THE BUDAPEST TIMES
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
Volume 11, No. 27 5 July – 11 July 2013 www.bzt.hu HUF 750/EUR 3<br />
Hungary’s English-language weekly.<br />
05 DOG MEAT Rumour leads 1000s astray 06 TOLL SYSTEM Stumbles 13 NATIONAL DAYS (without all that marching & protesting)<br />
Slow start in EUR 250,000 residency sale<br />
Only three of the government’s new EUR 250,000 residency bonds have<br />
been sold so far, state news agency MTI reported on Thursday citing progovernment<br />
newspaper Magyar Nemzet. The bonds are marketed exclusively<br />
by firms that have been approved by parliamentary committee, most of them<br />
established in offshore jurisdictions. The residency bond is touted as the<br />
cheapest way for non-EU nationals to acquire a permanent Schengen Zone<br />
visa. The director of the firm with exclusive rights to sell the bonds in China said<br />
last month that thousands are expected to subscribe over the next few years.<br />
500 smarter speed cameras soon<br />
Upwards of 365 fixed and 160 mobile speed control cameras will<br />
soon be placed along Hungarian roads, police told state news agency<br />
MTI on Thursday. The initiative – dubbed the “star wars scheme” by<br />
news website Index.hu, taking into account Hungary’s international<br />
weight, we guess – will not only allow the authorities to catch speeders,<br />
but also drivers who cross a continuous white line and drive on the hard<br />
shoulder. The system will register licence plate numbers, retrieve data<br />
from a central database and issue fines accordingly.<br />
D-I-Y burials may dig up some votes<br />
Low-cost burials, where families would prepare the deceased’s body and dig<br />
the grave to save on the current HUF 300,000 (EUR 1,018) price of funerals, and<br />
a cut in firewood rates, are being mooted by the government. New cuts in utility<br />
prices will be introduced by mid-October, Fidesz MP in charge of utility rates<br />
Szilárd Németh said on Monday, with natural gas, electricity and district heating<br />
prices to be lowered by ten to 20 per cent. This would be the second phase of<br />
cuts after the government announced a first reduction from January this year, a<br />
measure it is publicising widely ahead of next year’s general elections.<br />
For the people?<br />
European Parliament divided over Hungary question<br />
European Parliament<br />
1222 Bp. Nagytétényi út 48-50 • Tel: (+36-1) 382-9000<br />
Fax: (+36-1) 382-9003 • e-mail: fox@fox-autorent.com<br />
www.fox-autorent.com • open: 8am-8pm 7 days a week<br />
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s<br />
right-wing government must<br />
bring national policy in line<br />
with EU values, the European<br />
Parliament signalled on Wednesday<br />
when MEPs voted overwhelmingly in<br />
favour of adopting a Civil Liberties<br />
Committee report that is highly sceptical<br />
of the Hungarian government’s<br />
commitment to democratic principles<br />
and European values.<br />
During a plenary session in<br />
Strasbourg, the supranational legislature<br />
voted 370 to 249, with 82 abstentions,<br />
to endorse the report, compiled<br />
by Portuguese Green MEP Rui Tavares.<br />
RATES<br />
346.12<br />
4 July<br />
346.44<br />
27 June<br />
295.00<br />
4 July<br />
295.51<br />
27 June<br />
239.23<br />
4 July<br />
“If we vote for this report we’re voting for<br />
the freedom of the people in Hungary.”<br />
– Socialist group leader,<br />
Austrian MEP Hannes Swoboda,<br />
insisted the report was not an attack on Hungary.<br />
“No, Mr. Orbán, it’s not against Hungary,<br />
you have no right to say that these people<br />
here are fighting against the Hungarian<br />
interest. It’s the opposite that is true. It’s<br />
not in your interest, but your interest is not<br />
the Hungarian interest. What we are<br />
defending here is Hungarian democracy<br />
and the interests of the Hungarian citizen.”<br />
– President of the European Parliament’s liberal ALDE<br />
caucus, Guy Verhofstadt, jabs a finger<br />
as he thunders at a stony-faced Hungarian PM.<br />
240.20<br />
27 June<br />
Orbán had taken the unusual step<br />
of personally addressing the European<br />
Parliament the previous day, where he<br />
was predictably excoriated by leftwing,<br />
liberal and green members.<br />
Apparently resigned to the outcome<br />
of the vote, Orbán railed against what<br />
he said was a politically motivated<br />
226.98<br />
4 July<br />
226.77<br />
27 June<br />
STATS<br />
13 MO.<br />
Egypt President<br />
Mohammed<br />
Morsi’s time in<br />
office.<br />
attack on Hungary. “We do not want to<br />
live in a Europe where the biggest<br />
abuse their strength and the majority<br />
abuses its power,” he said.<br />
The Tavares report, as it has<br />
become known, criticised in particular<br />
the most recent, fourth, amendment<br />
to Hungary’s new Constitution that<br />
237 YRS<br />
Since the US of A<br />
gained its<br />
freedom from<br />
profiteering Brits.<br />
20 YRS.<br />
as regent for the<br />
Belgian King<br />
Albert II. He abdicated<br />
on July 4.<br />
“The European Parliament must not turn<br />
itself into a Big Brother that prescribes to<br />
everyone how they must live.”<br />
– German Christian Democrat (CSU) Manfred Weber<br />
quoted by German news agency DPA. The CSU, along<br />
with Orbán’s Fidesz party, is a member of the centreright<br />
European People’s Party group, the largest in the<br />
European Parliament with 269 of the 766 members.<br />
The fact that there were 82 abstentions and only 249<br />
MEPs voted against the Tavares report (including<br />
numerous vocal eurosceptics and far-right<br />
members) suggests a large number of Orbán’s<br />
supposed allies did not support him and his government<br />
in the latest spat over domestic policy.<br />
Opposition politicians in Hungary (apart from the<br />
far-right Jobbik) expressed satisfaction over the vote<br />
on Wednesday. Dialogue for Hungary MP Tímea<br />
Szabó noted that even the European People’s Party<br />
is distancing itself from the Orbán administration.<br />
Orbán defiant as European Parliament endorses report casting doubt on his government’s commitment to democracy<br />
208 MN.<br />
IKEA catalogues<br />
printed for 2013<br />
edition, doubling<br />
the Bible.<br />
772<br />
bills pushed<br />
through by<br />
parliament since<br />
2010.<br />
was pushed through exclusively by<br />
government lawmakers and took<br />
effect last year. Among areas that were<br />
singled out for criticism was a clause<br />
defining a heterosexual marriage as<br />
the basis of the family unit.<br />
– Continued on page 2 as ‘New law’<br />
9 771785 110000 1 3 0 2 7
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
02<br />
POLITICS LETTERS<br />
Calls to<br />
rein in<br />
wayward<br />
states<br />
– Continued from page 1<br />
However, the report more<br />
broadly criticised the way in which<br />
Orbán’s administration has used the<br />
two-thirds majority it secured in<br />
2010 elections.<br />
It called on the Hungarian<br />
government to stop using its supermajority<br />
to cement many areas of<br />
what would normally be considered<br />
ordinary policy into so-called<br />
“cardinal laws”, which cannot be<br />
altered in the future without the<br />
backing of two-thirds of lawmakers.<br />
The report also noted that several<br />
pieces of legislation struck down by<br />
Hungary’s Constitutional Court had<br />
subsequently been incorporated<br />
directly into the Constitution,<br />
thereby removing them from the<br />
court’s purview.<br />
The report raised the possibility<br />
of the European Parliament<br />
recommending that Hungary’s<br />
voting rights be suspended unless<br />
the government adheres to the<br />
principles of respect for human<br />
dignity, freedom, democracy,<br />
equality and the rule of law<br />
enshrined in the EU Treaty. This<br />
so-called “nuclear option” of<br />
invoking Article 7.1 of the treaty<br />
has only been used once before,<br />
after Austria allowed the far-right<br />
Freedom Party into a coalition<br />
government in 2000. It would<br />
require the backing of the Council<br />
of Ministers – in other words, the<br />
unanimous backing of the governments<br />
of all member states.<br />
The Tavares report also echoed<br />
a recent call by the foreign ministers<br />
of Germany, the Netherlands,<br />
Denmark and Finland for the<br />
setting up of a more effective<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
I’m telling my friends<br />
to never go to Budapest<br />
I was travelling with my family by car in Budapest and<br />
entered the Castle District on Saturday. On the way back in<br />
the early afternoon I was stopped to pay a HUF 500 parking<br />
fee on Palota út. An unpleasant woman cashier informed me<br />
that I could only pay in local currency; no credit cards and no<br />
euros.<br />
I had three kids aged 17 months to four years in the car,<br />
and I begged her to let me pay EUR 5 cash and she wouldn’t<br />
even have to give me any change. But she was rude and<br />
refused to help me. Her only answer was: “Only Hungarian<br />
forint.”<br />
I understand that maybe in Hungary you have regulations<br />
about payments, etc. but you need to inform people that it is<br />
not possible to pay in any other currency than forints, and you<br />
need to inform them in other languages besides Hungarian.<br />
There was no such information, and if there had been, it<br />
wouldn’t have been a problem for me because I speak five<br />
languages.<br />
Your workers cannot behave as if the only way to treat<br />
people is to be unpleasant, officious and without human<br />
sensitivity. I was not alone, I was with crying kids. What kind of<br />
person must she be not to help in any way? I never experienced<br />
such treatment anywhere in the world and I have<br />
visited more than 30 countries on different continents.<br />
What will I remember about Budapest? Only those 20<br />
minutes, running to other cars, waiting in the queue and<br />
asking other drivers to change EUR 5 to forint.<br />
I will advise all my friends never to go to Budapest because<br />
of this very poor treatment.<br />
I’m sending this email to the General Directorate of the<br />
Hungarian National Tourist Office, the Budapest mayor’s office<br />
and to the Hungary Tourism Authority in my country, Poland.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Lukasz Wrobel, Poland<br />
(When we go to Poland we promise we will take zloty. – Editor)<br />
“This is an interesting question,<br />
the comparison of Brussels to Moscow.<br />
Without a doubt, during the Soviet era I<br />
could not have said what I think in Moscow.<br />
If by chance I had been able to say what I<br />
think, I don’t think they would have let me go<br />
home. I think, therefore, that one cannot put<br />
an equals sign between the two entities.”<br />
– Prime Minister Viktor Orbán explains the<br />
difference between the seat of EU power<br />
and that of the former USSR, during a<br />
heated debate in the EU Parliament on<br />
Tuesday over his government’s commitment<br />
to European values. In a widely reported<br />
speech in Budapest in March 2011, Orbán<br />
said Hungary had refused to be dictated to<br />
by Vienna and Moscow, and would not be<br />
dictated to by Brussels.<br />
mechanism to force wayward<br />
member states to abide by their<br />
EU treaty commitments. In<br />
endorsing the document, the<br />
European Parliament has given its<br />
backing to the creation of a<br />
“Copenhagen mechanism”,<br />
named after the Copenhagen<br />
criteria to which aspirant members<br />
must abide before they are allowed<br />
to join. The problem is – and this<br />
has been amply demonstrated by<br />
the widespread flouting of<br />
Maastricht criteria on fiscal<br />
balance – that once a country is in,<br />
the carrot has gone, and the<br />
European Commission does not<br />
have any particularly hefty sticks.<br />
The mooted “Copenhagen<br />
Commission” or some such highlevel<br />
group would be independent of<br />
political influence. This would avoid<br />
any risk of “double standards”, the<br />
report said using a phrase that has<br />
assumed the quality of a mantra for<br />
the Hungarian government.<br />
Budapest has been at loggerheads<br />
with the EU’s executive over a range<br />
of domestic legislation – from media<br />
laws to judicial reform – more or less<br />
constantly for over two years.<br />
The Tavares report was only the<br />
latest swingeing critique of<br />
Hungarian government policy since<br />
the introduction of restrictive new<br />
media regulation laws in January<br />
2011, which created a furore that<br />
overshadowed Hungary’s first sixmonth<br />
EU Presidency. Since then,<br />
the government has been<br />
upbraided by the US State<br />
Department and several European<br />
government officials, the European<br />
Commission, and international civil<br />
and human rights watchdogs such<br />
as Amnesty International and<br />
corruption watchdog Transparency<br />
International.<br />
In a report adopted last week, the<br />
Venice Commission of the Council<br />
of Europe concluded that the<br />
government’s use of the mandate it<br />
secured in a landslide 2010 election<br />
win “to cement the economic, social,<br />
fiscal, family, educational et cetera<br />
policies of the current two thirds<br />
majority, is a serious threat to<br />
democracy”.<br />
In what the government<br />
described as a “great success”, the<br />
Parliamentary Assembly of the<br />
Council of Europe (PACE) voted on<br />
23 June not to put Hungary under<br />
the kind of close human-rights<br />
surveillance to which countries such<br />
as Azerbaijan and Russia are<br />
currently subject. If it had been<br />
subjected to an official “monitoring<br />
procedure”, Hungary would have<br />
scored an ignominious first for an<br />
EU member state.<br />
– Robert Hodgson<br />
Jobbik MP an insult to the human race<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
I address Jobbik MP Tamás Gaudi-Nagy, whose<br />
statement that Auschwitz “may not reflect real facts” I<br />
have recently become familiar with from multiple news<br />
stories.<br />
It made me curious to know whether you, Dr. Gaudi-<br />
Nagy, have ever visited Auschwitz, whether you are<br />
just talking based on things you might have heard from<br />
others, or whether you are simply reciting things that<br />
you are obligated to state, like a thoughtless puppet,<br />
by virtue of your political affiliation with a despicable<br />
political party that (just like yourself) is a shame to<br />
modern civilisation.<br />
Nevertheless, irrespective of the reason(s), you are<br />
responsible for your statements. And for having such<br />
an antisemitic, racist and hateful position, I wanted to<br />
tell you that you should be ashamed of yourself and of<br />
your ignorance that is flooded with stupidity and malice.<br />
As the outrageously ignorant creature that you are,<br />
based on your statement, I perfectly understand if you<br />
are unable, unwilling or not allowed to take responsibility<br />
for your statement that, in fact, is very much in<br />
line with the political party that spreads virulent hate<br />
speech, the party of which you are a member. Shame<br />
on you for that, too.<br />
You are listed on your website as being a lawyer by<br />
training. But I was under the impression that law<br />
school teaches about ethics and professionalism. You<br />
seem to have missed those classes; perhaps it was<br />
the time when you discovered other fun things that life<br />
has to offer, and classes might have been the last thing<br />
on your mind – because, clearly, you are unethical and<br />
unprofessional.<br />
But just so that you know, you are expected, by<br />
virtue of your profession, to know about and profess<br />
these concepts, and I strongly recommend that you<br />
further educate yourself. Once again, shame on you<br />
for trampling on the principles of ethics, professionalism<br />
and decency.<br />
For questioning the suffering and death of so many<br />
people who were brutally murdered in Auschwitz,<br />
simply because they were Jews and Gypsies or exercised<br />
their freedom to choose same-sex partners or<br />
suffered various medical ailments, for insulting the<br />
sacred memory of the dead, for desecrating the<br />
suffering and the lives of so many innocent people,<br />
and for your stupid lack of compassion, once again,<br />
Dr. Gaudi-Nagy, shame on you.<br />
And how ironic it is that you are a full member of the<br />
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights! How<br />
are the principles of human rights being served if one<br />
of the representatives in charge is actively involved in<br />
questioning the suffering of millions whose human<br />
rights were brutally violated merely a few decades<br />
ago?<br />
Isn’t that a cruel joke and a mockery for many<br />
millions who are suffering today worldwide, that one of<br />
those who should represent their hopes and dreams<br />
casts doubt on those who were savagely murdered so<br />
recently?<br />
But there is one thing, nevertheless, for which I<br />
should express my thanks to you, Dr. Gaudi-Nagy.<br />
Thank you for proving, once again, that ignorance and<br />
hatred are timeless and do not know geographic<br />
boundaries, social class and political affiliations.<br />
People like yourself end up polluting the dark and<br />
obscure pages of history books, pages that future<br />
generations will feel nausea even remembering.<br />
You are an insult to the human race and to its<br />
dignity, and today I feel more proud to be Jewish than<br />
I have ever been, and more determined than ever<br />
before to raise awareness about this mortal plague<br />
that is ignorance and malice combined with antisemitism,<br />
so that one of the darkest chapters in the<br />
history of humanity, perpetuated by individuals with<br />
these same qualities, will not repeat itself.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Richard Stein, New York<br />
European Parliament<br />
EU a danger<br />
to Europe: PM<br />
Parliament set to declare<br />
Brussels abusing its power,<br />
in thrall to business interests<br />
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán put in a<br />
defiant appearance in the European<br />
Parliament on Tuesday, the day<br />
before EU lawmakers officially castigated the<br />
government over its democratic record by<br />
adopting the highly critical Tavares report.<br />
He appeared resigned to the decision but<br />
blamed the “attack” on Hungary as the work<br />
of left-wingers and liberals.<br />
“Your decision tomorrow represents a real<br />
threat to the future of Europe,” Orbán said.<br />
“The recommendations in the report<br />
infringe the basic contracts and call for the<br />
setting up of institutions not recognised by<br />
the treaties of union, which would place an<br />
EU member state under surveillance and<br />
guardianship... This is a dangerous path.”<br />
During the debate Socialist Caucus leader<br />
Hanna Swoboda suggested that Orbán’s<br />
policies had been scaring away investors.<br />
“Investment in Hungary is increasing<br />
continuously,” Orbán asserted. “There are<br />
some who don’t like its economic policy.<br />
They are the bankers and utilities providers<br />
that enjoy monopoly positions. We disagree<br />
with them. We have taxed the banks and<br />
used state intervention to reduce utilities<br />
charges, and distributed the burden fairly.”<br />
Hungary to slap back<br />
The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat<br />
alliance parties have called for Hungary’s<br />
national assembly to adopt “with urgency” a<br />
resolution condemning the European<br />
Parliament, Fidesz chief whip Antál Rogán<br />
told reporters in Budapest after the supranational<br />
assembly endorsed the Tavares<br />
report in Strasbourg.<br />
“The EU is abusing its power,” Rogán<br />
said. “The interests of business lobbyists lie<br />
behind the European Parliament’s decision.<br />
What is really happening to Hungary is not<br />
a process about democracy but about utilities<br />
charges.”<br />
The Fidesz-controlled Parliament would<br />
adopt the resolution this Friday, he said.<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
ISSN 1785-1106<br />
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
Castration! That’ll<br />
cut crime: Jobbik<br />
Chemical castration, the death penalty and<br />
ethnic-based prisons should be introduced to<br />
deal with “continuously increasing” violent<br />
crime, extreme-right party Jobbik spokesman<br />
Ádám Mirkoczki said on Tuesday.<br />
The new penal code introduced on<br />
Monday is too lenient and will have little<br />
effect on improving safety, he said. The situation<br />
in small towns and villages was<br />
“appalling” despite Prime Minister Viktor<br />
Orbán describing law enforcement as satisfactory.<br />
Mirkoczki, whose party campaigns on a<br />
virulent anti-Gypsy, law-and-order agenda,<br />
described Jobbik’s nominally banned paramilitary<br />
organisations as “the most active”<br />
and “the most organised” during the recent<br />
flooding of the Danube.<br />
“There weren’t many Gypsies to be seen<br />
on the river banks apart from those that were<br />
paid to fill sandbags,” he said.<br />
Far-right to note<br />
Gay Pride Parade<br />
The far-right party Jobbik has announced<br />
it will hold a rally on Erzsébet tér (square) in<br />
central Pest this Saturday to coincide with the<br />
annual Gay Pride Parade which will pass<br />
close by. The event is ostensibly to mark<br />
“fellowship day” and, beside Jobbik leader<br />
Gábor Vona, speeches will be given by the<br />
head of the New Hungarian Guard, the latest<br />
incarnation of Jobbik’s militaristic uniformed<br />
wing (although the wearing of such uniforms<br />
is now technically banned by law).<br />
In recent years the parade has been<br />
conducted behind metal barriers and with a<br />
heavy police security presence after<br />
attempts to attack participants and violent<br />
scuffles between police and skinheads.<br />
The British Embassy has once again lent<br />
its support to the Gay Pride event, as one of<br />
17 embassies – among them most of<br />
Western Europe, the US and Israel – that<br />
signed a statement in support of gay and<br />
lesbian rights.<br />
“We look forward to the Pride celebrations,<br />
to the respect for them which the Hungarian<br />
people will show and to the determination of<br />
the Hungarian authorities not to allow those<br />
of extreme views to disrupt what should and<br />
will be joyful occasions,” the statement said.<br />
The march will proceed from Heroes’ Square<br />
to Olympia park on the Danube embankment,<br />
where a picnic will be held and<br />
speeches made by invited dignitaries.<br />
Bajnai sues Fidesz<br />
spokesman<br />
The opposition Together 2014-Dialogue<br />
for Hungary alliance has announced it will<br />
sue the spokesman of the ruling right-wing<br />
party Fidesz after Péter Hoppál alleged that<br />
former prime minister Gordon Bajnai was<br />
behind the occupation in March of Fidesz<br />
party headquarters. Several dozen<br />
protesters climbed into the courtyard of the<br />
building in protest over controversial constitutional<br />
amendments pushed through by the<br />
government.<br />
Fidesz officials promptly accused Bajnai<br />
of being behind the event, an assertion that<br />
the head of the 2009 to 2010 interim<br />
government denied. They also alleged that<br />
the party staff had been menaced and property<br />
vandalised – an assertion vehemently<br />
disputed by the mainly student demonstrators.<br />
Hoppál asserted<br />
Hoppál told reporters on Tuesday that<br />
protesters had “smashed up” Fidesz headquarters<br />
at the former<br />
premier’s instigation,<br />
describing them as a<br />
“violent Bajnai guard”.<br />
Bajnai’s electoral<br />
alliance responded by<br />
announcing it would<br />
sue Hoppál just as it is<br />
suing another Fidesz<br />
spokesman who<br />
Gordon Bajnai recently sought to link<br />
Bajnai to the bankruptcy<br />
of a poultry processing company that<br />
led to the ruin of numerous suppliers, and,<br />
allegedly, suicides.<br />
“We have already made clear our position<br />
on the occupation of the Fidesz headquarters:<br />
we understand the anger of the<br />
protesters and agree with their aims but we<br />
do not stand behind them,” Together 2014<br />
said in a statement. The “Orbán regime”<br />
would be toppled by peaceful, democratic<br />
means.<br />
Bajnai announced his return to politics in<br />
October last year, since when – despite not<br />
having until last month an official political<br />
party – he has been the main target of the<br />
government’s negative campaigning.<br />
Chokehold<br />
on smokers<br />
Harder to buy butts; petition to<br />
ban smoking in public<br />
Hungarians are among the heaviest smokers in the<br />
EU, so it came as a surprise to many when the<br />
ban on lighting up indoors was implemented last<br />
year with nary a whimper of opposition. Now antismoking<br />
activists are launching a petition drive to force a<br />
national referendum on banning smoking in all public places<br />
– outdoors as well as in, after the National Election<br />
Commission gave them the go-ahead last week. If they can<br />
collect the requisite 200,000 signatures, the national vote will<br />
go ahead.<br />
This news comes in a week when smokers have had to<br />
adjust to the new reality of the controversial government<br />
shake-up of the tobacco retail market – this one provoked<br />
rather more grumbling. As of Monday, the sale of tobacco<br />
products has been limited to only 5,000 or so outlets that won<br />
20-year concessions in a blatantly opaque tender process.<br />
Most of 40,000 or so shops can no longer sell cigarettes, and<br />
many owners face ruin.<br />
Opposition politicians and other critics allege the licences<br />
were handed to clients of ruling right-wing party Fidesz. As<br />
the press and civil groups demanded access to the tender<br />
documentation, the government promptly legislated to limit<br />
Hungary’s freedom of information act, effectively making the<br />
tender process secret. Corruption watchdog Transparency<br />
International pulled out of a government working group in<br />
protest.<br />
Embarrassment, doubt as<br />
Croatia finally enters EU<br />
“Welcome to the European Union,” European Commission<br />
president Jose Manuel Borroso told Croatians on Sunday as<br />
Europe’s politicians flocked to the country to mark it<br />
becoming the bloc’s 28th member the following morning.<br />
One exception, and the most visible, was Germany, whose<br />
Chancellor Angela Merkel had announced her decision not to<br />
join the festivities and to send the German government’s<br />
Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs instead.<br />
Though the head of the EU’s most powerful member<br />
blamed a busy schedule, dispute with Croatia over its failure<br />
to extradite the former head of Yugoslav State Security<br />
Administration Josip Perkovic, suspected of organising a<br />
politically motivated murder in Bavaria in 1983, is seen as the<br />
more probable reason for her absence.<br />
Croatian leaders put on a brave face despite this embarrassing<br />
ending to six years of the most protracted accession<br />
negotiations to have taken place before accession. “The story<br />
of Croatian success is a story of community, persistence,<br />
ambition and vision,” President Ivo Josipovic said, hailing a<br />
“historic” day for the country.<br />
With high unemployment, a four-year-long and ongoing<br />
recession, and national debt officially classified as junk,<br />
enthusiasm for joining the EU is not universally shared<br />
among the country’s inhabitants.<br />
Some fear they may end up struggling to keep up with<br />
competition from older EU members while losing free access<br />
to markets in the Balkans.<br />
MTI<br />
MTI<br />
MPs ram them<br />
through on 2nd go<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
Áder refuses 3 laws<br />
President János Áder refused to sign<br />
three pieces of government legislation<br />
this week, asking lawmakers to reconsider<br />
a law that changes the legal status of<br />
savings cooperatives, another<br />
addressing concerns over the recent<br />
fourth constitutional amendment,<br />
and regulations on the legal status<br />
of churches. The government<br />
promptly signalled that it will pass<br />
the laws again, albeit with amendments<br />
in the case of the building<br />
societies law. After a second<br />
János Áder<br />
passage, Áder has no choice but to<br />
sign a bill into law. The ruling Fidesz party<br />
was expected to push all three bills through<br />
Parliament again this Friday.<br />
The National Savings Cooperative<br />
Association (OTSZ) had called on Áder not<br />
to sign into law a bill passed on 27 June that<br />
would integrate Hungary’s large number of<br />
small savings cooperatives. The OTSZ’s 105<br />
members believed the law was unconstitutional.<br />
Áder agreed, asking lawmakers to<br />
clear up ambiguities in the text and consider<br />
whether limitations on ownership rights are<br />
necessary or proportional.<br />
The bill had already drawn stiff criticism,<br />
not least from OTSZ chairman Sándor<br />
Demjám, one of Hungary’s richest businessmen.<br />
Many observers speculated that the<br />
resignation of the head of Takarékbank,<br />
Péter Csicsáky, was linked to the government’s<br />
latest encroachment into private<br />
finance. The bill states that integration of<br />
many small building societies is necessary to<br />
guarantee deposits and ensure sufficient<br />
services to savers. “It remains a priority to<br />
guarantee all savings banks deposits and<br />
shares,” Fidesz group leader Antal Rogán<br />
told reporters on Wednesday.<br />
Áder also sent back to Parliament amendments<br />
to the law on the status of churches,<br />
which he said would create legal uncertainty.<br />
The government had controversially incorporated<br />
into the Fundamental Law legislation<br />
that gives Parliament direct control over<br />
the official recognition of churches. This was<br />
done after the Constitutional Court ruled<br />
that the ordinary legislation was unconstitutional.<br />
The amendment currently in<br />
question did not fully address the<br />
concerns of critics who see the policy<br />
as discriminatory.<br />
The third point with which Áder<br />
took issue concerned the functioning<br />
of the regulatory Media<br />
Council. The president balked at the<br />
stipulation that the deputy president<br />
of the body charged with<br />
executing media laws is empowered to issue<br />
decrees before a new president is in place<br />
(the incumbent president having died<br />
recently).<br />
Land law signed<br />
Meanwhile, Áder signed into law the<br />
government’s new package of legislation<br />
governing the use of arable land, which is<br />
aimed at limiting purchases by foreign<br />
nationals. The passage of the bill last week<br />
saw chaotic scenes in Parliament, with<br />
nationalists occupying the Speaker’s podium<br />
and Greens holding a banner aloft in the<br />
centre of the debating chamber.<br />
The far-right Jobbik party reckons that the<br />
government has betrayed Hungary by failing<br />
to ban foreign nationals from buying<br />
Hungarian land (when an EU derogation<br />
expires next year, Hungary can no longer<br />
discriminate between EU citizens). The<br />
Greens and left-wing groups have argued<br />
that the government’s land law, along with its<br />
broader policy regarding the leasing out of<br />
state-owned farmland, is designed to favour<br />
those loyal to the ruling Fidesz party.<br />
03<br />
POLITICS
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
04<br />
INTERVIEW: NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR TOVE SKARSTEIN<br />
Grants promote solid Norwegian values<br />
Norway’s Ambassador to Hungary, Tove Skarstein, talks about<br />
the many bilateral links between the two countries, from her<br />
promotion of Norway’s nature, culture, competitive economy<br />
and core values, to active assistance via the Norway Grants in<br />
meeting some of the social challenges in Hungary.<br />
What is keeping you busiest in your job at<br />
the moment?<br />
We are currently in the phase of finalising<br />
the preparations of the programmes that will<br />
be launched very soon under the so-called<br />
European Economic Area and Norwegian<br />
Financial Mechanisms. These funds will<br />
allocate some 150 million euros (40 billion<br />
forints) to 12 programmes, and hundreds of<br />
smaller and larger projects throughout the<br />
country, with the aim of reducing social and<br />
economic disparities, as well as strengthening<br />
the bilateral relations between our<br />
countries. Though the funded projects will<br />
not start their activities before the end of this<br />
year, the preparatory work that is being<br />
done at the moment is essential, because<br />
we are interested in funding projects that not<br />
only efficiently address some of the most<br />
pressing challenges in Hungary (Roma integration,<br />
energy efficiency, improving public<br />
health, etc.), but are sustainable in the long<br />
run, i.e. even after the end of the funding<br />
period.<br />
Of course, as with any ambassador, most of<br />
my day-to-day work is related to strengthening<br />
the bilateral relations between<br />
Hungary and Norway, as well as following<br />
closely the political and economic situation<br />
in Hungary. I must say, there is never a dull<br />
moment these days for an ambassador<br />
posted in Hungary.<br />
How does Hungary rate on the scale of difficulty,<br />
or as an enjoyable posting, for<br />
Norway’s ambassadors?<br />
Budapest is definitely a popular posting for<br />
Norwegian diplomats. Hungary is a country<br />
with an intriguing history, which is an especially<br />
attractive aspect for me personally.<br />
Budapest, a beautiful and safe city, has one<br />
of the richest cultural lives in Central and<br />
Eastern Europe, and is in addition<br />
geographically close to Norway with daily<br />
direct flights to Oslo. As I said, the political<br />
developments in the country are exciting<br />
from a diplomat’s point of view, which makes<br />
our work both interesting and challenging.<br />
What do Hungarians really know about<br />
Norway? What are some important and less<br />
well known facts?<br />
My impression is that there is room for<br />
improvement on both sides when it comes<br />
to knowledge about the other country.<br />
Hungarians tend to regard Norway as a<br />
distant, exotic country, with a beautiful<br />
nature, which has gained its richness thanks<br />
to its gigantic oil revenues. This is of course<br />
partly true, but not so many people know<br />
that our economy is actually based more on<br />
our qualified and competitive workforce,<br />
especially the participation of women, who<br />
actually contribute more to the country’s<br />
GDP than the oil sector.<br />
Also, many Hungarians associate Norway<br />
with an extensive welfare state, where<br />
everyone can feel secure and no-one is in<br />
danger of losing their livelihood. Again,<br />
partly true, however it is often neglected that<br />
the reason our welfare state can function<br />
efficiently and sustainably is that a much<br />
larger proportion of the population than the<br />
EU average, especially among women, is<br />
active in the labour market, and continues to<br />
work and pay taxes until a higher age than<br />
is common in most other countries.<br />
Our economy and society is therefore based<br />
on a delicate balance between a competitive<br />
market economy, with individual choices<br />
and responsibilities, but on the other hand<br />
solidarity and state intervention. That is why<br />
we have to pay higher taxes than most other<br />
European citizens, but we do pay these<br />
taxes because we trust that the state or<br />
municipality will perform its duties and serve<br />
the interests of the society at large.<br />
I found it very surprising, and even flattering,<br />
that many of our greatest classical and<br />
contemporary artists, from Henrik Ibsen to<br />
Jan Garbarek (not to mention Jo Nesbø) are<br />
so well known and popular among the<br />
Hungarian audience.<br />
Norway is not a member of the EU. Does<br />
this complicate political and economic relations<br />
with Hungary at all?<br />
When it comes to economic relations,<br />
Norway is part of the European Economic<br />
Area, which means that, apart from agriculture<br />
and fisheries, we are part of the EU’s<br />
internal market with the same rights and<br />
obligations as any other EU Member State.<br />
Our companies compete on exactly the<br />
same terms, and my impression is that<br />
Norwegian businesses enjoy a high degree<br />
of trust in Hungary. I don’t think our nonmember<br />
status complicates bilateral political<br />
relations, either. Even though we don’t<br />
participate in the EU’s formal decisionmaking<br />
mechanisms, we are deeply<br />
involved in shaping indirectly the EU’s policies<br />
by closely following the processes, and<br />
aligning ourselves with like-minded countries<br />
on issues where we have common<br />
values and interests.<br />
How are Norwegian-Hungarian relations<br />
politically?<br />
Our ties have been close already since<br />
1956, when approximately 1,500 Hungarian<br />
refugees settled in Norway. Since that time<br />
they, and their descendants, have become<br />
well integrated and respected members of<br />
the Norwegian society, which obviously<br />
contributes to further developing our friendly<br />
relationship. Our bilateral contacts became<br />
much stronger after 1990, when Hungary<br />
became firmly anchored in the Euro-Atlantic<br />
alliance, where Norway had belonged for<br />
decades.Today we are important and strong<br />
allies in Europe, we share many of the same<br />
interests and values, and work together<br />
actively to achieve common goals in various<br />
forums, such as the Council of Europe,<br />
NATO or the European Economic Area.<br />
“Hungarians are definitely<br />
not among the largest immigrant<br />
groups, especially<br />
when compared to the<br />
Nordic countries, the Baltics<br />
and Poland. However, in<br />
recent years we have experienced<br />
an increased influx of<br />
Hungarian professionals, first<br />
and foremost medical<br />
doctors, engineers and architects.<br />
It is in these sectors<br />
where we have a large<br />
demand for qualified workforce,<br />
and living and working<br />
conditions are no doubt very<br />
attractive for citizens of other<br />
European countries.”<br />
– Norwegian Ambassador<br />
Tove Skarstein<br />
Of course, this does not mean that we have<br />
to agree on everything, and we have<br />
expressed our concerns about some of the<br />
recent political developments in Hungary,<br />
but we have also acknowledged when the<br />
government took important steps to remedy<br />
these shortcomings. The Norway Grants<br />
provide an excellent opportunity to further<br />
strengthen our political and economic relations.<br />
What are the trade and business links<br />
between Norway and Hungary? The main<br />
companies? The main economic goods,<br />
exports/imports between the two?<br />
Norway’s Ambassador to Hungary, Tove Skarstein, says there is never a dull moment in her posting.<br />
The EEA Agreement provides excellent<br />
conditions for joint business activities and<br />
trade between our countries. Though trade<br />
statistics show relatively modest<br />
export/import activities (export from<br />
Hungary to Norway was roughly EUR 250<br />
million, while import from Norway to<br />
Hungary was about EUR 65 million in<br />
2012), there are significant exports from<br />
Hungary to Norway in important sectors,<br />
such as pharmaceuticals, telecommunications,<br />
electronics and automotive products.<br />
In many cases trade relations are<br />
indirect, and hence do not appear in the<br />
official import/export statistics, for example<br />
when Hungarian car-parts suppliers<br />
export their products to Norway via<br />
German automotive manufacturers. By far<br />
the largest Norwegian investor in Hungary<br />
is Telenor, which, with its roughly 33 per<br />
cent market share is the second-largest<br />
mobile operator in the country.<br />
Interestingly enough, with more than three<br />
million subscribers in Hungary they have<br />
more customers here than in Norway! In<br />
addition, there are some 30-40 Norwegian<br />
companies present on the Hungarian<br />
market in a range of sectors from energy<br />
to seafood products, either as local<br />
subsidiaries, sales agents, etc.<br />
How do the business customs differ in<br />
Norway?<br />
I would say Norwegian businessmen are<br />
more direct, and frank in their approach,<br />
perhaps generally a bit more risk-averse<br />
than Hungarians, although probably the<br />
financial crisis has forced Hungarian businesses<br />
to be more cautious than before.<br />
Our business - and other social - relations<br />
are based on mutual trust, as well as<br />
transparency, and our companies try to<br />
conduct the same type of behaviour also<br />
when they are operating abroad.<br />
There must be some interesting business<br />
stories?<br />
I found it very interesting to see how<br />
popular Budapest is among Norwegian<br />
dental tourists. An entire industry has<br />
developed with businesses (dentists and<br />
agents) in Budapest and Norway<br />
specialised in attracting Norwegian<br />
tourists to Budapest for long weekends,<br />
where they combine high-quality dental<br />
services at reasonable prices with<br />
exploring the country’s beautiful capital.<br />
How many Norwegian businesses and<br />
individuals are in Hungary and what<br />
important things are they doing? Do they<br />
have any particular problems here?<br />
As I mentioned there are quite a number of<br />
Norwegian businesses operating in<br />
Hungary. Most of them are small- and<br />
medium-sized companies, with relatively<br />
few employees, and even fewer of them<br />
are Norwegians. But there is quite a sizeable<br />
Norwegian community in Budapest,<br />
not only businessmen but especially<br />
students. Roughly 700 Norwegian<br />
students study at Hungarian universities,<br />
the overwhelming majority of them medicine.<br />
About half of them live in Budapest,<br />
the rest in the other university towns of<br />
Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs. Generally<br />
speaking the Norwegian community feels<br />
very comfortable and safe in Hungary, but<br />
some of them face language difficulties, as<br />
well as heavy bureaucracy, and in some<br />
sectors there are problems with non-transparent<br />
business.<br />
Is Norway a popular destination for<br />
Hungarians wishing to emigrate? Is it difficult<br />
to do so?<br />
Norway has become a very popular place<br />
both for labour migration, especially from<br />
other Scandinavian and EU countries, as<br />
well as asylum seekers from developing<br />
countries. When it comes to workers from<br />
the EU, it is relatively easy to settle in<br />
Norway, given that the European Economic<br />
Area provides identical working conditions<br />
for Norwegian and EU citizens. Norway is<br />
one of the few countries in Europe where<br />
the available workforce is in fact scarce,<br />
especially in some sectors, and therefore<br />
we welcome the arrival of foreign workers.<br />
Hungarians are definitely not among the<br />
largest immigrant groups, especially when<br />
compared to the Nordic countries, the<br />
Baltics and Poland. However, in recent years<br />
we have experienced an increased influx of<br />
Hungarian professionals, first and foremost<br />
medical doctors, engineers and architects. It<br />
is in these sectors where we have a large<br />
demand for qualified workforce, and living<br />
and working conditions are no doubt very<br />
attractive for citizens of other European<br />
countries.<br />
Is Norway a popular tourist destination for<br />
Hungarians?<br />
Norway is regarded as an exotic, but probably<br />
high-end destination for tourists in<br />
general. Of course, we have some<br />
Hungarian tourists, who travel individually or<br />
with organised tours to Norway in order to<br />
explore the Western fjords or the midnight<br />
sun, but their numbers are obviously much<br />
lower than those of the Germans, the<br />
Danes, or the Dutch. Thanks to Hungary’s<br />
membership in the Schengen Area, and two<br />
companies operating cheap and daily direct<br />
flights to Oslo, travelling to Norway has<br />
become even more convenient than before.<br />
How are you promoting Norway politically,<br />
economically and culturally? What are your<br />
Embassy’s efforts to strengthen Norway’s<br />
image in the country?<br />
A large part of my job serves exactly these<br />
purposes. We would like to use all possible<br />
channels and opportunities to make our<br />
country, our beautiful nature, our culture, our<br />
competitive economy, and not least our core<br />
values more visible in Hungary. Without a<br />
doubt our main tool to achieve these goals is<br />
the Norway Grants. Our funds provide me<br />
with a golden opportunity to travel to all parts<br />
of the country, meet national and local politicians,<br />
NGOs, public entities and ordinary<br />
people, and put Norway on the map, so to<br />
speak. All of our funded projects are carrying<br />
out activities that are related to the values we<br />
wish to promote (gender equality, empowerment<br />
of vulnerable groups, environmental<br />
sustainability, etc.), and many of them<br />
involve Norwegian partner organisations.<br />
Through this strengthened cooperation, we<br />
aim to improve Norway’s image in Hungary,<br />
as in all the other beneficiary countries.<br />
Apart from the Norway Grants, the Embassy<br />
is very active in initiating and supporting<br />
various events which promote Norwegian<br />
culture, or important aspects of our social<br />
and economic life. Let me mention a couple<br />
of examples. Last weekend we co-hosted<br />
with our Nordic and Baltic friends a<br />
Midsummer event in the Szentendre<br />
Skanzen, with Norwegian food, music and<br />
other cultural activities. Last year, we were<br />
one of the guests of honour at the Budapest<br />
International Book Fair, and some 10 of our<br />
internationally recognised contemporary<br />
authors attended the event personally. In<br />
other areas I could mention professional<br />
workshops and conferences, which we have<br />
co-organised with our Hungarian partners,<br />
among others dealing with women in<br />
science, corporate social responsibility<br />
(CSR), or the so-called Nordic model.<br />
What are some of the things you support in<br />
Hungary?<br />
I am personally very engaged in<br />
supporting initiatives that are aimed at<br />
empowering vulnerable social groups,<br />
especially the Roma and women. I am<br />
often invited to events, and I always accept<br />
invitations, when I have the possibility to<br />
promote Norway’s strong engagement in<br />
these fields. Being a lady ambassador, I<br />
know very well what it is like to be in a<br />
minority position in an area that has traditionally<br />
been dominated by men. We have<br />
to work twice as hard in order to be<br />
acknowledged. Though there is obviously<br />
a long way still ahead of us, I am proud<br />
that my country has done a lot to decrease<br />
the gender gap as much as possible, and<br />
significantly increase the share of women<br />
in the political and business life. This is<br />
definitely something Norway wishes to<br />
promote throughout Europe and beyond,<br />
and I personally attach high priority to this<br />
task in my daily work in Hungary.<br />
How are your Hungarian language skills?<br />
At the moment my Hungarian skills are<br />
extremely limited. I have to admit I have my<br />
doubts whether I will be proficient in this<br />
very complicated language by the end of my<br />
tenure here.<br />
What baffles and frustrates you most about<br />
this country?<br />
To be honest, I was very shocked to experience<br />
that antisemitic voices are still present<br />
in parts of the Hungarian society and political<br />
discourse. Fortunately these voices are<br />
marginalised, but still they are disturbing 70<br />
years after the horrors of the Second World<br />
War, when we all thought these vicious<br />
ideologies were destroyed, at least in<br />
Europe. It was reassuring to hear that Prime<br />
Minister Orbán was very clear in his<br />
message condemning all forms of intolerance<br />
and antisemitism, and I sincerely hope<br />
the Hungarian government will have the<br />
resolve to be effective in mitigating such<br />
tendencies.
