In compliance with the original plans, the National Asset Management Ltd. helped settle the housing problem of a total of 15 thousand families, i.e. 60-70 thousand individuals, until the end of last year, Minister of National Development Zsuzsa Németh announced at a press conference evaluating the performance of the company so far, held in Budapest on 3 January, 2014.
Some 6 billion forints (20 million euros) has been spent over the past three years on developing living conditions on Hungary's rural farmsteads with a view to keeping farmsteads populated, but according to Minister of State Gyula Budai, funding must continue to be available for several more years within the framework of the Farmstead Development Programme before living conditions for the some 300 thousand Hungarians who live in farmsteads reaches the level of those living in municipalities.
Minster for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas has confirmed that his Austrian counterpart, Andrä Rupprechter, has asked to have a meeting with him with relation to new Hungarian farmland acquisition regulations that may affect Austrian farmers.
Hungarian Gripen fighters are to provide the protection of unified NATO airspace not only over Hungary as in accordance with the plans Slovenia, which has no fighter capabilities, has been in our area of responsibility since the beginning of this year – Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet reports on Thursday.
Last year, the central government took over a total of HUF 880 billion (EUR 2.96 billion) debt amassed by local governments, and is planning to take over a further 430 billion, Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics said in Zalaegerszeg (Western Hungary) on Friday.
The Government has difficulty understanding the statement made by the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities today. Hungary's Fundamental Law clearly states that "We date the restoration of our country’s self-determination, lost on the nineteenth day of March 1944, from the second day of May 1990, when the first freely elected organ of popular representation was formed. We shall consider this date to be the beginning of our country’s new democracy and constitutional order".
With 2014 approaching, the beginning of Holocaust Memorial Year in Hungary is also imminent. The year-long commemorative event aims to reach out to the widest possible range of Hungarian society and to help the public understand, remember and mend the scars of one of the greatest traumas of Hungarian history.
Despite of the continuing financial crisis and plummeting economic indices in Europe, the Hungarian economy showed significant growth compared to both recent years and other EU economies.
Hungary recently won an important court battle against the European Commission with relation to GMOs, confirming the policy of the Hungarian Government. In addition, in 2013 the Government launched programs supporting farmers’ market and local communities.
The 2013 Meeting of States Parties of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention was held in Geneva from 9 to 13 December, chaired by Ms Judit Körömi, Special Representative of the Foreign Minister for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation. For the first time in the history the Convention, the 2013 meetings were chaired by a female diplomat.