The government has submitted Hungary’s plan for utilizing the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) which covers more than HUF 2,500 billion (EUR 7bn) worth of strategic development projects over the next six years.
Szabolcs Ágostházy, State Secretary in charge of EU developments, said that the development of the healthcare system was the plan’s most significant element, utilizing 34.1 percent of available resources. Other highlighted areas are environmentally friendly transport development and a comprehensive development of education systems, including higher education, vocational training and adult education. Some 25 and 20.4 percent of the resources are planned to be spent on these two areas, respectively.
The state secretary said additional development plans include promoting the switchover to the circular economy, closing the gap between underdeveloped and better developed areas, as well as environmental protection. The Hungarian RRF fully meets common EU targets, with climate protection and digitalization developments included in every area. The government has tailored the areas for development to its own national strategic targets, he added.
Hungary will act similarly to the majority of member states, and for the time being will not tap all the credit available under the arrangements of RRF, he said. However, the option to do so will be available until 2023, he added. Hungary has conducted intensive and constructive talks with the European Commission in the past eight months, and the government has involved some 500 organizations in a social dialogue, including local governments, economic, social organizations and interest-representation bodies, he said.
Ágostházy noted that the EU decision-making process will take three months from the time the document is submitted. Like other member states, Hungary will press ahead with consultations on specific technical areas, but any need for major changes is unlikely, he said, adding that Hungary anticipates receiving approval for its RRF bid in August.