Author: szerkeszto

According to Dialogue for Hungary, the Orbán-family and the Fidesz-clientele should be the ones to pay the sanctions laid out by the European Union after the government was unwilling to implement the EU’s energy efficiency directive into the Hungarian law. While increasing energy efficiency serves everyone’s interest, the lack of it only benefits nuclear lobbying and various gas traders.

The European Commission has decided to turn to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg because Hungary still has not implemented the energy efficiency directive in its internal legislature. This is the law that prescribes an annual energy renewal at 3% of the public institutions; in addition, it would bind energy providers to reach a 1.5% of new energy-savings, primarily by supporting the energy efficiency of households.

The Orbán-cabinet, however, does not at all want households to use less energy. Energy efficiency is out of the question: just now each and every item that would help to lessen energy-use is being wiped out of the national energy strategy. The government and its close economic clientele (from MET – the Hungarian Energy Association – owned by the friends of Viktor Orbán to Elios belonging to István Tiborcz, Mr. Orbán’s son in law) want nuclear power plants and Russian gas, as well as fast-consuming households.

Dialogue for Hungary believes that it would be in the best interest of the country to spend the given resources on energy efficiency investments, keeping to EU regulations, instead of nuclear power plants and gas pipelines. Instead of Brussels, the war of independence should be fought against Fidesz-friendly oligarchs with interests in the energy business; however, unfortunately we cannot count on the Hungarian government in this respect.

27^th of March, 2015
Brussels-Budapest

Benedek Jávor, Member of the European Parliament

Dialogue for Hungary welcomes the opinion of Attila Péterfalvi, head of the data protection authority, that rejects the secrecy of the Paks-law: the green party believes that there are too many secrets surrounding the investment. We call on the government to revise its unsustainable stance and we filed a complaint to the European Commission, as the exclusion of publicity violates EU law as well.

In his opinion Attila Péterfalvi made it clear that the Paks law, affecting all data and preparatory documents and denying the access to public data is not compliant with the Hungarian legislation’s regulations on the publicity of public money and public data. According to Dialogue for Hungary the Orbán government, too, will have to take steps at this point. If even members from the innermost circle of trust of the government, as Péterfalvi, say that the secrecy is indefensible, it means that the law is not viable and will sooner or later fail at some higher level of our juristic system.

Another thing that became clear at the hearing about the expansion project in the European Parliament is that the European Commission, as well, urges as much transparency as possible. The new developments are shameful both for the government that proposed, and to János Áder, who as President of Hungary, signed the law. They both ignored the content of our fundamental laws and EU legislation on the publicity of public data. It is high time for the supervision of the law that contradicts both Hungarian and European legislation. Dialogue for Hungary seeks to quicken this procedure through its own means; therefore, we filed a complaint to the European Commission about the law that goes against EU directives.

Benedek Jávor, Member of the European Parliament

March 19, 2015
Brussels-Budapest

The legal concerns of the data protection authority and law experts were not sufficient for President János Áder to revisit his opinion on the expansion of the power plants: the President of Hungary did not hesitate to sign the law which classifies all information in connection with the investment for 30 years. Dialogue for Hungary turns to the ombudsman to request a revision from the Constitutional Court and we also submit our complaint to the Commission as the law violates European legislation as well.

János Áder’s new image of an environmentalist politician was destroyed before it even evolved after he signed the secret law for the Paks investment. Even though the legislative concerns in connection with the law were already known – among others, due to the declared opinion of the data protection authority –, the loyal servility of Áder towards the Orbán government once again manifested as he signed, without hesitation, the law which harshly violates the right to access public information and environment-related information (that is the constitution and European law as well).

Although European laws allow for the refusal of requests for the release of certain environment-related information, they do also state that “such grounds for refusal must be interpreted restrictively, taking into account in each particular case of the public interest served by disclosure.” General secrecy does not comply with this rules system.

