Government to assist Kecskemét development with HUF 25 bn, says Orbán

Budapest, February 9 (MTI) – The government will provide the city of Kecskemét, in central Hungary, 25 billion forints (EUR 80m) to set up an economic development fund, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Tuesday.

The prime minister and the mayor of Kecskemét signed a cooperation agreement under Hungary’s Modern Cities development scheme.

Projects include upgrading Kecskemét’s military airbase to provide civilian services as well as developing the city’s electricity, road and railway networks, Orbán told a press conference.

Kecskemét will receive 18 billion forints in support to build the final stretch of the city bypass and to widen a local access road.

Talks are under way on setting up a university research centre and revamping the city’s railway station, as well as building a new park-and-ride facility and improving suburban public transport infrastructure, Orbán said.

The world-famous Kodály Institute will be developed with a new 250-seat concert venue costing 3 billion forints, he added.

Orbán also announced plans to build a bilingual school that supports dual vocational training costing 1.5 billion forints.

He said Kecskemét’s art-nouveau city hall, “a national treasure”, will be renovated at a cost of 4 billion forints.

Hungary has already paid back all of its IMF loans, and this year it will complete payment of the last 600 billion forint instalment of a loan received from the European Union, he said.

In response to a question about EU funding, he said most people think of it as “found money”. But the amount of money that foreign companies repatriate in various forms away from Hungary essentially equals the EU funding input, he added.

Orbán said the government is involved in closed-door talks with Mercedes. The German carmaker has several putative development investments, with three Polish, two Czech and one Hungarian location in contention, he said. In addition, current operations in Hungary may be expanded, offering new opportunities to Hungarian suppliers, he added.

During Orbán’s visit, the opposition Democratic Coalition’s local organisations held a demonstration in front of the city hall. Orbán and city mayor Klaudia Pataki, of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrats, talked to the demonstrators for half an hour.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters