Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will present the Government’s standpoint on state debt in Parliament. The parliamentary debate “Who is responsible – Government debt and the reasons behind it”, initiated by Fidesz, will be held on Tuesday, 6 November.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi visited Vietnam on his way to the ASEM summit in Laos. Minister Martonyi stopped in Ho Chi Minh city where he had talks with leaders of the city, with a group of Vietnamese who used to study in Hungary, and had a meeting Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence have been shocked to hear that unknown perpetrators desecrated the monument to the airmen of the United States Air Force in Szigliget, whose aircraft crashed in World War II.
The Hungarian Government welcomes with respect the newly elected head of the Coptic Church.
On Wednesday the Government will discuss a report by the Ministry of National Economy on the state taking over the debt of local councils, Government Spokesman András Giró-Szász said.
As the result of successful negotiations between Australia and Hungary, the Social Security Agreement between the two countries, proclaimed in Hungary by the Act No. CXVII of 2011 has come into force on 1 October 2012 according to the communiqué of the Foreign Minister No. 39/2012. (VIII. 14.).
At a ceremony held in Parliament, the Prime Minister called Richter a success story and said the company played an outstanding role in the national economy. The government aimed to help Hungarian pharmaceutical production remain a global leader in the future and will support research and development of new drugs.
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó, who is negotiating in Vietnam, concluded several agreements on Wednesday.
Minister Martonyi will be representing Hungary at the upcoming ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) Summit in Laos early next week – said Szabolcs Takács, Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a roundtable discussion with journalists.
In a months’ time, the Ministry of Human Resources will call another tender for the integration and social support of the homeless, the State Secretary for Social, Family and Youth Affairs stated on Wednesday.
Hungarian cinema will be at the center of the Spanish film festival MUCE (Muestra de Cine Europeo Ciudad de Segovia, City of Segovia Festival of European Cinema). The program of the one-week-long festival, which begins on 14 November, was presented in the Hungarian Embassy in Madrid.
According to an OECD study on taxation policies published recently, it was Hungary where total tax burden as percentage of GDP declined to the greatest extent in 2011 compared to the previous year, and with regard to cutting the tax burden on income and profit as percentage of GDP Hungary also tops the list.
According to Minister of State for Economic Strategy at the Ministry for National Economy Zoltán Cséfalvay, it is obvious that an agreement with the IMF and the European Union can be no cure-all on its own.
Deputy Prime Minister responsible for national policy and church affairs Zsolt Semjén is currently on a visit to Moscow.
On Sunday, 4 November, Hungary commemorates the anniversary of the defeat of the 1956 Revolution and Freedom Fight. On the Day of Remembrance, we pay tribute to those heroes who stood by the ideal of freedom – even at the cost of their lives.
Implementation is continuing on the Public Administration Anti-Corruption Programme, which was adopted by the Government in March, and for which the next stage is strengthening of protection for whistle-blowers. On Wednesday an expert forum is taking place in the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice entitled ’How Can We Break Down the Walls of Silence in Cases of Corruption?’ Representatives from Hungarian public administration and experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are taking part and sharing their experience from Hungarian and international contexts.
The long-term contracts providing the backbone of Hungarian gas supply will expire in 2015. The possibility will open up in the meantime to develop a less concentrated wholesale gas market with larger competition.
According to the latest flash report of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), in August 2012 the volume of exports increased by 1.7 percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Foreign trade surplus amounted to 162.87bn HUF (587.6 million EUR) which is 38.72bn HUF (133.1 million EUR) more than the surplus recorded in August.
Minister Martonyi spoke at an international conference on the future of Europe, held at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, on 30 October.
On October 30 in the morning, Hungarian Minister of Defence Csaba Hende met with Ray Mabus, the US Secretary of Navy – who is on a visit to Hungary – at a bilateral discussion.
Not everyone is pleased with the Hungarian Government pursuing conservative values, the Minister said in his interview, adding that Hungary does not reject others' views and only expects respect from them. One of the criticisms towards Hungary is that the constitution contains the line: “God bless the Hungarians”, even though several other countries’ constitutions include God as well.
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó is participating on a Hungarian-Vietnamese economic joint committee meeting in Hanoi.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi held talks with French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Paris on 29 October and the two agreed on maintaining cooperation in economic and cultural projects.
The Government desires a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU), Hungary’s chief negotiator Mihály Varga stated in Hungarian television HírTV’s program, Rájátszás.
According to press information, the European Court of Human Rights has amerced Hungary in two cases in connection with taking three foreign asylum seekers into custody.