Sziget 2014 festival timed to avoid overlap

Forrás: MTI | 2014. 04. 15. 16:06:30


By holding the event a week later than in recent years, Sziget 2014 will not overlap with festivals in Japan and America, and more international stars can be invited to play in Budapest, Karoly Gerendai said. Advance ticket sales have already proven the decision right, he added.

The Sziget 2014 line-up will include The Prodigy, Lily Allen, Bonobo, Skrillex, Die Fantastischen Vier, Brody Dalle, Bastille, Calvin Harris, Outkast, Manic Street Preachers, and The 1975.
Gerendai said that in addition to a good line-up, Sziget offers special services and circumstances that make the event unique.
"The festival has become Hungary's number one tourism attraction, drawing twice as many people as for instance the Formula One race. We can utilise the fact that Budapest is getting increasingly popular among young adults," he said.
He added that several new festival venues are planned, with increased emphasis on community areas and activities. Last year's popular Sziget Beach will reopen and a new stage will be dedicated to street musicians playing the best songs of rock history, also to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. The 25th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin wall will be remembered with a 100-metre wall to be decorated by street artists and all festival visitors.
A giant Rubik cube will be built to celebrate the 70th birth anniversary of its creator Erno Rubik and it will house an interactive exhibition about the cube's global success.
The Sziget Eye giant Ferris wheel will be once again set up in central Budapest's Erzsebet Square throughout the summer and a smaller version will operate at the festival site.

Street photo exhibition commemorates holocaust in Budapest

Forrás: MTI | 2014. 04. 16. 19:16:58

A public photo exhibition on the life of Jewish and non-Jewish communities will open outdoors on Budapest's Corvin square as part of the programmes commemorating the Holocaust year.

The photos depict Jews and non-Jews living peacefully side by side "until history and politics interfered", the organising House of Traditions told MTI.

The photos have captions in Hungarian and English and information is provided, if available, on what had happened to the person seen in the photo later on.

The photos are from the collections of the Holocaust Memorial Centre, the Hungarian National Museum, the Centropa Foundation, the Etnography Museum and the Vishniac Archive.

The exhibition will be on from Thursday until May 18.

Minister Martonyi: Hungary is ready to pump gas into Ukraine

Hungary stands ready to transport gas into Ukraine and the technical means for doing so are at its disposal, Foreign Minister János Martonyi declared after meeting Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky on April 10.

János Martonyi confirmed that as a neighbouring country, Ukraine has been a partner of outstanding significance ever since becoming an independent state. The Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed concern about the developments in Ukraine's east over the past few days. He underlined the message expressed on numerous occasions by the heads of state and government of European Union member states that any further escalation of the confict could carry grave consequences with an impact on relations between the EU and Russia.

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Photo: Endre Véssey

Minister Martonyi noted that the Hungarian government feels a keen sense of responsibility towards Hungarians in western Ukraine, especially in terms of their safety and livelihoods in their homeland.
Danylo Lubkivsky said that the Ukrainian side greatly appreciated Hungary's "unwavering position in connection with Ukraine". He said that when formulating regulations on minority language use, every caution would be employed and European norms observed.

After the meeting the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that Hungary firmly supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.  Hungary supports the Ukrainian government's efforts towards stabilisation and emphasises its standpoint that Russia's annexation of Crimea is illegitimate and illegal, the statement said.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

