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Hungarian government proposes EUR 8.1 bn in extra funding to Budapest
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The government is proposing handing Budapest extra development funding worth 3,000 billion forints (EUR 8.1bn) from the central budget, Balázs Fürjes, state secretary for developments in the capital and its agglomeration, told public media, ahead of a session of the Municipal Development Council.
The extra funds would go towards health projects, universities, and road and park development, Fürjes said.
“Hungary cannot succeed without a successful Budapest,” Fürjes said, adding he hoped that the city would lend its support to the government’s programmes.
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Answering a question about substantive plans, Fürjes said that the city’s suburban train network (HÉV) had been neglected. The system calls for renewal and enlargement to encourage more people in the suburbs to leave their cars at home, he said. Concerning green developments, he said that projects under way at 39 locations would create new parks “covering the area of 2,500 football pitches”.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said in reaction to the government’s proposal that the grand total should be “spent on developments Budapest voters authorised [city leaders] to make”.
Karácsony insisted that the city had been appealing to the government to negotiate on how EU funds were used “for months”. “Let’s see the list of projects, then we’ll be ready to sit down for talks — every day if necessary,” the mayor said.
“I take the future of Budapest, as well as government, seriously. Seriousness requires talks first and briefing the press later. The government has just done it the other way round,” Karácsony added.
Fürjes said in a video posted on Facebook after the Municipal Development Council session that agreement had been reached on several matters. It has been agreed that the government would provide to local municipalities 10 billion forints annually over five years under the arrangements of a scheme dubbed Healthy Budapest. The money can be used for revamping and building doctors’ surgeries and outpatient facilities and the purchase of therapeutical and diagnostics equipment, he added.