Tibor Navracsics, outgoing Minister of Public Administration and Justice attended introductory hearings in front of three respective parliamentary committees this week regarding the topic of his candidacy for the role of Minister of Foreign in the currently establishing government.
President János Áder formally appointed the ministers of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's third government on Friday. Later, Parliament held a session at which Prime Minister Orbán addressed the new cabinet before their oath-taking ceremony.
There was majority support in the parliament committees for the appointment of Miklós Seszták to the position of Minister of National Development.
The new government seeks to introduce a career path model for police officers, Minister Sándor Pintér said at the joint meeting of the defence, law enforcement and national security committees, where the ministerial candidate’s hearing took place.
Hungary prioritises representing its national interests in dealings with the European Union, Tibor Navracsics, the nominee for the post of foreign minister, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.
The key objective of Hungary’s economic policy in the coming term is to make economic growth more deep-rooted and stable, to facilitate further employment growth and improve the competitiveness of the country, Mihály Varga said at two hearings of parliamentary committees preceding his nomination as Economy Minister for the next four years.
The Transport Council adopted a political agreement on three technical legislative acts of the fourth railway package at its session in Luxembourg on 5 June 2014. EU Transport Ministers discussed the Commission’s proposal on facilitating the transport of lorries that are longer and have a heavier weight than the currently used ones. The Hungarian delegation evaluated the transport achievements of the past four years and transferred the duties of the V4 Presidency to Slovakia, the country next to fill this position.
In the second half of 2013, some encouraging signs have emerged within the Hungarian economy that have been confirmed by recently published preliminary and detailed GDP data for the first quarter of 2014. Hungary’s GDP increased by 3.5 percent in Q1 2014 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. In international comparison, Hungary’s 1.1 percent quarter-on-quarter growth was – along with Poland’s – the highest within the European Union. The main forward-looking indicators are also signalling that the expectations of domestic market participants are positive: the economic sentiment index of the Hungarian Development Bank (MFB) has reached a new record with several sub-indices jumping to all-time highs, while the Purchasing Manager Index of the Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management (HALPIM) continues to indicate the firm future expansion of the sector.
One of the main reasons behind the HUF 269.4bn surplus was that due to the public holidays at the beginning of May budget wages and family benefits were transferred from the budget at the end of April. The significant fiscal surplus – also a result of higher tax and tax-type revenues – is also signalling an economic rebound. In the period January-May 2014, the deficit of the central sub sector of the state budget was HUF 681.7bn.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is set to represent Hungary at the inauguration ceremony of Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko in Kiev on Saturday.
The warning signs in the outcome of the recent European parliamentary elections must not be ignored, the Minister of State for EU affairs Enikő Győri told an international conference in Budapest on Thursday.
The Hungarian nation can be proud of having survived the Trianon Treaty of Peace of 4 June 1920, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said on Wednesday, the Day of National Unity.
We have seen signs of the withdrawal of Russian troops, but there are still tens of thousands of them along the Ukrainian borders, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a doorstep statement to the press in Brussels on Tuesday, June 3, in advance of the meeting of the Defence Ministers of member states. The two-day meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, which started on Tuesday in Brussels, is focusing on the situation in Ukraine.
Hungary suggests that a museum should be set up in Washington, DC, to pay tribute to the victims of communist dictatorships, state secretary at the justice ministry Monika Balatoni told reporters on Tuesday. Balatoni said that the proposal would be officially presented on June 11, at an event to be organised by the Hungarian and the Austrian embassies in the US Congress Library. The Hungarian government has offered to contribute one million dollars to a US foundation set up in 2007 in memory of communism victims, she said.
The pain of losing Hungary's freedom is the driving force behind the memorial to the victims of the German occupation in Budapest's Szabadság Square, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in a letter of reply to thirty Jewish American members of congress.
Hungarian foreign policy can only be successful if the goals of the nation are an integral part of it, Tibor Navracsics, the nominee for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.
In Q1 2014, Hungary’s GDP increased by 3.5 percent year-on-year. Quarter-on-quarter, the economy expanded by 1.1 percent. In international comparison, Hungary’s quarter-on-quarter growth was – along with Poland’s – the highest within the European Union. Final data are in line with preliminary statistics.
Tibor Navracsics, whose nomination for the post of Foreign Minister on Tuesday got the support of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the hearing that “no one can ever question that Hungary belongs to Europe”. He also told the committee that he sought to restore a consensus in foreign affairs.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks on increasing the competitiveness of the European Union, promoting economic growth and creating new jobs with Greek Head of Government Antonis Samaras in Athens on Monday.
A memorial plaque to soccer icon Ferenc Puskás was unveiled by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Erzsébet Puskás, the legendary player's widow, in Athens' Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium on Monday.
Last year, Kazakhstan was the third largest trading partner of Hungary within the Commonwealth of Independent States, with a total trade volume exceeding USD 261 million and up by 6.5 percent compared to last year. Within the above amount, the value of Hungarian exports was USD 210 million, signalling an increase of 34.3 percent year-on-year, Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said at the press conference following the fourth session of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) on Hungarian-Kazakh Economic Cooperation.
Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga, speaking on public broadcaster M1’s Ma reggel and Kossuth Radio’s 180 perc, said that the Government aims to formulate an industrial and economic development programme that identifies sectors upon which EU and domestic funding can be focused.
Hungary's foreign ministry, which is to deal with external economic affairs, will raise its profile, the ministry's incoming head, Tibor Navracsics, said in an interview with public radio on Monday.
In light of Q1 2014 data, the value of exports to international markets totalled EUR 20.8bn in the observed period. Foreign buyers purchased mainly products of the vehicle manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and food industry.
“Veszprém is a culturally charismatic city, where events are noteworthy all-year-round. Among those, VeszprémFest is a convex lens, which contributes to the strengthening of the city’s fame with world-renowned artists”, said Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics, parliamentary representative of the city of Veszprém this Friday at a press conference in Budapest where the agenda of the festival held for the 11th time was presented. Between July 15 and 20 Katie Melua, Vaya Con Dios and Youssou N'Dour will perform at the event.