multi-month upward trend of the volume of Hungary’s foreign trade continued in 2014: in the first month of the year, exports and imports increased by 6.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively, while foreign trade surplus is up by EUR 209 million, to EUR 482 million, in comparison to January 2013. Industrial output growth and the significant increase of industrial export orders have already augured positive data. In January, the growth of exports exceeded that of imports, while foreign trade volume as a whole was rising dynamically. In January 2014, the value of exports and imports was EUR 6.6bn and EUR 6.1bn, respectively. In the first month of the year, the volume of imports and exports of machinery and transport equipment gained 7.6 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively. The main driving force behind the increase in both directions continued to be the sales of road vehicles: while exports of road vehicles were up by more than 50 percent, imports were some one-third higher year-on-year. The key category lifting imports was that of components, while the division of motor vehicles was the most positive factor for exports. The exports and imports of manufactured products were also higher by 5.6 percent and 10 percent, respectively. The trade volume of food, beverages and tobacco products also registered growth with exports and imports up by 15 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, compared to January 2013. In January 2014, Hungarian exports to and imports from the EU member states constituted 80 percent and 74 percent of total, respectively. In comparison to January 2013, Hungarian exports and imports vis-á-vis these countries were up by 7.2 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Exports to non-EU countries increased by 2 percent and thus the foreign trade deficit with these countries shrank by EUR 445 million. In light of rebounding external demand and the dynamic growth of the motor vehicle sector the Ministry for National Economy is expecting foreign trade turnover to continue to improve. (Ministry for National Economy)

The European Union has decided that the distilling of pálinka shall be subject to taxation even under the quantity of 50 litres per year. Following the decision, the Government will initiate consultations with the European Commission with the aim of ensuring that the tradition of distilling pálinka lives on in Hungary in accordance with the EU regulatory framework.

Brussels launched an infringement procedure against Hungary in 2011, as the Orbán Government – mainly to preserve a national tradition -- had abolished the subcontract distillation spirits tax for home-made pálinka in 2010.

Distilling pálinka has been part of Hungarian cultural heritage which is rooted in historic traditions, therefore Hungary – like other EU member states such as Austria, Germany, Slovenia or Portugal – is insisting on defending and upholding its own  tradition.

Since 2010, local farmers have the right to decide how to process fruits grown in their garden. In the countryside pálinka is distilled in order to make use of fruits that could not be consumed or cooked fresh.

The Government is committed to upholding the living tradition of home-made pálinka.

(Ministry for National Economy)

Hungary’s foreign trade volume continues to increase

The multi-month upward trend of the volume of Hungary’s foreign trade continued in 2014: in the first month of the year, exports and imports increased by 6.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively, while foreign trade surplus is up by EUR 209 million, to EUR 482 million, in comparison to January 2013. Industrial output growth and the significant increase of industrial export orders have already augured positive data.

In January, the growth of exports exceeded that of imports, while foreign trade volume as a whole was rising dynamically. In January 2014, the value of exports and imports was EUR 6.6bn and EUR 6.1bn, respectively.

In the first month of the year, the volume of imports and exports of machinery and transport equipment gained 7.6 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively. The main driving force behind the increase in both directions continued to be the sales of road vehicles: while exports of road vehicles were up by more than 50 percent, imports were some one-third higher year-on-year. The key category lifting imports was that of components, while the division of motor vehicles was the most positive factor for exports.  The exports and imports of manufactured products were also higher by 5.6 percent and 10 percent, respectively. The trade volume of food, beverages and tobacco products also registered growth with exports and imports up by 15 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, compared to January 2013.

In January 2014, Hungarian exports to and imports from the EU member states constituted 80 percent and 74 percent of total, respectively. In comparison to January 2013, Hungarian exports and imports vis-á-vis these countries were up by 7.2 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Exports to non-EU countries increased by 2 percent and thus the foreign trade deficit with these countries shrank by EUR 445 million.

In light of rebounding external demand and the dynamic growth of the motor vehicle sector the Ministry for National Economy is expecting foreign trade turnover to continue to improve.

(Ministry for National Economy)

Star classification system for roads as well

Public road sections of almost 3000 km in Hungary undergo accident risk surveys and analyses within the framework of the SENSOR (South East Neighbourhood Safe Routes) project financed by the European Union. Based on the findings of the review carried out with a uniform methodology, the Hungarian expert group is to make proposals on low-budget transport technical interventions. The international initiative aimed at significantly raising the standard of traffic safety along the national public road network was presented at a press conference in Budapest on 9 April 2014.

