Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s answers to questions from journalists

Csaba Joó (M1): Recently European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has offered the EU’s help to the countries in the region. Do we know anything about this, has concrete assistance arrived, what offers have been received?

There’s a procedural framework, so if a situation arises in a country such as Hungary or in Austria, Poland or the Czech Republic, which are in a worse situation than we are, there’s a mechanism, a procedural framework that can be activated in such cases. There’s a unilateral declaration. And we’ve made this, which means that the European Union – in Brussels – has begun to examine whether help is needed, whether it’s possible, and what kind of help can be provided. With all due respect, if we waited for Brussels to bail us out, we’d be up to our necks in water. So for the time being let’s do our job, and let’s finance the costs of the defence operations. And then, once these complicated Brussels procedures have come to an end and we aren’t punished by not being given the help we deserve, because in Brussels these are all questionable statements, then we’ll receive support from Brussels. But for now let’s look on the positive side of things and respectfully thank Brussels for at least thinking of us.

András Kovács (Origo): The Prime Minister just mentioned the costs of the floods. Can you already see how much this entire defence operation will cost in the coming days, and roughly how much it’s cost so far?

Actually, we have two items here. The first item is the cost of the defence operations. We’re not counting on there being any additional expenditure there, as every year we continuously make budget allowances for funding to cover costs needed for emergency purposes. Therefore there’s no financial limit or obstacle to funding the defence operations, because the necessary funds are available for immediate payment. In many places private companies are also involved in the defence operations: in many places local governments employ private companies, and they’re paid in the usual way. The second area of costs is compensation for the damage caused by the water – for example, after we had to release water from the River Lajta/Leitha into the emergency reservoir. As a rule, an emergency reservoir is privately owned agricultural land into which we release water. Some of the damage there can be caused to physical assets, although we’ve tried to reduce that, and here irrigation equipment is the main factor. And if there are crops that haven’t been harvested yet, we’ll pay compensation. The amount will be determined when the flood has passed. There’s also an established system for this. I’ve just been there and I’ve seen that the crops have already been harvested, so I don’t think that we’ll have to pay any significant compensation for damage caused by the defence operations. So the financial burden of the defence operations can be paid. Another thing – but one we don’t need to discuss now – is that the wages of water management staff are extremely low, paltry, poor, far below the value of the work they do. I could say that in the water management sector this is a tradition, but it’s not a good tradition, it’s a bad tradition. So, regardless of the current flooding, we need to sort out water management operatives’ pay. Hungary is implementing a fairly large round of wage increases for nurses, doctors, and now teachers; and in the year 2025–26 we must also sort out water management workers’ pay over a 1–3-year period. But, I repeat, we don’t need to discuss this now, because now it makes absolutely no difference what the salaries are: we need to defend ourselves, and in times of trouble it’s not the wallet that counts, but the heart – and there’s nothing wrong with the hearts of those working in water management. The wallet will need a little improvement.

Gyula Szabó (Index): I’d like to ask the Prime Minister whether, based on his current experience, any investments should be made in the coming years after the flood waters recede, and whether he has any experience of …

I think there should. First of all, we have our forebears to thank. Because if I understand the history of water management, Hungarian water management, then after the great Danube flood in the middle of the 19th century, essentially all the defences were built downstream from Budapest, in the southern stretches. This is why when we talk about dangerous stretches now we’re talking about Budapest and areas north of Budapest. Now we took decisions after the 2013 floods, the Danube floods. I may have told you this yesterday, but if I remember correctly, an investment of around 150 billion forints has been completed on the Danube section. Of course every flood is a stress test which tells us whether what we’ve built so far is of good quality, whether it meets the challenges, and where there are missing sections. There are missing sections that I think will have to be built. The first place I’d like to mention is Kismaros, where we’ll probably have to install a mobile barrier system, but there are some other sections. They’re much smaller and shorter than the ones we had in 2013. So, as we’ve been able to manage to do all these things from 2013 up until now, as we’ve built what we’ve built, then we’ll deal with these few remaining sections in the next few years. Let’s hope that God will be merciful to us and not send floods more often than has been usual. So the last one was in 2013, and the one before that was in 2009, if I remember correctly; so we should expect minor floods on the Danube every 4–5 years, and major floods every 10 years. This means we have a few years in which to build the defences on the missing sections. But I’d like to stress that the fact that there are no permanent barriers installed on certain stretches doesn’t mean that those stretches can’t be protected, because it can be done with temporary measures – as we’re doing now. But it gives much more – or greater – peace of mind if we have a permanent barrier system, from Budapest up to Hungary’s western border.

Gyula Szabó (Index): Budapest’s defences are provided by the City Council. Has the Mayor of Budapest asked for any help from the Government?

Cooperation is ongoing. This morning I listened to a report from the person in charge of drainage and waterworks management, perhaps the director, who reported that in Budapest the defences are 100 per cent complete. My understanding is that Budapest has good professionals, and they can solve the problem in cooperation with the state flood protection and water authorities. For us it doesn’t matter who does the job; what matters is that there’s a job to be done. I see cooperation with all local governments everywhere – including that in Budapest, which isn’t in the hands of the governing party – as a good thing. 

Gyula Szabó (Index): And the final question is, could you tell us where the Prime Minister will be today?

Where the water is. I won’t swim, but I’ll be carried by the water.