian presidents Katalin Novák and Borut Pahor told a joint perss conference after their talks in Ljubljana on Friday. The Hungarian president noted that her meeting with Pahor this week was her second since taking office earlier this year and that her visit to Slovenia was her first official trip to a neighbouring country. Novák praised Hungary and Slovenia’s developing economic ties, highlighting their increasingly close cooperation in infrastructure development.
Slovenia’s Prekmurje (Muravidék) and Hungary’s Rábavidék regions on the border are functioning more and more like a joint economic area,
Novák said, noting the two governments have earmarked an annual 5 million euros each for a five-year economic development plan for the region. The president also highlighted bilateral cooperation in the areas of education, culture, heritage protection and science.
Novák thanked Slovenia for their treatment of their Hungarian minorities. “This becomes even more important in a time of war,” she said. Hungarians in Slovenia can live peacefully, preserving their traditions and their mother tongue, and can contribute to Slovenia’s development without having to give up their Hungarian identity, she said, adding that this was also true of Slovenes living in Hungary.
As regards the war, Novák said Europe needed to remain united in its response to the conflict. It should, however, examine the consequences of its decisions before taking them, she added. Europe must make decisions that primarily hurt Russia, she said.
Novák said the war had also resulted in challenges that affect the entire region, such as the energy situation, price rises, inflation and growing migration pressure. Managing these challenges requires stability, which requires resources she said, adding that Hungary also needed access to the European Union funds it was entitled to.
Meanwhile, Novák expressed Hungary’s support for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, saying that granting candidate country status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and speeding up Serbia’s accession process were in Europe’s fundamental interest.
Pahor thanked Novák for selecting Slovenia as the first neighbouring country to visit in her capacity as president. “This is a courtesy which signals the continuation of good relations between our two countries”, noting his eight meetings held in the previous ten years with former Hungarian President Janos Ader. “We are living in a very complex geopolitical time which is why we need friends,” Pahor said.
He thanked the Hungarian president for her unconditional support for Slovenia’s position on the EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Asked about the war in Ukraine, Pahor said Russia attacked its neighbour “in an illegitimate, immoral manner” in which way it has also attacked collective European values. “We must band together to achieve a just peace, because such a peace will only be lasting if the rights of a country that has been attacked is ensured,” the Slovenian president said.
Slovenian, Hungarian presidents start meeting by jogging around Lake Bled
President Katalin Novák went jogging along the shore of Lake Bled with Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor ahead of their meeting on Thursday.
Novák said she had decided with Pahor to start the official programme of her two-day visit with sports activity on the shore of the lake.
“We’re both sportspeople — regular runners and marathon runners — so we’re starting this meeting by jogging together,” she said. “We also want to send the message that sport brings people closer together and helps build close ties.”
Slovenia and Hungary, she added, “are neighbourly countries that maintain very good relations. We want to strengthen these links at presidential level.”
- Read also: President to visit Slovenia
On Friday, Novák is scheduled to lay a wreath at the memorial to soldiers who died in wars in Ljubljana and then hold a plenary meeting Pahor. She will follow with bilateral talks with Prime Minister Robert Golob.
She will hold meetings with representatives of the Raba regional Slovenian ethnic community and the Prekmurje Hungarian local government ethnic community (MMÖNK). She is also scheduled to attend the opening of the new MMONK headquarters in Lendava (Lendva).
Read alsoKőszeg, the jewellry box of Western Hungary – PHOTOS
President to visit Slovenia
President Katalin Novák is paying an official visit to Slovenia on Thursday, at the invitation of President Borut Pahor.
“Hungary has a vested interest in maintaining a good relationship with its neigbours. Our economic and cultural cooperation is getting stronger, and there is a special focus on Hungarians living in Slovenia and Slovenians living here,” Novák said on Facebook.
Read also Hungarian president: “Bolsonaro and I are ambassadors of peace”
Novák is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Robert Golob and National Assembly President Urska Klakocar Zupancic. She will also attend the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Prekmurje Hungarian local authority in Lendava (Lendva), in north-eastern Slovenia.
Current gas reserves equal 1/4 of annual consumption
Hungary’s natural gas storage facilities were 44 percent full and were being filled up further, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said after meeting the Austrian, Czech, Slovak and Slovenian foreign ministers in Budapest on Wednesday.
The current reserves equal a quarter of annual consumption, he said, adding that Europe’s reserves currently averaged 16.7 percent.
Hungary has also held trade talks on buying gas in addition to the amounts contracted in long-term agreements, and expects to have the opportunity to buy another 700 million cubic meters of gas before the start of the heating season, he said.
Meanwhile, the government is ramping up the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, he said, with the aim of “setting the first blocks of concrete in the ground by next year”. The government is also working on finding alternative transport routes for fuel rods which normally transit Ukraine, he said.
Read alsoFilling up gas reserves key to economic stability
Szijjártó warned that Europe, especially Ukraine’s neighbours, faced “extremely grave challenges” to their “physical security” due to the war, as well as “wartime inflation” and “total uncertainty” with regard to energy supply.
Szijjártó said it was crucial to strengthen economic ties among Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and Czechia.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the war in Ukraine had further exacerbated a situation already made difficult by the coronavirus pandemic. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was using “famine as a tool” in his war, and so it is important to aid the Sahel region, he said, referring to stranded Ukrainian grain deliveries to the region.
Meanwhile, the Western Balkans, Schallenberg said, remained a geostrategically important region, adding that it was “imperative” that Bosnia and Herzegovina obtain EU candidate status as soon as possible.
Ivan Korcok of Slovakia said coordinating gas deliveries was “important”, and said the reserves should be benchmarked against consumption. Slovakia has also sufficiently filled its reserves, he said.
Korcok also welcomed the steps taken to advance Moldavia and Georgia’s EU integration.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Falon said the five-country talks gave an opportunity to reach agreements on common challenges. She said migration pressure plagued Slovenia too, but the Schengen Area should continue to function freely. Slovenia is therefore dismantling the fence on its border with Croatia while continuing to ensure protection and security, she said.
Szijjártó said Hungary was contending with the dual pressures of taking in more than 830,000 refugees from Ukraine while preventing 120,000 illegal migrants from entering at the southern border.
He said Hungary would continue to care for refugees while stopping illegal migration at its border, adding that the country has spent 1.6 billion euros on those two objectives, while Brussels had reimbursed only 2 percent of the costs so far.
The only permanent solution will be peace, Szijjártó said. Until then, the government has a duty to protect Hungary and Hungarians from the war and its fallout, he said. Hungary is setting up “border hunter” units to push back against growing migration pressure, he said. The new troops are all the more needed as “illegal entrants are armed more and more often as they try to cross the border,” he said.
Hungary-Slovenia electricity transmission line operational
The cross-border electricity transmission line between Hungary and Slovenia linking the electricity grids of the two countries came online on Thursday.
Transmission operator Mavir said Slovenia was the last of Hungary’s neighbours to link up with its grid. It will be incorporated into the capacity calculation process from July 6.
Slovenia carried out the construction work for the last stretch of the 400 kV line between Cirkovce and Heviz on its side of the border between August 2020 and June 2022. The Hungary-Slovenia border can now become part of the European coupling projects for day ahead (SDAC) and intraday (SIDC) timeframe, Mavir said.
The European Union contributed to the financing of the project.
