Budapest assembly approves theater funding deal, rental apartment construction and panel renovation schemes

The Budapest metropolitan assembly on Wednesday approved an agreement between the city council and the government on funding for theatres.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony’s proposal on the agreement between the city council and the minister of culture and innovation concerning the joint operation of theatres received unanimous support. Under the agreement that will be in effect until Dec 31, 2029, the central government will finance the operations of seven theatres in the capital, and is required to at least match the funding the metropolitan council allocates towards the upkeep of Budapest-run theatres.

Support needed for survival

The city of Budapest has struck an agreement with the government regarding financial support for the capital’s theatres, Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor, said on Tuesday. “Theatres in the capital can breathe a sigh relief: permanent companies are now safe and support for independent theatres will more than double,” the mayor said on Facebook.

He added that the federation of independent theatres (FESZ) will continue to distribute central government support among its members. State support in addition to the city’s contribution of 150 million forints (EUR 370,000) would be enough for independent theatres “to survive”.

Two pilot programs accepted

According to the index.hu, the city assembly approved starting a pilot program to build new rental homes in the capital and reduce rental prices by increasing supply. Furthermore, they also accepted the so-called “Green Panel Renovation Programme” with which they would like to help renew the panel apartments in the districts that join the scheme.

Szentkirályi asks mayor to launch procedure against Tisza’s Kollar

Fidesz’s group leader in the Budapest city assembly, Alexandra Szentkirályi, has asked the city’s mayor to sanction Kinga Kollar, who is both a municipal representative and MEP of the opposition Tisza Party, under rules which ban local government representatives from activity that could undermine the public trust required to carry out their duties, arguing that Kollar had acted against Hungary’s interests in Brussels.

In her speech before the start of the assembly’s business on Wednesday, Szentkirályi insisted that Kollár had forfeited the right to her mandate, saying she had “acted against the interests of the people of Budapest and the Hungarian people”, and had lost the trust of the public.

The Fidesz politician said Kollár had “expressed shame” for being Hungarian and had openly declared in an EP committee meeting that the conditionality procedure under which 21 billion euros of EU funding has been withheld was “a very effective tool” of blackmail against Hungary.

Szentkirályi said that Tisza’s representatives in the capital had openly admitted to holding the view that they benefitted politically “if things are bad for the Hungarian people”.

She said local government representatives had a duty to represent the interests of the community, adding that “a person working in Brussels” who lobbied against her country with a view to denying funding for Hungarian frontline services such as hospitals had no right to a political position.