Debate contributions by Kinga KOLLÁR

Dear Madam President, Europe needs more investment to regain and strengthen its economic strength. Today, Hungary is a testament to the consequences of halting investment. Due to the misguided economic policy of the outgoing government, the Hungarian people are living worse and worse, prices are rising, salaries are being devalued, and the future is becoming more uncertain. This is what happens when a government stops investing. This is why EU programmes are needed to help kick-start development. This is exactly what InvestEU makes possible. It provides security and background to businesses, while attracting additional private capital for each euro. This will result in more jobs, more local investment and more opportunities. SMEs account for more than 70% of jobs in Hungary. If they don't get a source, the whole country will be stuck. It is therefore vital that the EU provides SMEs with easier access to credit with less administrative burden. The aim of the future Tisza government is to lead the Hungarian economy towards knowledge-based, Hungarian-owned, innovative enterprises instead of assembly plants. InvestEU will provide effective support for this transition. We work to ensure that this is not just a theory, but real prosperity. Higher salaries, better opportunities and solid security for all European and Hungarian families.

Mr. President, please. It is with a heavy heart that I read the report of the European Court of Auditors. This report is about how to spend EU funds even better. For us Hungarians, however, this shows the loss. The loss that Hungarians have suffered for years because of the Orbán government. Orban's job is not to govern well, but to make their friends richer and fill their own pockets as much as possible. The wealthy Döbrögiks do not excel in the development of the country, but in the luxury lifestyle, in private jets and on holidays on yachts. It can't go on like this. Hungary suffers from the theft of EU funds. The only real way out of this is to put an end to corruption in Orban, so that the funds can reach the Hungarian people again. This is the goal of the Tisza, and millions of Hungarians support us in this. We are building a humane, well-functioning Hungary.

Mr. President, please. The draft budget before us does not only contain figures. It's about being able to protect what's important to all Europeans: our values, our security, our future. Safety is the most important of these, which, unfortunately, can no longer be taken for granted. The world around us has changed. We live in the midst of military conflicts, migratory pressure and new types of security challenges. Europe needs to strengthen its defence capabilities and this starts at its borders. Maintaining controlled and safe borders is not only a national interest, but also a shared European responsibility. This should also be reflected in joint financial costing. The EU should also financially support the development of physical border protection. That is why the Tisza has asked for an increase in the funds for border protection. The increase of EUR 30 million is very much welcomed. We are also pleased to see the additional funds for the Tisza initiative, so that all Hungarian students can access the Erasmus programme again. I am convinced that propaganda-based systems can be defeated by education and information. This is how we can preserve our democratic values and thus the strength of Europe. I ask for the support of my fellow Members in tomorrow's vote.

I think it's unreliable that the Congresswoman is saying propaganda texts here. He makes claims that are not true, as the propaganda put it. I was never, ever happy that it was bad for the Hungarians. On the one hand, and on the other hand, I would like to say that KATA was a very important and simple form of taxation for 450,000 people. They pulled the ground from under 450,000 people overnight. I think that this minimum uncertainty is a very big problem for the Hungarian economy, and that is why the Hungarian economy is where it is today.

Dear Mr President, There are some that Hungary has been at the forefront of in Europe. A very simple and favourable form of taxation has been available to small businesses for many years. Unfortunately, however, the Orbán government has almost completely abolished KATA taxation, so the tax administration again entails serious costs for businesses. Today, a Hungarian company spends five times more time on paperwork than an Estonian company. The cost of this is close to 2% of the turnover. The Orbán government also pursues a dual policy in taxation. While it has made certain tax rates spectacularly more favourable, it has imposed or increased a number of new, hidden taxes. Today there are more than 60 types of taxes and duties in Hungary. The system is also very unfair. The poor pay 6% more taxes than the rich in proportion to their income. TISZA will therefore be the government of the tax reduction. We will reopen KATA for small businesses, reduce personal income tax for 2 million 200 thousand people, and reduce the VAT rate on healthy food and firewood to 5%, while exempting prescription medicines from VAT. The simpler and more stable the tax rules, the lower the cost of complying with them and the fewer loopholes. TISZA will therefore develop a simpler, more predictable and fairer tax system, setting a new example in Europe.

