Gergely Gulyás, PM Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff called today morning the protection of the EU’s borders a “patriotic duty”, adding that the government would ensure that the necessary resources are in place. The interior ministry is planning to reinforce border controls and recruit volunteers, who would be deployed after a fast-track course, he added. Gulyás also noted that the number of illegal entry attempts had shot up, from a daily 350 in 2020 to more than 1,000 at present.

He highlighted that the humanitarian impact of the “unfortunate pullout” of international forces from Afghanistan, as well as developments at the Belarus-Poland border, were elements of a migration crisis facing the bloc. Gulyás said
 
Hungary was “loyal to Poland”.
 
“It is important that Poland receives all assistance that Hungary was denied in 2015, when it started protecting the EU’s southern borders”. The EU must reimburse countries protecting its external borders, Gulyas insisted. Hungary requested a reimbursement of 580 billion forints, but has not yet received a response from the European Commission, he noted.
 
Regarding the government’s recent decision to
 
cap the price of petrol and diesel at 480 forints (EUR 1.3) per litre from Nov. 15,
 
he noted that fuel prices had shot up during the past year, adding that Hungary had the sixth or seventh cheapest fuel in the European Union. In four countries petrol is cheaper, while in Malta and Cyprus the current prices are similar, he said, adding that Croatia was the only other EU country to cap its fuel prices, at the equivalent of 550 forints.
 
 

Concerning utility bills, Gulyás said Europe was facing an energy crisis, with the price of natural gas having increased by an average of 400 percent in European markets. This has had a knock-on effect on the price of electricity, which has doubled over the past year. He added that household bills had increased in every European country except for Hungary, which maintains a cap on utility fees.

Gulyás

 
slammed the leftist opposition for suggesting that the government’s scheme to cut utility bills was unsustainable, and he confirmed the government’s commitment to keeping consumer utility prices at the same level.
 
He added that low utility prices also contributed to Hungary’s competitiveness, with a positive impact on the economy’s growth.