PARLT APPROVES CHANGES TO OVERTIME RULES

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1 EDITORS: DECEMBER 13, 2018 PHOTO OF THE DAY UPCOMING EVENTS EU summit in Brussels Plenary session of parlt MTI/Márton Mónus LMP presser on labour code changes Gregorian Holy Chants Tour 2018 Opposition demo against slave law in Budapest TOP STORY PARLT APPROVES CHANGES TO OVERTIME RULES Parliament on Wednesday voted to extend the period employers may account overtime for the purpose of calculating wages and rest days from twelve months to three years, and to raise the upper threshold for annual overtime from 250 to 400 hours. The legislation on the measures was passed with a vote of 130 for, 52 against and 1 abstention. Unions had protested the planned changes, but the government argued they would serve the interests of workers for whom choosing to work extra hours would be voluntary. Opposition MPs started singing the Hungarian anthem during the vote, followed by booing while holding their MP cards in the air. They then left the chamber. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hailed the amendments as an important and good legislation. I pay attention to everyone, especially the trade unions, I observe their opinion, respect the freedom of opinion and take all the arguments raised into consideration. In this case, I believe the arguments raised weighed less than the bill. This is a good law that will work to the benefit of employees, Orbán told the press. He said earlier the legislation aims to support mainly employees of SMEs who wish to work more but can t, at present, because of silly bureaucratic hurdles. Hungary is in the midst of a labour shortage which is severe in some sectors.

2 HOUSE SPEAKER OPENS PARLT SESSION ID OPPOSITION PROTEST As opposition lawmakers blocked the way to the speaker s dais in a bid to disrupt the planned vote on the labour code amendment, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér opened Wednesday s parliamentary session from his lawmaker s seat in the assembly. Kövér called on lawmakers of the Socialist-Párbeszéd and Democratic Coalition parties to stop disrupting parliament s lawful procedure. They face disciplinary measures according to the house rules and their degree will be decided at a later point, he said, adding that additional punitive action may be taken. The opposition MPs remained standing in front of the ministers benches amid loud jeers and whistling. RULING PARTIES CONDEMN INCIDENT Fidesz group leader Máté Kocsis slammed Jobbik s hooligans and Liberal anarchists for their aggressive attitude and insisted that the developments cannot be left without consequences. The co-ruling Christian Democrats (KDNP) said that the session had been shameful and insisted that a politically weak opposition tried to prevent parliament s work through physical force. The opposition does not believe in political debate or culture... but in aggressive behaviour and anarchy, they added. OPPOSITION: PARLT S WEDNESDAY VOTE INVALID Parties of the opposition consider parliament s votes on Wednesday invalid, including one on a contested labour amendment dubbed by opponents as slave law, and reject their results. Socialist leader Bertalan Tóth said that the session was scandalous and illegitimate and argued that the MPs could vote without their IDs therefore it is impossible to identify the deputies casting a vote, which he said was against all rules. Conservative Jobbik group leader Márton Gyöngyösi said that the session was unprecedented in that the house speaker was chairing the session from his own seat rather from the dais, after opposition lawmakers blocked his way to the dais in a bid to disrupt the vote on the labour amendment. Párbeszéd co-leader Tímea Szabó also called the session illegitimate, while Democratic Coalition MP Ágnes Vadai slammed President János Áder, who was present at the session, for failing to prevent the labour law. LMP co-leader László Lóránt Keresztes called it symbolic that the opposition parties cooperated concerning the labour bill, and voiced his party s readiness to support the unions or anyone brave enough to counter this traitor government. Following the vote, Jobbik leaders and some 100 supporters of the party went to the presidential Sándor Palace and handed over a petition asking Áder not to sign the legislation but send it to the Constitutional Court or back to parliament. Speaking in front of the presidential offices, Gyöngyösi insisted that most Hungarians including many voters of (ruling) Fidesz are against the new law. GYURCSÁNY CALLS FOR HUNGARIANS TO RESIST GOVT S BRUTE FORCE The Hungarian government uses brute force and unless people demonstrate their resistance, the opposition s efforts will remain futile, like Wednesday s attempt to block a vote in parliament, opposition DK leader Ferenc Gyurcsány said. He told a crowd in front of parliament that opposition MPs had acted bravely in the chamber earlier in the day. Commenting on an amendment to the labour code which maximises the number of annual overtime hours at 400, he said this means daily ten hours of work instead of eight, or weekly six days of work instead of five. When Gyurcsány said he would return to parliament, a member of the crowd asked him whether he wanted the demonstrators to accompany him. He said the neighbouring streets were full of police and it is not his aim to provoke them because police were only doing their job. 2

