February 1st, 2012

Gov’t spokesman confirms parliamentary approval needed for Hungary to join EU fiscal pact

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At the informal EU summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orban made clear that Hungarian parliamentary approval is needed for the country to join the EU’s fiscal pact, the government spokesman told public television on Wednesday.

Andras Giro-Szasz said Orban would recommend to the legislature that it support the country’s signature to the pact.

The spokesman told m1′s Reggel show that Hungary was in a fortunate position because the new draft formulated conditions which were already the country’s own thanks to the policies, such as reducing the public debt and starting structural reforms, set in motion over the past year and a half.

The heads of government and state of EU member states at the start of the week finalised details of the pact which obliges countries joining it to tighten budgetary discipline.

Giro-Szasz also commented on EU proceedings launched against Hungary. He said the official response to concerns Brussels raised in connection with the laws on the central bank, the retirement of judges and the data-protection commissioner was expected this week.

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4 Comments

  1. MagyarViking says:
    February 1, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    Hungary was in a fortunate position because the new draft formulated conditions which were already the country’s own thanks to the policies, such as reducing the public debt and starting structural reforms, set in motion over the past year and a half
    —

    Yes that is why the Hungarian State Debt was higher in the end of 2011, than when Fidesz came to power April 2010
    But it is in the Constitution!

    So when can we charge the Orban Regime for breaking their own Constitution?

  2. Leto says:
    February 1, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    So the two major changes, compared to what the December EU summit hastily proposed (Merkel-Sárközy idea) to the Prime Ministers on that weird night (they wanted a prompt commitment!) and which changed the Hungarian position on joining this fiscal pact:

    - now there’s no word whatsoever about tax harmonization (this is something Mr. Orbán categorically rejected)
    - obligations for signatory parties would be valid only from their joining the euro zone (strangely that wasn’t proposed so!)

    • MagyarViking says:
      February 1, 2012 at 11:35 pm

      Leto says:
      February 1, 2012 at 1:22 pm

      “this is something Mr. Orbán categorically rejected”
      —

      BS, the Hungarian position was ‘just misunderstood’, they were very positive to the agreement and it was just a small question of getting the Hungarian Parliament to use its rubber-stamp
      That is the essence on Orban communication after 9 AM that Friday morning

      But not like that Orban is unknown to have changed his opinion before…

  3. Tom says:
    February 1, 2012 at 2:23 pm

    Fiscal Pact is a nice way to say EU technocratic monetary rule, they will dictate taxation spending austerity and if you don’t like it SWAT teams are standing by.
    prisonplanet.com/european-fiscal-pact-intl-financial-dictatorship.html