As a result of the cooperation between the 12th rotation of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT-12) and the German maneuver battalion, the inauguration ceremony of a new school recently took place in Gerdab village, Baghlan Province, Afghanistan.
The largest foot bridge in the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team’s (HUN PRT-12) area of responsibility has been built with international cooperation in Shahabudin region. The American, Hungarian, German and Afghan nations have jointly constructed the Gadi passage in five months.
The Government considers the proposal of the European Commission a great achievement which recommends that at the 20 June session the former verdict of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) with regard to the temporary suspension of resources from the Cohesion Fund for Hungary be revoked.
This decision is part of the report by the European Commission on the Convergence Programme and the National Reform Programme which were included in Széll Kálmán Plan 2.0.
Parliament declared 4 June the Day of National Cohesion in 2010. The country is remembering this year for the second time the day of the signing of the Trianon peace dictate as the Day of National Cohesion and the fact that every member and community of the Hungarian nation subjected to the jurisdiction of multiple states forms part of the single, unified Hungarian nation. On the occasion of the Memorial Day, there will be family and cultural programmes all day on Sunday, 3 June at Kossuth tér in Budapest and ceremonial flag raising on Monday, 4 June.
In February-April 2012 the increase of the number of employed, which has been a trend of the past two years, continued in comparison to the same period of the previous year – the Central Statistics Office of Hungary (KSH) reported earlier today. The number of employed among the population aged 15-74 increased significantly by 52 000 from 3 million 759 thousand one year ago to 3 million 811 thousand. Therefore, the rate of employment increased to 49.7 percent. Among the population aged 15-64 the number of employed increased from 3 million 728 thousand one year ago to 3 million 776 thousand, by 48 000. Thereby the rate of employment in this segment has increased to 56.1 percent.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary most firmly condemns the murder of more than hundred persons including children in Houla, Syria. We express our most sincere condolences and deepest compassion to the families of the victims.
Gyula Budai, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry's State Secretary for Public Administration Imre Farkas, and Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development for Parliamentary, Social and International Relations Katalin Tóth will be holding talks on the state of Russian-Hungarian co-operation in agriculture between May 29 and June 1 in the Russian Federation.
After 60 years, combat divers of the Hungarian Defence Forces are to dive into sea again. They are participating in mapping the wreck of SMS Franz Joseph I, a battle cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy lying at a depth of 45 meters. WO Bence Miklós, S/Sgt. Zsolt Horváth, Sgt. Lajos Bíró and L./Sgt. Péter Hollós, the combat divers of the HDF 5th ‘Bocskai István’ Infantry Brigade 24th ‘Bornemissza Gergely’ Reconnaissance Battalion set out for the Adriatic Sea on May 25.
May 15, 2012 was a special day in the life of the Hungarian contingent of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). On that day, with the completion of the preparatory period following the troop rotation, Maj. Gen. Chao Liu, the Force Commander of the UN mission made a tour of inspection around Sector 4.
The Government will consult the public primarily on issues related to the creation of jobs as part of another series of national consultations, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday in the morning show of the public service radio.
The Prime Minister believes it would be disastrous in Hungary’s current situation if we attempted to achieve economic growth at the expense of a rise in state debt. Viktor Orbán spoke about this in the morning show of the public service radio.
We do not agree with several findings of the US State Department’s survey entitled 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices because there is no discrimination against the Roma in Hungary, however, we respect and appreciate the remarks, Zoltán Kovács, Minister of State for Government Communication told MTI on Thursday by telephone from New York.
The Goose Liver Festival is being held for the first time in Budapest, in the beautiful Castle District. In addition to various versions of this delicacy, there will be Hungarian wines, cultural programmes, dance performances and concerts.
‘The new building is a dream come true, which will serve the recovery of patients,’ emphasized Miklós Szócska, Minister of State for Health at the inauguration of the National Institute of Oncology’s (NIO) new block. György Matolcsy, Minister for National Economy also attended the ceremony.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated at the press conference following the EU summit yesterday that each member state showed a constructive and supportive attitude towards Greece at the working dinner. The member states intended to convey the message to the Greek citizens that they should decide about the fate of their country with keeping in mind that Europe can only be their partner in saving Greece if they do not disregard the agreements made with the EU earlier.
The next ministerial conference of the Salzburg Forum organized by the Czech Presidency took place in Chateau Štiřín near Prague on 24-25 May, 2012. Mr. Sándor Pintér, Minister of Interior was the head of the Hungarian delegation.
In the past two years the unfavourable trend characteristic of the prior period has been reversed and the holdings of government securities of residents have risen gradually. This trend has accelerated from the beginning of 2012. As a parallel phenomenon, the holdings of residents within the total holdings of HUF denominated government securities have also increased, which is a positive development for households and the national economy, too.
The amount of cohesion funds disbursed to Hungary has increased significantly in the past two years. According to the European Commission’s latest data, the Orbán Government was able to draw EUR 5.1 billion from the available funds in less than two years, by 1 April 2012.
Hungary supports all forms and means of economic growth that do not result in increased debt, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday in Brussels, before the meeting of the heads of state and prime ministers of EU Member States concerning this topic.
The Hungarian Government does not agree with the findings concerning Hungary of Amnesty International’s annual report presented on 23 May.
According to the latest flash report of the Central Statistics Office of Hungary, in March 2012 the volume of retail sales were almost 645.2bn HUF and in Q1 2012 they amounted to 1758.7bn HUF in Hungary. Consequently, the volume of retail sales increased by 0.9 percent in comparison to the same period of the previous year. A determining factor of the increase has been sales at food, drinks and tobacco stores which correspond to almost half of total turnover.
The European Swimming Championships are being held in Debrecen, in the Mecca of the European swimming sports. Today is the second day of the event. After 2006 and 2010, this year, too, Hungary is hosting the grand event between 21 and 27 May.
The Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS) Course was organized for the 4th time by the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (MILMED COE) in Budapest on 15-17 May 2012.
The newly elected Board for the Jewish Heritage Public Foundation of Hungary, established by the Government of Hungary in 1997, held its ceremonial first session on 23 May, 2012. The Board had to be renewed so as to encompass the entire range of Hungarian Jewish communities and because too many members of the Board lived abroad, which caused difficulties in its operation.
The Ministry of Human Resources condemns the desecration of the statue of Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest and considers it as a repulsive act!
Budapest, May 22, 2012
Hungary’s National Strategy for Social Inclusion has received an extremely positive evaluation, and the document has been recognised as faithfully reflecting the aims expressed during Hungary’s 2011 EU presidency, and the results achieved since then.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary most firmly condemns the degradation of Raoul Wallenberg’s memory and the brutal defilement of his statue in Budapest.
Zsolt Németh, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, stated that even if all the circumstances demonstrate that it is impossible, we can always choose the right way, choose life, and it is a moral duty of human beings to decide for the right path. At an international conference in Budapest on Tuesday, Ilan Mor, Israel’s Ambassador to Budapest said that during the Holocaust humankind had shown its worst side.
Mihály Varga, candidate for minister without portfolio for leading the negotiations between Hungary and the IMF and the EU was heard today by the relevant parliamentary committee which supported his appointment in that capacity. As is known, Viktor Orbán is reshuffling his cabinet in some positions; Mihály Varga, who was previously State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office and also Finance Minister at the time of the first Orbán Government, will take over the lead of the EU-IMF negotiations from Tamás Fellegi as of 1 June.