Péter Magyar, who heads the Tisza Party’s list for the European parliamentary elections, said in Debrecen on Sunday. Speaking at a gathering in the city centre, Magyar said “this is the largest political demonstration of the past decades”.

After marking Mothers’ Day, Magyar pledged that the party would double the family allowance if it received the mandate to govern.



Magyar, who also serves as deputy leader of the Tisztelet es Szabadság (Respect and Freedom) party, said Hungary had received 40 thousand billion forints (EUR 102.5bn) in European Union funding so far, and insisted that a significant portion of that money was in “private equity, yachts, castles, hotels, Bordeaux vineyards and offshore accounts.”

He said Hungary was being operated as a “family company” which his party would dismantle if they came to power.



Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Magyar said the party was pro-peace and stood for peace talks as soon as possible. The European parliamentary and local elections in June would be “a watershed moment”, and would be decided between the ruling Fidesz party and Tisza, Magyar said.

“Those voting for Fidesz in 2024 would vote for the threat of war and war agitation, and those voting for Tisza will vote for peace, the future, and the safety and happinness of our children and grandchildren,” he said.



Regarding the issue of battery manufacturing plants in Hungary, Magyar said the plants were putting people and the environment at risk, and had been built after “the dismantling of oversight institutions.”

Should his party come to power, they will restore the environmental ministry and strengthen the authorities in question, and tighten laws and oversight, as well as ensure that the localities should benefit from the financial profit of the investments, he said.

Magyar also said his party had garnered the recommendations to set up a list in “almost every county”.



Meanwhile, Lázár: Development of SE Hungary a Priority

The government regards the development of south-east Hungary as a priority, the minister for construction and transport said in the town of Makó.

János Lázár told a press conference at the town’s industrial park that the government aims to develop an industrial area similar to those is the cities of Miskolc, Debrecen and Nyíregyháza near Szeged, in southern Hungary, “so that Szeged can finally take its place among strongly developing and prosperous cities”.

The government is working to implement infrastructure developments connected to Chinese car manufacturer BYD’s investment near Szeged, he said.

It is ploughing hundreds of billions into linking the car plant with the highway, as well as setting up a rail link between Budapest and Szeged, and developing the drinking and waste water system to satisfy the plant’s demands, he said.

The government will also ensure that gas and electricity capacity is up to mark, he said. The investment will benefit the entire region, he said. Makó is linked to Szeged through a highway, and the government is mulling reconstructing a rail link and building a suburban rail link with Szeged, he added.

The industrial park in Makó currently services 50 companies but will need to be expanded to satisfy demand, in addition to the 3 billion forint water system upgrade already under way, Lázár said. Moreover, a subsidiary of Chinese COFCO Packaging is investing 27.5 billion to build a packaging plant in the park, he added.

China is the largest investor in Hungary, Lázár said, adding that the Budapest-Belgrade railway line was a “pilot project” in the EU, as the first instance of Chinese signalling and safety systems would operate in the European railway system.
 

*********************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: 
Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here:
XpatLoop.com/Newsletters

Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers?
Then just contact us here!