Although the original deadline is the end of this year, it is possible that the agreement on the common European refugee system will be postponed to next year – said Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs at the press conference following the EU Ministers of Interior meeting.
In compliance with EU regulations, the Ministry of Rural Development seeks by all means to enhance animal welfare in Hungary.
"600 tons of plastic waster are generated in Hungary each year, of which 6 0tons are PET bottles", the Ministry of Rural Development's State Secretary for Environmental Affairs stated in Mezőfalva, at the inauguration of a plastic recycling plant. Zoltán Illés stressed, that "the remaining 540 tons should also be recycled, and so the Government is calling on enterprises that deal in waste management to recycle, and on the public to selectively collect their household waste".
President of Békés County Council Zoltán Farkas and State Secretary for Rural Development Zsolt V. Németh signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday in Békéscsaba regarding the development of a model project for the promotion of fish consumption in Hungary, and the increasing of productivity and the quality of processing.
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó held talks with Philipp Missfelder, Foreign Policy Spokesperson for the German CDU party.
According to the final estimate of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, in the third quarter of 2012 gross domestic product, as formerly anticipated, declined in Hungary by 1.5 percent in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year; compared to the previous quarter the contraction was 0.2 percent. Regarding the initial three quarters of the year, the economy posted negative growth of 1.3 percent in comparison to the same period of 2011. The entire European economy has been facing tough challenges and that is aptly reflected by international data which signal that the EU’s GDP declined by 0.4 percent.
Hungary will never be an outsider in the European Union and will one day participate in the Eurozone, Foreign Minister János Martonyi said in an interview with Austrian daily Die Presse published December 7, 2012.
Hungary's chance of reaching an agreement on a financial backstop from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union has diminished as positions have stiffened, Mihály Varga, Hungary’s chief negotiator said in an interview published in business daily Napi Gazdaság on Friday.
Minister Varga said that Hungary's official talks with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund on a loan agreement had stalled but coordination talks focusing on how to kick-start growth were still under way. IMF experts recognise the Government's efforts to reduce the deficit, he said.
Hate speech cannot be permitted; it is our moral obligation to stand by its targets, Foreign Minister János Martonyi told a conference in Budapest December 6, 2012.
In its ruling of 30 November 2012, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) rejected a significant part of the claims of the lawsuit filed by Electrabel SA against Hungary.
Minister for National Economy György Matolcsy and EIB Vice President Wilhelm Molterer have signed two project financing contracts amounting altogether to 560 million EUR to support the Hungarian economy.
The Ministry for National Economy as majority shareholder welcomes the first, successfully concluded phase of the bond issuance programme of the Hungarian Export-Import Bank Zrt. (Eximbank).
On 12 December, the Government will approve an agreement on the purchase of E.ON's gas business in Hungary, Minister of State heading the Prime Minister's Office János Lázár said on Thursday.
The Government wishes to reach an agreement with municipal councils regarding debt takeover by spring 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén stated on Wednesday at a press conference with Mayor of Eger László Habis.
The leaders of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, the Curia, the National Office for the Judiciary, the General Prosecutor's Office and the State Audit Office have been jointly assessing the anti-corruption measures of the past year. The organisations issued a joint declaration last year in which they undertook to achieve coordinated and effective action against corruption. Transparency International has also acknowledged an improvement of the situation.
The Hungarian Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT) has started withdrawing from Afghanistan; the development projects will be terminated and certain pieces of military equipment will be moved back home – Col. Antal Sipos, the commander of the last PRT told the special correspondent of Hungarian News Agency MTI in Camp Pannonia, the base of the HUN PRT on Wednesday, December 5.
„The atmosphere of NATO-Russian cooperation has improved significantly”, Hungary's Foreign Minister said on Tuesday evening, after the meeting of NATO foreign ministers with their Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov.
Government spokesman András Giró-Szász stated on Wednesday that the Ministry of National Development had been asked to work out the conditions under which a 10% cut could be implemented in the case of gas and electricity prices.
Due to the critical situation in Syria, Hungary suspended the activity of its Embassy in Damascus as of December 5, 2012, and all Hungarian diplomats have left Syria. As a result, the handling of consular affairs and visa issuances also terminated.
The first Special Operations Contingent of the Hungarian Defence Forces has started working in Afghanistan – Col. Tamás Sándor, the commander of the unit told the Kabul-based special correspondent of Hungarian News Agency MTI by phone on Tuesday, December 4.
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó and Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Goran Knezevic are the co-presidents of the Hungarian-Serbian Economic Joint Committee in Budapest.
The 31st Sofia International Book Fair has opened, with Hungary as the guest of honour. Tibor Navracsics, Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Justice, opened Bulgaria’s most prestigious review of the publishing and bookselling industry.
"The fact that Hungary is GMO-free puts Hungarian agriculture at a competitive advantage", stated Gyula Budai on Tuesday in Eger.
The law enforcement centre of Hidegkút was handed over in the 2nd district of Budapest on Tuesday. The institution will provide a 24 hour Police presence and four surveillance cameras – observing the most endangered parts of the neighbourhood - are also connected to the centre.