SELF-GOVERMENTS THREATENED WITH INDEBTEDNESS

If the parliament votes the budget bill of the government for 2006, it will result in small villages running into indebtedness, in deteriorating public services, and in discontinued developments, mayors of villages, towns and cities claim unanimously.

The union comprising seven national associations of self-governments claims the state will deprive them of almost HUF 50 billion by the budget bill. Earlier Mónika Lamperth, Minister of the Interior had said county and local self-governments and regional associations would get HUF 137 billion more than this year while Zoltán Kovács MP, chairman of the self-government parliamentary committee (Fidesz) had mentioned a HUF 100 billion withdrawal.

’The numbers speak for themselves, the self-governments will have to count with reduced state subsidies and with an increase of withdrawals’, György Gémesi, Mayor of Gödöllő, chairman of the Hungarian Union of Self-Governments said to Magyar Nemzet.

László Dióssy, chairman of the National Union of Self-Governments, mayor of Veszprém (Free Democrats) emphasized the problem of great uncertainty while Lajos Becze, chairman of the Hungarian Association of Villages, mayor of Tar (independent) finds unacceptable that the budget bill does not contain a reference to the normatives to be given to villages.

Tamás Dercze, mayor of Újpest (independent) said the mayors would be forced to close more schools and kindergartens and he would urge his colleagues in a circular to give back government tasks forced on self-governments.

Imre Ikvai-Szabó, deputy mayor of Budapest (Free Democrats) said the planned normative would not cover the expenses of the public transport of Budapest and the planned road renovations would be also in danger.

István Jauernik, Socialist vice-chairman of the parliamentary self-government committe said to Magyar Nemzet that he was sure the sphere of action of self-governments would be greater next year though the coalition majority of the body refused the proposal of Fidesz about an additional HUF 103 billion to improve the position of self-governments.

Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó