Environment and nature protection commitments of Peter Medgyessy

The Medgyessy Government gives priority to policies that do not endanger the population’s health and the natural environment alues. The Government will make efforts so that social and economic needs are satisfied in such a manner that renewable resources are used up slower than their rate of reproduction, and it will ensure that non-renewable resources are substituted for.

Between 2002 and 2006 the Government of the National Centre will take steps towards creating an eco-social market economy and a sustainable development. It will support, to a considerably larger extent than up until now, all not material- or energy-intensive activities which assist to preserve natural resources and to avoid major pollution occurrences, and which contribute to both the development of society and the well-being of its individual citizens: namely education, culture, arts, public health, scientific research and different forms of social interaction helping people live a happy and successful life.

My Government’s policy will promote that the Hungarian economy adapts to the processes going on in the world that put creative human work to the forefront instead of production activities with high raw material and energy content. It will encourage that a knowledge-based society is established in Hungary serving both the national economy and the environment.

Only such new laws, government decrees, ministerial decrees and government resolutions will be adopted that do not reduce the level, secured by laws, of the environment, nature and health protection, or that of the educational, cultural, health and social welfare services, except if that is inevitable for the enforcement of other basic rights or constitutional values. Even in that case the extent of reducing the protection or service level cannot be disproportionate to the objective to be achieved. All the above apply to the budgetary and tax laws as well.
We will follow the practice of open legislation. The list of planned new laws, government and ministerial decrees, as well as the preliminary concepts will be made available to the public as early as possible. The decisions of the Parliament and the Government, related to the state budget and the tax laws, or influencing these significantly, will in each case be based on a detailed social, economic and environmental impact assessment, as well as on a short-, medium- and long-term comparative analysis and cost-benefit analysis. Decisions will be made after comprehensive public discussions.
The prescriptions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters will in fact be put into practice.

We will review and, if needed, modify the existing rules which ensure professional, efficient and timely judgement in environmental issues.
The preparation and implementation of regional development plans and settlement planning concepts and programmes will be made by taking into account the environment and nature protection aspects and by involving the social and business partners.
By 30th June 2003 we will prepare a document showing the extent of subsidies granted from tax-payers’ money to environmentally polluting activities, which we will put forward for public discussion in order to achieve their reduction.
Taking into consideration the Sustainable Development Strategy of the European Union, the Medgyessy Government will prepare the Sustainable Development Strategy of Hungary by 31st December 2004.
We will guarantee the independence of the Ministry of Environment and we will clarify the overlapping scopes of responsibility and authority of ministries.
We will give priority to the preservation and renewal of the existing national wealth. We will promote that developments are implemented primarily in brown fields. By modifying the regulatory system we will motivate local governments and economic entities to act accordingly.
We will initiate the modification of Government Decree No. 253/1997 on the National Settlement Planning and Building Requirements (OTÉK) so that environmental aspects are taken into consideration.
We will pay special attention to that new state investment projects do not deteriorate the state of the natural and built environment.
My Government will lay particular emphasis on preserving green areas and on reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, and I declare that we will not support the construction of any new river dams.
In the implementation of all the above we will rely strongly on the opinion, guiding stances and initiatives of the National Environment Protection Council.
Budapest, 21st March 2002

Péter Medgyessy