Dear Mr President, It may seem trite to say that Europe is facing historic challenges, but this is indeed the case. Russia's aggression has shown that we must have deterrent defence capabilities. The customs war pointed to our economic dependencies and weaknesses. The answer to both threats can be partly provided through increased investment. The European Investment Bank, as the bank of the Union, should play a key role in this. After all, the bank is the most suitable actor for mobilising private capital and applying the logic of the market. Without private capital, we will not be able to respond to these challenges. Investments aimed at catching up with EU Member States should not be downgraded either. Poorer countries in the EU are much less able to invest in infrastructure, health or education, even though such developments are needed to catch up. Unfortunately, I have to say that the neglect of long-term investments in Hungary has consciously occurred in the past 15 years. János Lázár, the Hungarian Minister of Construction and Transport, not only stopped a lot of developments, but he also lies without blinking that the opposition is sabotaging the loans that can be drawn from the investment bank. I'm asking the bank to do the exact opposite. Invest more intensively in Hungary. Moreover, I would also like to ask both the bank and the Commission to find ways to channel blocked EU funds through the bank to projects in Hungary. The Investment Bank can finance public procurement with strong control, thus preventing corruption. The bank is also able to provide funds directly to micro-regions and cities, so schools, social institutions could be renewed and more serious rental housing programmes could be launched. And speaking of the rental housing programme, I would like to welcome the particular emphasis in the report before us on the role of the EIB in resolving the housing crisis. There is no question, therefore, that European citizens are rightly counting on the successful work of the EIB.

Thank you for the question. First of all: I wasn't happy, I was just talking in my indignation. Because that is your responsibility. It is not Tisza's fault that we do not receive the funds, Hungary does not receive them, but you do. Even if they tell a lie a hundred thousand times, or spend a hundred million forints to spread a lie, it remains a lie.

Dear Madam President, It is a historic achievement for the EU, and another wasted opportunity for Hungary. One third of the EU funds available to Hungary are huge, with nearly half a million forints for every Hungarian citizen. However, the Orbán government renounces this. After years of persuasion, we recently learned the truth by hiding in the lines of a government decree: The government will stop all development that it wants to pay for from this source. The construction of Hungarian railways and HÉV lines, the renovation of hospitals and educational institutions, and the training of healthcare and education workers. Although Orbán promised to accept the anti-corruption package, he chose theft, oligarchs and institutionalized corruption over the Hungarian people. The clock is ticking, the representatives of the Tisza fully support all extension possibilities for the use of resources, so that it can be saved, which can still be saved.

Mr. President, please. I would like to thank the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor for their work. Overall, the reports show that their activities have been adequate. For both institutions, further attention needs to be paid to speeding up procedures, working more closely with several institutions and actively raising awareness of the legal protection instruments they provide. For the latter, it is critical that the national composition of staff in the EU institution reflects the weight of each Member State. I therefore call on all EU institutions to further improve the geographical distribution for civil servants and especially for managers. The institutions of the Ombudsman and the Data Protection Commissioner also exist in Hungary, but unfortunately their operation is not so exemplary. With regard to data protection, I must mention the amendment to the Hungarian law that resulted in the restriction of the right of assembly. This allows facial recognition systems to be used in demonstrations, which can be illegal. The Hungarian data protection authority will also have a role to play in monitoring abuses, but it remains deeply silent for the time being. The Hungarian Ombudsman and his office are not, in fact, an institution independent of the government. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Ombudsman does not take action against government measures that threaten the constitutional rights of citizens and democracy. As our poet Gyula Illyés wrote: Where there is tyranny, everyone is an eye in the chain.

Dear Mr President, Lifelong friendships, encounters with new cultures, the first serious love. Thousands of people have benefited from this experience through the Erasmus programme. The majority of Hungarian students are currently unable to participate in this program and thus in the related experiences. The Hungarian government is stealing these experiences from young people. It is more important for the Hungarian government to protect its political appointees at the head of the foundations that maintain universities. I propose the following solution to the European Commission: an Erasmus grant channelled through a central body could avoid the risk of corruption posed by trusts. This would allow Hungarian students to study abroad without endangering EU funds. I ask Commissioner Serafin to take the necessary steps as soon as possible.