According to Dialogue for Hungary, not even the President of Hungary has rights to pawn the future and leave the dirty laundry of Paks to the upcoming generations; it is sad that we have to remind him of this at the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima tragedy. Dialogue for Hungary turns to the ombudsman and the European Commission for the violation of law: we know that nothing is too costly for Fidesz when it comes to spending public money of 4000 billion Forints; however, even the government has to respect the constitution and international directives.

March 11, 2015
Budapest

Benedek Jávor, Member of the European Parliament, Dialgoue for Hungary

Benedek Jávor, Member of the European Parliament, calls upon the Hungarian government to forthwith release to the public the letter of the Euratom Supply Agency. In his opinion Hungarian citizens have a right to know the contents of the Paks agreements just as much as the European institutions.

According to information from the Commission the Euratom Supply Agency has sent its written opinion on the transportation agreement in connection with the fuel elements of the new Paks power plant and which was signed between the Hungarian government and the Russian partner on December 8th, 2014. According to these news, in its opinion the Agency gave voice to some serious criticism. To our knowledge, if we consider the original agreement, the transportation of the fuel elements to Paks would be carried out by the Russian consortium responsible for the construction, although there were news about the possibility of the American Westinghouse’s involvement in the transportation procedure. What we know for certain is that the government has classified all the contracts; therefore, the details of the transportation agreement remain unknown.

On the basis of the Euratom directive, of which Hungary is also a member since its accession to the European Union, the government is not allowed to sign such contracts without the countersignature of the Euratom Supply Agency. This is because the duty of supervising nuclear energy security and supply as well as supervising the adaptation of the EURATOM directive belongs to the Euratom Supply Agency, and as such, it must approve every transportation contract signed with a third party in order for the contract to be valid. This approval is what can now become questionable. As a result, the possible role of Westinghouse in the transportation deals might also be seen in a new light.

March 5^th, 2015
Brussels-Budapest

After a series of violations to the EU’s energy regulation, the Hungarian government is now faced with an infringement procedure. With this, the Orbán-cabinet will finally have an official document proving that what the government does in the energy market is not only beyond rationality and against consumer interest but also against EU requirements. Although not heard on the news, the procedure can end the absorption of money by the privileged and Fidesz-friendly MET (Hungarian Energy Association).

Fidesz immediately started its mantra about how Brussels is attacking the government’s efforts in the reduction of utility costs; therefore, it is important to clarify some points.

1. The procedure was put into effect because of a failure to adapt the third energy package in 2011, when the reduction of utility costs was yet unheard of.
2. In countries where the energy package was consistently adapted (e.g. in the Czech Republic), energy costs became more favorable than in Hungary, and also on a market basis.
3. One of the conflicting points between the EU and Hungary is the construction of the tariff-system: energy costs are most heavily taxed in Hungary, which evidently raises the prices, while weakening the position of vital investments in the energy sector.
4. The main source of conflict is whether service-providers have equal access to the supplies of the cross-border gas pipeline connecting the Austrian Baumgarten with Hungary. As of now, gas is cheaper on the free market than in Hungary; however, only two stakeholders, MVM and E.ON, have access to it, which, according to the European Commission, goes against competition rules. All we can add is that the situation created by the government is even more corrupt than what it seems. E.ON’s gas business was since purchased by the government, and within the framework of an anti-corruption procedure, MVM signed off their own capacities to an oligarch company with an offshore background, namely, MET, which, as a result of vague business dealings, gave a 50-billion-forint-share to its mysterious owners, among them István Garancsi.

It is not the first time that the “war of independence against Brussels” turns out to be a complete hoax: again it is the EU who has to protect Hungarian people – this time from Orbán-friendly oligarchs doing pirate business on the energy market with governmental help. Dialogue for Hungary demands the Orbán-government to draw the consequences and to avoid making the Hungarian tax-payers pay for the sanctions laid out for going shares in the energy-market.