The proposal submitted by Mayor Gergely Karacsony was adopted by 22 votes in favour, with Fidesz-KDNP councillors abstaining.

The assembly accepted the report of the State Audit Office on the review of the city's budgetary and financial situation. The negotiations will also be necessary to implement the sustainable budgetary economy enshrined in the constitution, it said.

Councillors have tasked Karacsony with briefing the government on the decision and "to take all necessary steps so that negotiations can continue."

In the proposal, Karacsony said the "most important conclusion" in the ASZ’s report was that the city’s efforts alone were not enough to resolve the current situation. "We have already taken the measures we could, and will carry on with them in the interest of ensuring economic stability," the mayor said, adding that "in many cases these are only short-term solutions".

He said the report also concluded that financial techniques would not be enough to resolve the city’s problems this year, and the metropolitan council had no other options besides "significantly reducing the quality of public services".

Karacsony said it was therefore critical that representatives of the government and the Budapest city council resume talks in order to avoid the city becoming insolvent and endangering public services.

He noted an earlier court ruling declaring the amount and method of imposition of the solidarity contribution unconstitutional.

Fidesz’s Gergely Kristof Gulyas said the ASZ report concluded that the Budapest city council had exhausted its reserves, and that its budget had been unfounded.

David Vitezy of the Podmaniczky Movement said the ASZ had neglected to monitor the expenditures of Budapest transport centre BKK, and the company was "a monopoly that sets the price of its services itself".
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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