Kehi said that it had completed an investigation and revealed irregularities in 61 of 63 projects that had received funding from the Norway Grants.

Scores given for projects during the assessment phase were found to have been modified in several cases without explanation, and this could have influenced applicants’ chances of winning support, it said.

Due to the “manipulation of the order of tenders”, some applicants may have lost out despite submitting quality bids, the statement said.

The Brussels office coordinating the Norway Grants even warned Ökotárs that there was an unjustifiably large number of rejections for applications with high scores.

László Szabó, the Hungarian parliamentary state secretary of foreign affairs, briefed the Norwegian ambassador about Kehi’s findings.

He said that Hungary seeks dialogue with Norway and handed over a formal invitation by cabinet chief János Lázár to Vidar Helgesen, the Norwegian minister in charge of EEA and EU affairs, for talks in Hungary.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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