The Hungarian Parliament is meeting for an extraordinary two-day session, which begins today with a speech by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, the MTI agency reported, quoted by BTA.
According to the program published on the National Assembly website, the deputies will again discuss the legislative changes necessary for the country's access to European Union funds and a proposal for restructuring the public media.
Among the items on the agenda is a bill submitted by deputies from the ruling TISA party, which aims to increase the efficiency of parliamentary investigative committees. According to the proposal, obstructing the work of such a commission will be considered an administrative violation.
The deputies will also discuss another draft law of TISA, which provides for restrictions on political advertisements that promote hatred, as well as the introduction of requirements for commercial advertisements to fit into the urban environment.
The agenda also includes amendments to the Media Services and Mass Communication Act, as well as other related regulatory acts proposed by representatives of the ruling party.
According to the submitters, the aim of the changes is to strengthen the democratic public environment in Hungary, to guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of the media, as well as to ensure pluralism and free access to information.
A restructuring of the public media is also planned. A new non-profit company, "Hungarian Radio and Television", is planned to be established, while the Hungarian News Agency will once again acquire the status of an independent institution.
The spring session of parliament ended a week ago. However, the government proposed convening an extraordinary session, arguing that postponing consideration of the bills until the fall would delay the implementation of important legislative goals.
The opposition Fidesz party a few days ago described the intention of the government of Prime Minister Peter Magyar to gradually eliminate regulated fuel prices as a "serious mistake," the Hungarian MTI agency reported.
In a statement, party deputies said that in the current international uncertainty there are no guarantees that oil prices will not rise sharply again. According to them, the current price ceiling should remain in force.
Fidesz accused the government of breaking yet another election promise. According to them, the ruling TISA party promised during the election campaign to reduce the price of gasoline to 480 forints per liter and to lower the excise tax on fuels.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said that the government would propose a gradual lifting of price controls, as fuel prices at gas stations could already fall by 10 to 15 forints below the current ceiling as early as this week.
The price ceiling was introduced in March by the previous Fidesz and Viktor Orbán government. It sets a maximum price of 595 forints (about 1.7 euros) per liter of A95 gasoline and 615 forints per liter of diesel fuel for vehicles registered in Hungary.