Under those contracts, 4,400 billion forints will go to some 20,000 winning bidders, Lázár said, adding that the winners have been selected out of a total 124,000 applicants.

Lázár said that in the previous budgeting period between 2007 and 2014 only 15% of community funding for Hungary benefitted Hungarian companies, in all other cases they were absorbed by a “multinational capital suction-pump”.

The government now seeks to increase that ratio to 65%, he added. Lázár said that after 2020 the EU’s funding system will probably change, the focus being on loans rather than grants, and the EU will “seek to centralise distribution”.

It will mean that “neither parliament nor the government will have a say in awarding the funds; decisions will be made in Brussels”.

Concerning corruption, Lázár said that the cases contested by the opposition are associated with a group “which has a mere 5% share”, while in the remaining 95% “the opposition does not even raise a question”.

EU funds will contribute to meeting the government’s objectives in 2017, such as reducing regional differences, creating opportunities to close gaps and resolve issues around competitiveness, Lázár said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Soós Lajos