“The mission of the National University of Public Service (NUPS) as a 21st-century institution of higher education is the continuous renewal of the Hungarian statehood” – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed at the opening ceremony of the NUPS academic year in the Orczy Park, Budapest on 3 September. The Hungarian Prime Minister held his speech after Dr. András Patyi, the rector of the NUPS opened the academic year 2012–2013.

In his speech, Prime Minister Orbán emphasized that we waited 22 years for the establishment of a National University of Public Service, although there are similar institutions in almost every country belonging to the same cultural domain as Hungary.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the Government has been working at a stepped-up pace since 2010, which produced far-reaching changes. As a result of these, Hungary is now handling the crisis well. This work, however, is far from complete. The Government is currently laying the foundations to ensure free life and decent living to the Hungarian people for the long run, and the establishment of the university is a perfect example of these state-building efforts, of these consciously planned, coherent set of changes which result in a well-running country.

In his speech, the Prime Minister stated that the renewal of the Ludovika Campus is one of the largest city development projects in Budapest since 1990. He said that the National University of Public Service (NUPS) will provide the young people, choosing the service of the homeland as their vocation, with a strong sense of identity, up-to-date professional knowledge and motivation. Thus the university forms one of the key pillars for building our own future. Thanks to the interconnected careers ensuring mobility, those working in the field of public service will be able to pursue a stable and flexible career path in a merit-based promotion system. This is a new 21st-century institution of higher education whose missions includes the continuous renewal of the Hungarian statehood, the protection of the strong state and through it, the protection of Hungarian people and their interests.

Prime Minister Orbán thanked the students for having decided to pursue their careers in public service, and called them on to commit themselves to the service of national interests.

(Ministry of Defence)