State Secretary for Environmental Affairs Zoltán Illés has been awarded the 2011 honorary membership of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), based in Great Britain.
At their informal meeting held in Sopot, Poland, on 6 September 2011, the transport ministers of the European Union discussed the possibilities of involving private capital in improving transport infrastructure. Presenting Hungary's position, Minister of State for Infrastructure, Pál Völner participated in the consultation of the ministers of the Visegrád countries.
On August 31 a combined “Welcome Home” and farewell ceremony was held in the banquet hall of the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC). Lt.-Gen. József Kovács,the Commander of the HDF JFC handed over tokens of appreciation and medals to the troops returning home from missions and wished the departing ones soldiers’ luck.
In Hungary the new government, which has been in office for 15 months, implemented several key measures, and the early preliminary positive signs of the prudent and sound economic policy is visible in the macro trends.
On the occasion of the 485th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács – on Sunday, August 28 – the new reception building of the National Historical Memorial Site of Mohács was inaugurated with all due solemnities in Sátorhely, where Dr. Gábor Szarka, the Head of the MoD Cabinet Office was also present, and laid wreaths.
Hungary – with full support to the Statement by the spokesperson of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the elections in the breakaway region of Abkhazia in Georgia of 27 August 2011 – does not recognise the constitutional and legal framework of the presidential elections held in Abkhazia (Georgia).
The new government order, according to which farmers who have suffered damages because of seeds contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are to receive 360 thousand forints per hectare in compensation from the state, comes into force today.
As requested by Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Hungarian Ambassador in Libya received the fact finding mission in Tripoli led by a high-ranking representative of the European External Action Service.
Hungary sympathises with the Syrian people’s peaceful demonstrations demanding democratic changes.
We welcome the success of the National Transitional Council in gaining authority over Libya which will enable the advancement of its democratic objectives. The Government of Hungary regards the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. Following the meeting of Foreign Minister János Martonyi and the Leader of the Council in March 2011, over the recent months contact with the NTC has been continuous through our special envoy to Benghazi.
Pursuant to the new government resolution, the role of the workgroup, which has been convened for the first time today, is to co-ordinate the various tasks related to keeping Hungarian agriculture free from genetically modified organisms.
We have done an awful lot, but we still have a lot of work to do for the revival of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and of the whole country – said Minister of Defence Dr. Hende Csaba at the swearing-in ceremony held in the morning of August 20.
The peace demonstration held near the town of Sopron on the Austrian-Hungarian border accelerated the collapse of the socialist regime and became a significant antecedent of the eastern expansion of the European Union, pointed out Minister for National Development Tamás Fellegi at the 22nd Anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic in Sopron on the 20 August 2011. The event, also attended by Minister of State for the Coordination of Development Policy, Ágnes Molnár, the Minister inaugurated the reconstructed Commemorative Pan-European Picnic Park.
On 25th July 2011 the Hungarian Government submitted its 8th report to the European Commission and the Council outlining the progress of measures taken to correct the excessive deficit, including structural reforms.
Hungary completely rejects gold mining with cyanide – this is the decision of the government with regard to the planned mine opening in Verespatak. State Secretary for Environmental Affairs Dr. Zoltán Illés drew Romanian Minister of the Environment László Borbély's attention in writing to the fact that cyanide technology is unacceptable to Hungary, as is the potential danger posed by waste sludge ponds and the models with which the Romanian government has attempted to analyse the levels of pollution that could reach Hungary.
Welcome home ceremony for peacekeepers coming back from Bosnia Herzegovina and Somalia in Tata
On Wednesday, August 3, the troops of the 8th rotation of the HDF European Union Force Contingent (EUFOR-8 HUNCON) coming home from Bosnia Herzegovina, and the soldiers, who completed their service in the European Union Training Mission – Somalia (EUTM-Somalia) were greeted in the presence of their family members and relatives in Tata.
On Tuesday, August 2, a farewell ceremony was held at the HDF Lt. Ittebei Kiss József Helicopter Base in Szolnok for the troops of the fifth rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent (KFOR-5 HUNCON) that deploy to Pristina. MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Economy Dr. Gábor Márki and Deputy Chief of MoD Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Zoltán Orosz graced the event with their presence.
“The harvest is complete in the majority of the country. The quality of wheat is excellent, with average yields in excess of four tons per hectare” – announced State Secretary for Agricultural Economy György Czerván at a press conference held at the Sziget Festival. State Secretary for Rural Development Zsolt V. Németh spoke to journalists about various newly available support programmes.
A millet cake with apricot sauce made by the Zila Coffee House and Confectionary in Kecskemét won this year’s National Cake Competition. The professional jury chose László Zila’s dessert, which had already made an appearance at the 13th Mutton-cooking Festival in Karcag, and which the public will also be able to try during the August 20 festivities in Budapest, out of three cakes that had reached the finals.
The Visegrad countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - express their concern with the recent situation in Ukraine triggered by the decision of the Pechersk District Court and the following arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko.