Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday that the government will continue to provide water to farmers free of charge, "whatever Brussels thinks about that".
Posting a photo of the meeting on Facebook, PM Orbán said the government had started preparations for a hot summer ahead of time. The operative body for drought prevention was set up in May, and the government heard its report earlier on Wednesday.
Some 1,000 employees used the rainy May to preserve "water equivalent to one-third of Lake Balaton so far" and to channel it to drought-hit areas, he said.
"Of course, Brussels attacked the Hungarian government for giving water to Hungarian farmers for free. We will not give in to pressure, we will not take it lying down..." he said.
The government will continue supplying water in those areas throughout the summer and into the autumn, he said. "For us, Hungary comes first," he said.