AM MAY 20, 2020 EDITORS: [email protected] ¬ WWW.HUNGARYMATTERS.HU MORNING ISSUE PHOTO OF THE DAY UPCOMING EVENTS Coronavirus updates Plenary session of parliament Parlt’s budgetary committee meets MTI/Noémi Bruzák MTI/Noémi Hungary’s first safari park to open in Szada, near Budapest TOP STORY FINMIN URGES EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO EU CRISIS Finance Minister Mihály Varga has urged the European Union to adopt quick, proportionate and fair measures as part of its management of the bloc’s coronavirus crisis. The EU’s measures must place heavy emphasis on protecting jobs and supporting businesses and families, the ministry quoted Varga as saying during a videoconference with his EU counterparts. The ministers discussed, among other matters, unresolved issues in connection with the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) pan-European guarantee fund set up in response to the pandemic. The fund aims to use leverage to provide 200 billion euros in funding to European small and medium- sized businesses. Varga underlined the importance of providing loans to businesses, but pointed out the risk of having the fund’s guarantees provided from national budgets, citing a “geographical imbalance” when it came to the use of centrally-regulated funds. Member states in recent months have introduced important measures using their own resources to mitigate the economic effects of the epidemic, he said, adding that keeping state counter-guarantees at a national level appeared to be a more effective way of stimulating lending. Hungary Matters is an English-language newsletter produced and distributed by the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA) with content provided by Duna Media Service Provider exercises copyright over all content. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, redistributed or transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher, with the exception of copies made by individuals for private use, educational purposes or scholarly research, provided that such transmissions do not exceed the extent justified by the purpose and are not aimed at financial gain, even indirectly, and the source name are indicated at all times. All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made to the English Help Desk at +361 441 9340 For MTI’s real time coverage please visit http://english.mti.hu, http://econews.hu MAY 20, 2020 MORNING ISSUE AM groups must be maintained, János Röszke and 2 hours at Tompa at the 5 CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS Szlávik of the Budapest South Pest Serbian border, he said. Answering DIE, REGISTERED CASES Hospital told public broadcaster a question, he said that Romanian RISE BY 21 TO 3,556 Kossuth Rádió, noting the importance citizens returning from western Europe of physical distancing, face masks and can still use the corridor opened at the Altogether five patients have died in disinfectants. Meanwhile, he said a early stage of the epidemic. the past 24 hours, all of whom were wide variety of drugs were in use to elderly and had underlying illnesses, help treat Covid-19 patients in Hungary, PARLT PASSES LAW ON bringing the total number of fatalities including drugs to treat malaria, HIV- BUDAPEST-BELGRADE to 467, while the number of registered AIDS and influenza, as well as new pills RAILWAY LINE UPGRADE novel coronavirus infections in imported from the United States and Hungary increased by 21 to 3,556, Japan. Plasma therapy is also effective, Parliament has passed a law codifying koronavirus.gov.hu said on Tuesday he said. a commitment to the upgrade of the morning. Budapest-Belgrade railway line. The Fully 1,412 hospitalised patients OPERATIVE BOARD: 737 assembly also backed an agreement have made a recovery, while 10,394 USING HOME QUARANTINE between the Hungarian and Chinese are officially in home quarantine. The MONITORING APP governments on implementing and number of tests carried out stands at financing the project. The law was 138,697. The website said Hungary is At present, 737 people are using approved with 133 votes in favour, in the second phase and the virus was the smartphone app developed to 58 against and 3 abstentions. China still spreading. The aim now, however, monitor home quarantine cases, a is financing 85% and Hungary 15% was to gradually resume normal living spokesman of the operative board of the upgrade, worth a little more in line with a strict schedule, it added. coordinating Hungary’s response than 2 billion US dollars. The railway Budapest has the most registered to the novel coronavirus epidemic line will become part of a corridor infections (1,689 people), followed by said. Altogether 10,394 people are for bringing Chinese goods to Pest County (486) and Fejér County officially in home quarantine, Róbert Europe. Work has already started (359). Békés County (11) has the fewest Kiss said. As regards travelling to on upgrading the Serbian section infections in Hungary. neighbouring countries, Kiss noted of the line which is expected to that as of today, Croatia no longer be completed by the end of 2022. CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST: restricts entry of European