Government office chief: difference between Hungary, EC views on budget ‘not irreconcilable’

There are no “irreconcilable differences” between the goals of the Hungarian government and the position of the European Commission concerning the community’s budget, the Hungarian government office chief said on Friday, adding that it was necessary to continue Europe’s cohesion policy.

Lázár spoke following talks between representatives of the Visegrád countries and four other EU members, as well as Günther Oettinger, EU commissioner for the community’s budget and human resources, in Budapest.

Concerning the community budget after 2020, Lázár said his government wants to see one which “ensures a development in which Hungary is a net contributor in the subsequent budgeting period”.

Participants in the talks agreed that contributions may need to be raised, and did not exclude the possibility that they may increase their payments to 1.1 percent of the gross national income (GNI) in future.

Lázár called reduced bureaucracy a shared interest and urged that procedures to implement the budget are made faster and cheaper.