The 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16) was concluded with an agreement on 10 December 2010. With the adoption and signing of the agreements drafted by the working groups, the participating member states ratified the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and declared the necessity of drafting a new climate treaty. The adopted documents also set out the commitments of the United States and developing countries relating to climate policy and the reduction of greenhouse gases. The Hungarian delegation was led by Péter Olajos, deputy state secretary of the Ministry of National Development responsible for the development of the green economy and climate policy. The Hungarian delegation included several climate policy experts of the ministry.
The leadership and diplomatic corps of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary was shocked to hear the sad news of the death of Presidential special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.
Minister of Defence of the Hungarian Republic Dr Csaba Hende participated in the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU in Brussels on 9 December.
Pál Völner, state secretary of the Ministry of National Development, met British Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond in the spirit of the preparation for the EU presidency on 9 December 2010 in London.
One of the most important goals of the National Collaboration Government established in May 2010 is the development of Hungarian rural areas, and, at the same time, the regaining of respect for rural life. The affairs of Hungarian rural regions and agriculture are not only the problems of those living in villages and involved with agricultural production, but the whole of society shares in the successes and failures of rural areas. Deviating from previous years the present government is setting a fundamentally new direction for the development of agriculture, it is primarily promoting the development of small and medium sized family enterprises.
The Márai program to be financed from a HUF 1 bn budget will start in January 2011, the target of which is to support the publication, distribution and presence in libraries of literary and educational works – announced Géza Szőcs, under-secretary responsible for culture and Marcell Jankovics, president of the commission of the National Cultural Fund on Thursday.
It is indispensable for Hungary's renewal that corruption is recognized as a common enemy. In recent years, unpunished and systemic corruption and its toleration has had a major role in the development of the country's financial and economic situation, and in the degradation of everyday moral standards and trust in society. The government which came to power in May is committed to raising the level of trust in the state, and it will ensure responsible management of national assets and public funds, the exposure of corruption, and the prosecution of those found guilty of criminal malpractice.
The troops stationed at Camp Nothing Hill were visited by Colonel Carlo Emiliani, the newly appointed Commander of the Multinational Battle Group-West, MNBG-W, Lieutenant Colonel Boris Rutar, Deputy Commander of MNBG-W and Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Del Lungo, Commander of the Italian manoeuvre company.
According to the announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office, in the 2011 budget the Government will increase the subsidies to sports to more than one and a half times as high as compared to the present sports budget of HUF 16 billion.
Effective as of 3 December 2010, the Minister for national development, Tamás Fellegi has been appointed Government Commissioner for Hungarian-Chinese Economic Relations for a term of 18 months.