3 If Hungarian workers put up with this without a word of complaint, then the country will get in a very difficult situation, he said. Gyurcsány said the government could only be stopped if Hungarians wake up in a democratic sense for the republic. The future of Hungary is as much in your hands as in ours, he said and expressed thanks to the demonstrators. PARLT APPROVES LAW ALLOWING FORMER HOME OWNERS TO BUY BACK PROPERTIES Parliament approved legislation that allows tenants residing in homes owned by the National Asset Management Agency (NET) to buy back their former properties at a discounted price. NET was established earlier to buy foreclosed homes and allow borrowers to continue living in them as renters. The legislation s part requiring a qualified majority was passed with a vote of 133 for, none against and no abstentions. The part requiring a simple majority was passed with a vote of 132 for, none against and no abstentions. The discounts will be determined by decree. However, the press department of Andrea Bártfai- Mager, Hungary s minister without portfolio in charge of managing state assets, who authored the legislation, earlier said the discount could be set at 15% for homes in the capital, 25% for other cities and 35% for smaller communities. In addition to the discounts, NET will also count rent payments against the purchase price of the properties. The legislation will affect some 32,000 tenants who have made their rent payments on time. NET has acquired some 36,000 properties since its establishment in 2011, paying billion forints for properties on which mortgages added up to billion. PARLT APPROVES LAW ESTABLISHING ADMINISTRATIVE COURTS Parliament approved legislation establishing a system of independent administrative courts that have the authority to make rulings in matters of public administration. The part of the legislation requiring a qualified majority was passed in the 199-seat chamber by two-thirds of those present in the chamber, with a vote of 131 for, 2 against and no abstentions. The part requiring a simple majority was passed with a vote of 130 for, 3 against and no abstentions. The authors of the legislation noted that adjudication in matters of public administration has such objective peculiarities that they justify somewhat different rules. A fair balance must be established between the interests of the individual and the public interest in adjudication in matters of public administration, ensuring harmony between the rights of the individual and legal protection based on the public interest, according to the justification attached to the legislation. The public administrative courts will have their own independent budget chapter. Separate legislation also approved by lawmakers set January 1, 2020 as the date for the start of the administrative courts operation. PARLT DECLARES OCT 16 DAY OF HUNGARIAN- SZEKLER COHESION Parliament voted to declare October 16 the Day of Hungarian-Szekler Cohesion. István Szávay, a former lawmaker of conservative opposition Jobbik, proposed in October, on the 170th anniversary of the Szekler national assembly of Agyagfalva, that 11 centuries of Hungarian-Szekler coexistence should be commemorated with a memorial day. The initiative was backed by all parliamentary party groups except the Democratic Coalition and adopted with 139 votes in favour. Leaders of Transylvania s Szekler community hailed the outcome of the parliamentary vote. The 60,000 Szeklers who gathered on October 16-18, 1848 for their national assembly in Agyagfalva unanimously declared support for the Hungarian government. The date marked the beginning of a Szekler popular uprising and their joining of Hungary s 1848/49 freedom fight, they said. 3

4 SZIJJÁRTÓ DISCUSSES BILATERAL TIES WITH CBODIAN COUNTERPART Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó held talks with Prak Sokhonn, his Cambodian counterpart, on bilateral ties and current affairs in Budapest. Cambodia is part of the dynamically developing Southeast Asian region which can play into Hungary s hands in strengthening bilateral cooperation, Szijjártó said at a joint press conference. But Cambodia is in a region constantly exposed to natural disasters which can ultimately trigger migration, he said, highlighting Hungary s policy objective of providing help where needed. In line with that policy objective Hungary will propose increasing EU allocations for Cambodia s development and will urge closer cooperation between Brussels and the UN s food and agriculture organisation FAO in supporting the region s development, Szijjártó said. He said Hungary will open an ambassadorial office in Phnom Penh and provide training in diplomacy. In other areas of cooperation Hungary will share expertise in water management and its Eximbank will open a 64 million dollar credit line to support business partnerships, Szijjártó said. Prak Sokhonn agreed on the need of intensifying bilateral relations and thanked Hungary for its support, primarily in water management. KOVÁCS: ATTEMPTS MADE TO SUPPRESS ANTI- MIGRATION VOICES IN BRUSSELS Attempts are being made to suppress antimigration voices in Europe, Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian state secretary for international communications, said in Brussels. Kovács told a press conference in front of the European Parliament (EP) headquarters that whereas European liberals had not even requested permission to launch their own mobile billboard with an advert attacking the Hungarian government, the Hungarian van with its own message was stopped by the local authorities and the advertisement was ordered to be taken down. This is a good example of double standards and attempts to suppress antimigration voices, Kovács said. Kovács spoke next to the mobile billboard sent from Hungary to Brussels with an advert depicting Liberal EP party leader Guy Verhofstadt with the message in English: Hundreds have died in terrorist attacks since 2015 but Guy Verhofstadt says: We don t have a migration crisis. That is insane!. The van sent by the Hungarian government will drive along the streets in the Belgian capital until Friday. GOVT OFFICIAL EXPRESSES SYMPATHY OVER STRASBOURG VICTIMS Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communications, expressed his sympathy with the relatives of the victims of last night s shooting in Strasbourg. He said the attack was another sign that terror had moved into Europe with migration. The Hungarian government refuses to accept that terrorism coupled with mass migration should become part of everyday life in Europe, he told a press conference in front of the European Parliament headquarters. The promigration majority neglects the dangers and wants to institutionalise migration to Europe by every means available, he said. The Hungarian government, however, will deploy all its available resources to block this insane and unrealistic policy, he added. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that to the foreign ministry s knowledge, no Hungarians were hurt in the shooting, which killed three and injured 17, He also said that Hungary s government is ensuring the country s security with all the tools at its disposal, but Europe should also take measures to give back Europeans their security. It would be nice to have an Advent without having to close Christmas markets because of various attacks, he said. TOP COURT REJECTS OPPOSITION COMPLAINTS AGAINST CPAIGN BILLBOARD LAW The Constitutional Court rejected complaints submitted by 55 opposition MPs against a law tightening regulations on political 4

