For Hungary's government, the national interest is not a slogan but a yardstick, Finance Minister András Kármán said at the signing of cooperation agreements on the EEA Grants and the Norway Grants in Budapest on Monday, underlining that every forint and euro belonged wherever it brought the greatest benefit to Hungarians.
The minister emphasized that an effective allocation of resources required transparent rules, predictable decisions and accountable institutions. "We are not afraid of scrutiny; independent oversight does not constrain us, it makes our decisions credible," he said.
Viktória Lőrincz, the Minister of Rural and Locality Development, stressed that relationships built on mutual respect, common interests and constructive dialogue served the long-term good of all participants.
At the event, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide welcomed the agreement with the Hungarian government. The future of European countries, he said, depended on cooperation, the rule of law and faith in democracy, adding that the peoples of Europe shared a common fate.
Foreign Minister Anita Orbán announced earlier this month that Hungary had concluded its talks on the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms, and is set to receive more than HUF 92 billion (EUR 254.1 million) in financial support.
Hungary lost access to its 2014-2021 Norway Grants allocation after the then Orbán government failed to agree on the required independent management of civil society funds, as the government resisted ceding control over their distribution.
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