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Government to set up working group to review public spending at EU request

The Hungarian government is setting up the working group at the EU’s request and in line with its country-specific recommendations.

The finance ministry has revealed that the government is setting up a working group to review public spending at the request of the European Union, and not because it is looking to introduce austerity measures as reported by left-wing media.

The statements said that only leftist parties and the EU “want austerity measures”, not the government. The government is setting up the working group at the EU’s request and in line with its country-specific recommendations. “The government continues to stand by its firm decision not to comply with any requests from Brussels aiming to scrap family support or the utility price cap scheme,” the statement said.

The European Commission called on Hungary in May to improve budgetary balance and to scrap the energy support schemes by the end of the year. “We reject that Brussels wants austerity measures and to scrap utility price caps,” the ministry said.