Spending EUR 38 million on Budapest firework irresponsible waste of money, opposition says

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has criticised the HUF 15 billion (EUR 37.9 million) earmarked by the government to be spent on the 20 August firework display.

EUR millions for Budapest fireworks

“The fireworks show is an important tradition and a good holiday programme for families, but spending this much on it is an irresponsible waste of money,” the party’s spokesman said on Saturday.

Balázs Barkóczi told an online press conference that he agreed that the 20 August celebrations of the foundation of the Hungarian state were one of the most important events for the country “this amount of money cannot be spent when the state is otherwise defunct in practically all areas of life.” He pointed out inadequate air conditioning in hospitals causing postponement of surgeries, financial difficulties of thousands of families with the school-start for their children and cuts in the central budget affecting the financing of public transport.

Barkóczi said that part of the HUF 15 billion should be spent to remedy those problems.

Read also:

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• 20 August fireworks in Budapest to be more spectacular (and expensive) than ever before