The internationally accepted and standardised Road Safety Assessment Programme (RAP) has proved to be efficient in surveys affecting 650 thousand kilometres in 90 countries already. In Hungary, the risk map has been drawn up based on the accident and traffic data of 2918 km of road sections. Within the programme, it can be identified on a scientific basis which sections of the public road network are the most dangerous ones. According to the methodology, the safety of public roads is qualified by stars; it is only the safest roads that are to be given a 5-star ranking.

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Photo: Ágnes Bartolf

The work group set up in collaboration with the Institute for Transport Safety Non-profit Ltd. (KTI) is currently involved with processing and evaluating the data. In addition to evaluating the economic and social impact, the body is also to make proposals for measures to improve transport safety (e.g. for installing crash barriers, establishing school pedestrian crossings or eliminating roadside obstacles). Each of these transport technical interventions enables largest-scale accident risk reductions from the lowest possible budgets.

Although, according to the data available, the number of death tolls in public road accidents continued to fall last year, too, the rate of improvement seems to have slowed down and come to a halt, Deputy State Secretary for Transport Zoltán Schváb outlined in his welcome speech delivered at the event. New methods and solutions must be found by exploiting so far unused opportunities in order that further advance can be made. A new era is to be opened in the government policy for the field of accident prevention this year where comprehensive transport development and traffic safety programmes are to be planned and launched. By the end of the decade, the number of death tolls in public road accidents in Hungary must be reduced to at least the half of the indicator for 2010.

(Ministry of National Development Communications Department)

Prime Minister: Hungarian voters said no to hatred

me Minister Viktor Orbán declared a resounding victory for his Fidesz-led conservative alliance on Sunday after getting re-elected for another four years by the Hungarian voters. According to the National Election Office’s preliminary results, based on a count of over 98.97% of the votes, Fidesz-KDNP won 44.54% of the vote, giving the incumbent party a projected 133 seats, in a Parliament of 199 seats.

Prime Minister Orbán, who is the first Hungarian prime minister to win two elections in a row, thanked voters for casting their ballot. He emphasised that voters "said no to hatred or quitting the European Union” and that the vote underlined "Hungary has a place in the EU". He pointed out that the outcome of the election endorsed the Government's policies of job-creation and supporting families. "A new and magnificent era is ahead of us; I invite the citizens of Hungary to enter that era together" with the view of making Hungary a "great and successful" country, he stated. "Fidesz has won a sweeping victory, the significance of which cannot even be estimated as yet," the Hungarian Prime Minister underlined. "Hungary is now the most united nation in Europe," he declared.

European People's Party President Joseph Daul and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso congratulated the Prime Minister. Mr Daul said the Hungarian nation had renewed its confidence in Viktor Orbán, who always told it the truth and carried out brave reforms, putting the economy back on its feet. Mr Daul also expressed the conviction that Fidesz would also triumph in the European parliamentary elections.

The final turnout was 61.9%, slightly lower than in the first round of the 2010 ballot. The count of around 120,000 votes cast in missions abroad and by citizens, who lodged their ballots in districts other than their home one, will be completed next Saturday. During the course of the election, monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said they were satisfied with the voting process.

(Prime Minister's Office)

Gandhi Roma grammar school to receive HUF 500m for upgrade

Forrás: MTI | 2014. 04. 01. 07:34:55

The Gandhi Grammar School of Pecs established for Roma pupils will receive 500 million forints (EUR 1.6m) for an upgrade, a senior human resources ministry official said on Monday.

The entire funding will be provided under a relevant EU programme, Peter Garai, the deputy state secretary for social integration, said in the school in south Hungary.

Under the programme, a new library and a conference room will be installed, and the building's entire heating and insulation systems will be replaced, he said.

The project will be the largest-scale refurbishing in the school's more than 20-years of operation and is scheduled to begin in summer, said Garai.
Peter Hoppal, a lawmaker of Fidesz representing Pecs, said that the school currently has 200 Roma pupils and their number is increasing.
The Gandhi Grammar and Boarding School is Hungary's, as well as Europe's first Roma education institution established in 1994, according to the school's website.