5 billboard advertising justified by the desire to protect cityscapes. The opposition MPs filed a complaint to the top court after President János Áder returned the law to parliament in June It was passed after extensive amendments in the same month. The amendments stipulated that organisations that receive direct or indirect budgetary support must pay the listed market price for political billboard adverts, contracts on placing such adverts must be submitted to the relevant authority to be published on its website and the authority is charged with removing any ads placed unlawfully within two days. The opposition MPs complained to the top court that the amendments were passed in violation of house rules. After the law was returned by Ader, parliament actually approved a brand new text, they complained. They also protested that many elements of the law affected the financial operations of political parties and such regulations required twothirds majority approval. Additionally, they said the law curbed the freedom of speech. The top court rejected the complaints, stating that the regulations served to make billboard campaigns transparent and reduce corruption risks linked to nontransparent pricing. HUNGARY INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT UP 5.9% YR/YR IN OCT Industrial output in October grew by an annual 5.9%, according to a second reading of the data published by the Central Statistical Office (KSH). Based on working-day adjusted data, output in October rose by 3.3%. Compared to the previous month, seasonally and working-day adjusted output grew by 2%. The volume of industrial exports rose by an annual 4.9% in October. Manufacturing industry exports were up 2.9%. Domestic sales were up 11.8%. with sales in manufacturing rising by 16.4%. For the period January-October, output grew by an annual 3.4%. Industrial exports rose by 1% and made up 64% of industrial sales. Domestic sales of the sector increased by 6.7%. BUST OF FORMER PM ANTALL INAUGURATED ON 25TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY A bust of former Prime Minister József Antall was inaugurated near his shrine at the Fiumei Road cemetery in Budapest, commemorating the 25th anniversary of his death. Péter Boross, who succeeded Antall in his post, noted that Hungary s first postcommunist prime minister had been Hungary s first freely elected leader after the change of regime and had steered the country out of a distorted period with a firm hand. Antall left a mark on Hungarian history and it is therefore our duty to regularly commemorate him, he added. It is our moral duty to highlight the changes he brought about in public thinking, he added. The bust by sculptor Béla Domonkos was commissioned by the National Heritage Institute and Antall s shrine was revamped for the anniversary. FILM DIRECTOR KÓSA DIES AGED 81 Eminent Hungarian film director Ferenc Kósa has died, at the age of 81, the art academy MMA said. Kósa played a decisive role in reforming Hungarian cinema ever since he began his career in 1960s, the academy said statement. His early title Ten Thousand Days about the fate of the Hungarian peasantry won him the Cannes Film Festival s award for Best Director in Kósa directed thirteen films between 1961 and Between 1990 and 2006 Kósa was a lawmaker for the Socialist Party and played an instrumental role in drafting the country s new film act. Publisher in charge of production: Dániel Papp, Director General of Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA) Publisher in charge of content: Péter Karuczka, Duna Mediaszolgáltató Nonprofit Zrt. MTI director Editor: Zoltán Straky (Duna) 5

SCOTCHING MIGRATION HUNGARY-SERBIA SUCCESS

SCOTCHING MIGRATION HUNGARY-SERBIA SUCCESS EDITORS: HUNGARYMATTERS@MTVA.HU WWW.HUNGARYMATTERS.HU PHOTO OF THE DAY UPCOMING EVENTS MTI/Attila Kovács Fox in a forest near Budapest Hungary, Montenegro defence ministers meet, joint presser in Budapest