Mr. President, please. Economic coordination at EU level is in vain if some countries' leaders jerk the helms or keep the map upside down. Thanks to misguided economic measures, Hungary pays an exceptionally high interest rate on its debt, amounting to nearly HUF 900,000 per household. Viktor Orbán also announced a flight start. Inflation, which is a tax on the poor, has really taken off again. Food prices have risen by more than 7% in a year. Budget planning has collapsed. By February, the government had already reached 40 percent of the deficit planned for the whole year. By doing so, Márton Nagy also threatens to lose even more EU funds. I once again call on the Hungarian Government not to keep their power at the expense of our children. Instead of buying votes and making promises, they should finally focus on the long-term interests of the Hungarian people. For the fifteenth year of their government, it is finally time!

Dear Mr President, I am pleased to read in the ECB report that Europe has returned to a world of low inflation. In this way, it is possible to reduce interest rates, which means cheaper housing and corporate loans. This is good news for Europe. However, it must be stated that in Hungary the extra-judicial economic policy has failed in the treatment of customers. The price was paid by the people. Over the past five years, food prices have risen by 81%, while inflation has only been somewhat contained at a record base rate of 13%. While the state has been operating in record-high deficits for years, critical public investments have been cancelled with the stroke of a pen. There is not enough funding for hospitals, schools, roads and railroads. Of course, the minions of the Orbán regime are still open to public money taps, and this is how they got into expensive office buildings, for example. And election spending is only just beginning in Hungary. Overspending is accompanied by a huge interest burden. Last year alone, the government spent 4,000 billion forints on interest rates, more than on total health care. Therefore, in the interest and on behalf of all Hungarians, I call on the Hungarian Government not to try to keep their power at the expense of our children and grandchildren. Instead of humiliating vote buying, Tisza brings home EU funds and builds a modern, peaceful and livable Hungary together with millions of Hungarians.

Dear Mr President, Only we Europeans can protect Europe. Our external borders need to be strengthened against illegal migration and cross-border crime. The Tisza wants the Hungarian people to live in safety. We do not want illegal migrants, criminal organisations or people smugglers released either in Hungary or in other EU Member States. Reinforced border protection is in the common interest of the EU and the Member States concerned are right to seek reimbursement of the costs incurred. Tisza urges that the EU budget should also support effective physical border protection, and that this should also be used for new and existing border protection tools.

Dear Madam President, Investments in crypto-assets are increasing globally. However, there is no question that this form of investment is particularly risky. Therefore, trading such products requires a high level of financial literacy and awareness. Let's be realistic. According to an OECD report, less than half of investors understand the calculation of compound interest, so I think we have done well that Europe has voted in favour of regulation at the right time and is fighting for global standards. After all, we know from the 2000s that financial crises do not stop at borders. The review regulation is also justified by the fact that crypto-assets also function as a currency of the black economy. At the same time, we also need to avoid gold-plating, because it is not acceptable that regulation hinders European innovation, leaving European businesses behind in global markets. Competitiveness, prudence, consumer protection and the global expansion of high standards. This is the direction we need to follow, but it is even more necessary to increase financial knowledge and awareness, because it is the key to European citizens making good investment decisions and thereby increasing their wealth, Europe's wealth.

Dear Mr President, The price of housing is becoming more and more unaffordable in our big cities. Although the whole of Europe is facing this challenge, no comprehensive European solution has been found so far. There are good examples that we can take as a model. Public and city-owned rental apartments are available in large quantities in Vienna, thus ensuring the maintenance of prices. In Hungary, on the other hand, there is no programme of the same magnitude, nor is there enough housing under construction. In the past ten years, housing prices in Budapest have tripled, rental prices have doubled in the Budapest real estate market, while the prime minister's son-in-law is profiting, while fewer and fewer young people are able to buy or even rent an apartment. Many people choose to move abroad. Nearly a million people now live and work abroad, and one in two young people is thinking about leaving their home country. This is an economic and social tragedy. There is a solution, there is no time to delay. With the help of EU funds, public housing construction programmes must be financed, so we can provide young people with the opportunity to build a future in Hungary.