Union The full project is scheduled to be NUMBER OF CASES citizens to those who own property finished by 2025. At the parliamentary FALLING, BUT CAUTION or a boat in the country. People who debate, State Secretary Tamás STILL NEEDED have booked accommodation or Schanda said the investment would want to go to attend a family event or halve the currently eight-hour Although the number of coronavirus receive medical treatment are now also travel time between Budapest and infections in Hungary is steadily permitted to enter the country, he said. Belgrade. The new tracks will allow falling, precautions are still needed At the Austrian border, the crossing a top speed of 200 km/h, and put as Covid-19 patients can still be found at Zsira will be open to passenger Hungary in a position to become in various parts of the country, the traffic between 5am and 9pm from part of the fastest route for goods country’s chief epidemiologist said. Wednesday, Kiss said. The waiting time delivered from China to Europe via The protection of the most vulnerable for inbound cargo traffic is 3 hours at Piraeus in Greece, he said. Hungary Matters is an English-language newsletter produced and distributed by the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA) with content provided by Duna Media Service Provider exercises copyright over all content. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, redistributed or transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher, with the exception of copies made by individuals for private use, educational purposes or scholarly research, provided that such transmissions do not exceed the extent justified by the purpose and are not aimed at financial gain, even indirectly, and the source name are indicated at all times. All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made to the English Help Desk at +361 441 9340 2 For MTI’s real time coverage please visit http://english.mti.hu, http://econews.hu MAY 20, 2020 MORNING ISSUE AM a situation similar to the crisis of 2015, VISEGRAD LEADERS HOLD he added. He said illegal migrants OFFICIAL: INTEREST IN SUMMIT WITH MERKEL endangered domestic security and GOVT WAGE SUBSIDY public health as it was unknown how SCHEME JUMPS Visegrad Group leaders and German many of the 130,000 people on the Chancellor Angela Merkel held a Balkan route may have been infected Applications for the government’s videoconference summit focusing with the novel coronavirus. The Court wage subsidy scheme has jumped on the novel coronavirus crisis. of Justice of the European Union over the past two weeks, a Ministry Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor (CJEU) last week ruled that keeping of Innovation and Technology Orbán, the Czech Republic’s Andrej asylum seekers in the transit zone official said. So far more than Babiš, Mateusz Morawiecki of on the Hungarian-Serbian border 7,200 companies have submitted Poland and Igor Matovič of Slovakia constitutes “detention”. applications for subsidies, helping discussed with Merkel ways to repair more than 95,000 people keep the economic damage caused by GOVT SEEKS TO their jobs, Sándor Bodó, the the epidemic. They also agreed that INTRODUCE ENERGY state secretary for employment Europe’s health-care services would EFFICIENCY OBLIGATION policy, told an online press have to be much better prepared SCHEME IN 2021 conference, adding that interest to handle the second wave of the in the scheme remains keen. In epidemic expected in the autumn. Industry representatives and trade the three-month support period, The next Visegrad summit will be held unions have expressed their support an average of 167,000 forints (EUR in the Czech Republic in early June. for government plans to introduce an 475) is provided per employee, he energy efficiency obligation scheme noted. Most requests come from BAKONDI: GOVT WON’T in Hungary next year, Innovation and the manufacturing, tourism and ACCEPT EUROPEAN COURT Technology Minister László Palkovics hospitality, car-repair, transport and RULING ON TRANSIT ZONE said at the first, online, meeting of a warehousing sectors, he said. relevant working group. According The government is refusing to to a statement from the ministry, the DEFENCE MINISTER: accept the European Court’s adoption of such a scheme would ARMED FORCES AIMS TO ruling that Hungary’s transit zone contribute to meeting Hungary’s PLAY KEY ROLE IN JOB is a place of detention, and it will climate neutrality goals, while CREATION examine the matter based on the taking into consideration aspects of country’s constitution, the prime Hungary’s economic development By introducing special volunteer minister’s chief domestic security and retaining the government’s military reservist service, the adviser said. György Bakondi told utility cuts programme. Under the Hungarian Armed Forces aims public broadcaster M1 that the new regime, energy suppliers will to play a key role in the creation transit zone on the southern border have mandatory energy saving of new jobs during the novel functioned well and had proven to targets, through, for example, energy coronavirus epidemic, the defence be an effective element of border efficiency projects.