The Government is to start creating conditions for an industrial overhead reduction and, in relation to this, will set up a non-profit public utility company. The necessary legislation is expected to be passed in Parliament by the end of this year, Minister of National Development Zsuzsa Németh announced at a press conference evaluating the results of the MVM Group in the past four years in Budapest on Tuesday.
The Government has no intention to change its earlier designed energy policy; the work embarked upon will be continued, Zsuzsa Németh pointed out. Evaluating the past four years, she mentioned the acquisition of Főgáz’s minority shares from RWE and emphasised that, with the Government’s authorisation, negotiations could begin on the acquisition of the majority stake held by local authorities. Negotiations are also to continue on acquiring three gas network companies as well as the customer service company of E.on.
Recalling the overhead reduction for households, Zsuzsa Németh mentioned that the Government would start creating conditions for industrial overhead reduction as well. In relation to this, the Government is to set up a non-profit public utility company; the necessary legislation on public services is to be passed in Parliament by the end of this year, the Minister pointed out, emphasising that industrial overhead reduction could facilitate improving the competitiveness of the national economy.
An important prerequisite for guaranteeing safe energy supply in the country, establishing energy independence and creating the necessary conditions for industrial overhead reduction is an extension to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The loan agreement for the latter is also to be submitted to the new Parliament, Zsuzsa Németh said.
The Minister emphasised that the MVM Group was a strategic player in the Hungarian economy with significant results, whose activity would be of priority importance in the coming period as well.
(MTI Hungarian News Agency)
