State Secretary heading the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár has concluded an agreement with the Jewish Heritage of Hungary Public Endowment and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany so that Holocaust survivors of Hungarian origin living in foreign countries may receive compensation as soon as possible.

In order to speed up payments, the Government has authorised the Jewish Heritage of Hungary Public Endowment to transfer USD5.6 million within three working days to Claims Conference, which is in charge of handling payments.

The negotiating partners also agreed to appoint the Hungarian affiliate of the international KPMG auditing company to oversee the payment processes. KPMG is to prepare a report complying with international standards and the law on public finances.

As is common knowledge, the largest and most flourishing Jewish community in Central Europe lives in Hungary, and the Government has always paid special attention to the members of the community. The dedication of the Government is proven among others by the fact that it has increased the life annuities of Holocaust survivors living in Hungary by 50 percent.

(Prime Minister's Office)