Latest news with #GergelyGulyás
Budapest Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Gulyás: Country where conscripts are beaten to death is ‘not ready for EU membership'
In connection with a report the cabinet meeting heard on the Ukrainian situation, Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, told a regular government press briefing that a country where someone 'is beaten to death during forced conscription is not ready to become a member of the European Union'. Gulyás said so far, not all EU member states had aligned themselves with Hungary's 'firm stance'. 'We're also taken aback since the Hungarian man who lost his life was a Ukrainian as well as a Hungarian citizen, so we're talking about a European Union citizen,' he said. 'So Hungary has called on the EU to place those who took part in the man's murder … on the EU sanctions list,' he said, adding that if the EU failed to do so, Hungary would take the case into its own hands, 'and we will take action'. Gulyás said the case was not an 'isolated problem', and he referred to a Council of Europe human rights report condemning Ukraine's forced conscription practices.
Budapest Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
Gulyás: EU's draft budget for the next 7-year funding cycle is ‘unacceptable'
The draft budget allocates 88 billion euros for Ukraine and another 190 billion for its EU accession, accounting for around a quarter of the total budget. Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said on Wednesday that the European Union's draft budget for the next seven-year funding cycle is 'unacceptable', arguing that it would cut cohesion and agricultural funding for member states in order to 'divert them to Ukraine'. Gulyás told a regular government press briefing that the draft budget allocates 88 billion euros for Ukraine and another 190 billion for its EU accession, accounting for around a quarter of the total budget. The money would be diverted from cohesion funds and the agricultural subsidies that are critical for central and southern Europe, Gulyás said, expressing the government's agreement with protests by Hungarian and European farmers. Gulyás called on all Hungarian political players to condemn the European Commission's draft budget, saying that 'anyone who supports this budget in its current form, considers Ukraine to be more important than Hungary'. While diverting subsidies to Ukraine, money that Brussels spends on its own bureaucracy will be increased, he said, adding that 2,500 new hires and salary rises were on the cards. Hungary will stick up for its own interests and those of Central Europe, and insist on the return to 'an objective cohesion policy free from conditionality used to blackmail the member states'. It also insists on farm subsidies remaining in their current form, he said. Gulyás said no one was under the illusion that the budget could be passed in the next 10 months. The commission, he added, wanted it to be adopted in the second half of 2026, 'and this gives member states an opportunity to protest'. The budget can only be adopted unanimously, he added. Meanwhile, he said a subsidised credit programme for first-time home buyers is set to start on Sept 1. Gulyás said public consultations on the home loan scheme would start early in the coming week, adding that the banking system was ready for the roll-out on September 1.
Budapest Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
Gergely Gulyás: Whoever supports this budget, finds Ukraine more important than Hungary
At today's Government Info press briefing, Minister Gergely Gulyás described the draft as a 'pro-Ukraine budget' and emphasized that Hungary cannot support it in its current form. According to the minister, the leaked proposal allocates a quarter of the EU's entire budget—€190 billion for Ukraine and €88 billion for enlargement purposes—while cutting funding for cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. 'They're taking money away from farmers and cohesion and sending it to Ukraine. Anyone who supports this is placing Ukraine ahead of Hungary,' Gulyás declared. The government expressed full solidarity with Hungarian farmers protesting the cuts. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had earlier warned that the proposal would make European farmers the biggest losers while positioning Ukraine as the primary beneficiary. 'This draft cannot even serve as a basis for negotiations,' Gulyás asserted, adding that the Commission also aims to expand EU bureaucracy by hiring 2,500 new employees and increasing their salaries—moves the Hungarian government considers unjustifiable. In response, Hungary is calling on all political actors to reject the Commission's proposal and reaffirm their support for a cohesive agricultural policy that benefits all EU citizens. The government also urged a return to an objective cohesion policy, free from political conditionality. Beyond budget issues, the government introduced the 'Home Start' loan program. Starting September 1, working Hungarians without their own home will be eligible for a 3% mortgage loan of up to HUF 50 million. The loan—available for a maximum of 25 years—can be used for flats priced up to HUF 100 million or houses up to HUF 150 million, with a price cap of HUF 1.5 million per square meter. The regulatory framework will be finalized by early August. The briefing also addressed growing concerns about Ukraine's internal practices. Minister Gulyás condemned the recent death of Sebestyén József, a Hungarian-Ukrainian dual citizen who died from injuries sustained during violent forced conscription. He stated that any country where such practices occur is unfit for EU membership. 'He was not only Ukrainian, but a European Union citizen,' Gulyás said, calling the lack of response from other EU member states 'shocking.' Hungary has proposed adding three Ukrainian military officials involved in the case to the EU sanctions list.
Budapest Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
Hungary launches low-interest housing loan program for first-time buyers
Minister Gergely Gulyás explained that the initiative targets those aged 18-40 who haven't previously owned residential property and have had social insurance coverage for at least two years. The program includes price caps: HUF 100 million per property and HUF 1.5 million per square meter. A HUF 20 million loan would translate to a monthly payment of HUF 94,000, while a HUF 50 million loan would mean a HUF 237,000 monthly payment. The scheme is set to launch in September, with banks already preparing to sign contracts. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the initiative a major step for young people, stating it would be available 'to anyone, anywhere.' Furthermore, the program is separate from existing family-based benefits and can be combined with them. The government also addressed other key issues. Minister Gulyás reaffirmed Hungary's opposition to Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO, citing public consensus and strategic considerations. He noted increasing pressure from Brussels and Kyiv but reiterated Hungary's stance: EU enlargement should follow NATO accession to preserve security. On climate resilience, the government confirmed that the drought defense task force remains active, backed by HUF 4.7 billion in support and HUF 10 billion in free irrigation water for farmers. Despite EU opposition, this measure will continue. Additionally, Government Spokesperson Eszter Vitályos praised astronaut Kapu Tibor's space mission, calling it a national achievement. She also highlighted that from July 1, the family tax benefit has increased by 50 percent, with another raise scheduled for January. The government stressed that these policies aim to maintain political stability and social support while navigating external pressures, particularly concerning EU policies and enlargement strategy.
Budapest Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Orbán hails more than 2 million mailed responses in Vote 2025
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has hailed the result of more than 2 million mailed responses in the government's Vote 2025 survey on the issue of Ukraine's membership of the EU. In a video uploaded to Facebook, the prime minister joined people in Budapest counting paper returns and thanked them, adding that a notary would soon certify them and the official results would be released later this week. Gergely Gulyás told a regular government press briefing last week that with the referendum coming to a close, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will be able to represent a national position at the EU summit that reflects its outcome. He said the Vote 2025 ballot would have the highest or second-highest response rate of all National Consultation public surveys so far, adding that the response rate was also twice as high as in the opposition Tisza Party's survey on the topic earlier this year. Gulyás underscored the importance of the vote, saying that the matter of whether the EU would suspend all existing regulations to force Ukraine into the bloc would have a fundamental impact on Hungary's future.
