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In the event Martin József Péter , the managing director of Transparency International, moderator of the evening, began by saying that it was gratifying that despite the rainy autumn weather, many people attended the event and that many young people could be seen among the public.
I would say that the culture of debate is flourishing in Hungary
– Martin remarked, noting that a few days ago there had been a dispute between the government and the Momentum, where Justice Minister Judit Varga and MEP Anna Donáth were tense.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
In the first round, they sought to find out whether Hungary had won or lost with its new budget compared to previous budget cycles. Although nothing has yet been set in stone, the EU heads of state and government reached an agreement on the budget in July, so the corner numbers are already known. The government claims that the country has never won that much, while most opposition parties have claimed that the Hungarian prime minister has suffered a historic failure in negotiations and that Hungary will receive significantly fewer resources in the next seven years than before. .
The positions did not change either in the debate: according to Balázs Orbán, this was the first EU budget to be created after the UK left, which is why the available resources have decreased. At the same time, the Secretary of State believes that a good compromise has been reached and that in the next seven years Hungary will have very important resources, for which we had to fight. The problem, he said, is that the European Parliament is blocking the entry into force of this budget, so for the moment Hungary will not receive the money for which it has fought.
According to Katalin Cseh, this is not what Balázs Orbán incorrectly calls a “blockade”, in fact it is the normal course of business for the European Union, so the conclusion of the European Council must also be accepted by the European Parliament.
At the same time, Momentum MEP called it a historic step for heads of state and government to nod their heads to the European Commission’s proposal for joint EU borrowing, creating a € 750 billion reconstruction fund, of which Hungary receives around 1.5 billion HUF in development funds. According to him, this is also a great opportunity for Hungary, but it is the responsibility of the Orbán government to manage them amid the economic effects of the epidemic.
With the representatives of the Momentum we are fighting to get more money for Hungary, but that this money goes to a better place, that it is closer to the citizens, that the cities spend it as much as possible and that it is not stolen.
According to him, these are also the subject of debate in the EU, and the fight against corruption is not a mockery on the part of the Union, but a fundamental public interest.
Joint loan, joint tax?
According to Orbán, there is no reason to be too happy, because according to him, it is a debt that will eventually be borne directly or indirectly by the member states and will be owed to them for generations.
The Secretary of State also stated that the Hungarian budget has the necessary resources to control the coronavirus epidemic and that, compared to most countries, the national economy has weathered the first wave well, so we do not need funds from the EU as well as other member states. I would rather spend EU money on national strategic goals, large-scale infrastructure developments that would pay off in the long term.
It would be in our interest for these developments to take place, for the European Parliament to finally request the agreement and start the work we are facing. In comparison, we are here and we defend ourselves against the political campaign of the left opposition in Brussels.
According to the Czech Republic, the biggest debate in the EU at the moment about the approval of the budget is due precisely to what we will repay these loans. According to the current representative, there has been a significant political need for the European Union to have its own resources with which it can cover loans. These would be new and common taxes that the Union could collect centrally. The Czech Republic believes that the Hungarian government does not have a definite opinion on this, but at the same time it would be essential for Hungary to support the introduction of common taxes.
According to Orbán, Hungary is much more open to contributing more money to the functioning of the European Union, but does not allow it in fiscal matters, since it is a question of sovereignty. According to him, the introduction of such common taxes means a tax increase, which would reduce Hungary’s competitive advantage over the other 26 Member States, where taxes are higher than in Hungary.
Katalin Cseh affirmed that the discussion was not about raising the currently existing taxes, but about those that do not exist, but about the XXI. it is about collecting taxes that are considered justified in the twentieth century, such as the special tax levied by large technology companies.
Rule of law like an idiot
Regarding the spending of EU funds, the Secretary of State said that we have used this money well, which is also shown by the fact that in the last ten years Hungary has come close to the EU average.
At the same time, the Czech Republic highlighted why, if the government is serious, it will not allow anti-corruption mechanisms to tighten when it comes to spending EU money.
If there is no problem with this, is it not in our common interest not to steal this money?
-The politician of the Momentum nails Orbán.
However, according to Orbán, they do not really want to blame the conditions of the rule of law in Hungary, but rather the ideological political conditions. They want the Hungarian government to change direction in its immigration or family policy in exchange for money for development.
However, Czech criticism of the EU is not at all about ideological issues, and the European Parliament and the European Council are also discussing what measures can be taken to fight corruption in order to protect the financial interests of the Union.
However, Orbán believes that these criticisms are also not justified against Hungary, as Hungary is at the forefront of the fight against corruption.
However, Momentum MEPs pointed out why, if all goes so well in the field of corruption, Hungary will not join the EPPO. According to Orbán, this did not happen because the EPPO has the opportunity to choose between cases in its work, which is abuzz with corruption.
(Cover image: Sándor Bankúti / Index)
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