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
05<br />
Inquiry into fatal<br />
rally accident<br />
The National Automobile Sport<br />
Federation will launch an internal<br />
investigation into an amateur rally<br />
accident on Sunday that killed one<br />
and injured eight. Regional news<br />
portal szon.hu said a driver lost<br />
control and essentially straightened<br />
out a turn, hitting spectators on the<br />
other side of a double cordon. A<br />
police investigation will determine<br />
whether the accident was caused by<br />
a technical defect and if the turn was<br />
properly secured by organisers.<br />
EUR 14,000 for<br />
cramped cell<br />
The Strasbourg-based European<br />
Court of Human Rights ruled this<br />
week that Hungary must pay EUR<br />
12,000 in non-pecuniary damage<br />
and EUR 2,000 for costs and<br />
expenses to Sándor Fehér, who went<br />
to the court over alleged inhumane<br />
treatment before he stood trial for<br />
robbery.<br />
Fehér claimed that he and three<br />
others were held in a seven-squaremetre<br />
cell from September 2006 to<br />
October 2008. He said the cramped<br />
conditions with only limited time<br />
outside his cell had been inhuman<br />
and degrading.<br />
Fehér was ultimately convicted of<br />
robbery in October 2009 and<br />
sentenced to six years and eight<br />
months jail, which is not affected by<br />
this week’s ruling.<br />
EUR 28,400 to man<br />
sacked by state<br />
A Hungarian national whose<br />
severance pay was taxed at 98 per<br />
cent was awarded EUR 25,000 in<br />
damages and EUR 3,400 in costs on<br />
Tuesday after the European Court of<br />
Human Rights ruled the tax breached<br />
protection of property regulations.<br />
The 40-year-old man’s contract<br />
with a state-owned company was<br />
terminated in July 2010 after 11<br />
years in employment. Two rulings by<br />
the court on similar cases in May and<br />
June resulted in plaintiffs each being<br />
awarded EUR 17,000 and EUR<br />
16,900 in damages and costs<br />
respectively.<br />
Suspects held in<br />
dog-fight raid<br />
Five people believed to be organisers<br />
of illegal dog fights were<br />
arrested by police in Verpelét in<br />
northeast Hungary on Saturday.<br />
Investigators who raided a Heves<br />
County farmhouse allegedly found<br />
some 40 fight dogs and various<br />
illegal substances.<br />
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Some are more cheesed off than others...<br />
...but most<br />
are definitely<br />
cheesed off<br />
Life is unsatisfactory for<br />
the majority of<br />
Hungarians, according<br />
to new data from<br />
research institute GKI. A survey<br />
titled “Are we satisfied with our<br />
lives?” shows that, on a scale of<br />
minus-4 (least satisfied) to 4<br />
(most satisfied), the average<br />
response was about -0.5 or mild<br />
dissatisfaction.<br />
Ministry pooh-poohs<br />
dog meat rumour<br />
It is illegal in Hungary to raise dogs or cats for<br />
meat, the Rural Development Ministry said in a<br />
statement posted on Monday. This surprising<br />
assertion had to be made, apparently, because of<br />
“reports to the contrary” – as it turned out, rumours<br />
propagating in social media that the government<br />
had paved the way for the rearing of such animals<br />
as livestock for food.<br />
The news magazine HVG tracked down the<br />
source of the wild talk to a lawyer who deals with<br />
animal welfare cases. Anikó Pozsonyi told HVG<br />
that her reading of a recent amendment to the law<br />
on animal husbandry opens a back door to legal<br />
dog and cat meat. “The legislation filed on 25 June<br />
and now in force means dogs as an animal now<br />
come under the law on livestock, and thus can be<br />
raised for farming purposes,” she reckons, and has<br />
informed Europe.<br />
István Szilágyi of the White Cross Animal<br />
Defence League was less concerned, saying that<br />
other laws on animal cruelty overrule the interpretation<br />
of the new rules on animal breeding, which<br />
also cover the production of animals for recreational<br />
and sports uses. The ministry told HVG that<br />
the legal dog and cat meat interpretation of the<br />
recent legislative change was “stupid”.<br />
Dagály Bath in running<br />
for world championship<br />
One of Budapest’s biggest baths will be the<br />
home to the capital’s new competition swimming<br />
arena with a normal capacity of 5,000 spectators<br />
and the possibility to extend to 19,000. The<br />
complex in District XIII’s Dagály Bath is expected to<br />
be completed by the end of 2016 and will be<br />
featured in Hungary’s candidacy for the 2021<br />
aquatic world championship. The decision on the<br />
host city will be made at the congress of the international<br />
federation on 19 July. Dagály currently has<br />
10 pools, which are all open during summertime.<br />
Buses 115 and 133 stop near the entrance and it<br />
is in walking distance of tram number 1 and the<br />
Árpád-híd station of the M3 subway. Entry is HUF<br />
2,800 (EUR 9.45) for adults and HUF 1,900 (EUR<br />
6.40) for students and pensioners.<br />
Ageing trolley buses<br />
come to end of line<br />
Budapest Transport Centre BKK announced on<br />
Monday a tender for 24 low-floor and air-conditioned<br />
trolley buses to replace some of its over 20-<br />
years-old fleet in autumn 2014. The tender worth<br />
HUF 43 million (EUR 145,796) will be 99.33 per<br />
cent funded by the EU with the city covering the<br />
rest, and comes with an option to provide a further<br />
84 vehicles. A further 25 articulated Volvo buses,<br />
purchased second-hand from Switzerland, will join<br />
the municipality’s fleet, BKK also announced on<br />
Wednesday.<br />
It’s not about the money<br />
Where each respondent is<br />
placed on the scale depends<br />
more on notions of relative<br />
wealth than on absolute levels of<br />
income, the survey found, with<br />
the segment of the population<br />
living on the smallest income<br />
showing less marked levels of<br />
dissatisfaction (-0.51) than those<br />
earning 20 to 40 per cent and 40<br />
to 60 per cent of average salaries<br />
(-1.50 and -0.92 respectively).<br />
The top two segments of<br />
population in terms of income<br />
showed the mildest dissatisfaction<br />
(-0.34 and -0.41 respectively).<br />
MTI<br />
MTI<br />
Grumpy old women<br />
There is, on the other hand, a<br />
clear relation between age and<br />
level of dissatisfaction, with a<br />
steady decrease from -0.06 for the<br />
youngest 20 per cent of the population<br />
to -0.84 for the oldest 20 per<br />
cent. This is corroborated by data<br />
on occupational background:<br />
among respondents, students are<br />
the only group showing satisfaction,<br />
however low. The employed<br />
straddle the line between satisfied<br />
and dissatisfied, while the dissatisfied<br />
include (in growing order of<br />
disillusion) the retired, mothers on<br />
maternity leave, the unemployed<br />
and housewives.<br />
New section brings<br />
relief on busy M0<br />
The first motorists are using the expanded 11-<br />
kilometre section of the M0 ring-road’s southern<br />
stretch, which opened on Sunday. The right side of<br />
the picture shows a similar condition to that which<br />
drivers had to deal with in one of the busiest highways<br />
of central Hungary since the road was<br />
completed in the 1990s. Plans call for both directions<br />
of the M0 to be expanded from two lanes to<br />
three and an emergency lane on all sections. The<br />
next stretch – to be opened in August – will be a<br />
newly constructed section connecting road 51 with<br />
the M5 highway.<br />
High poverty statistics<br />
being hidden: MSZP MP<br />
The government and the Central Statistical<br />
Office (KSH) must publish annual data on poverty<br />
as soon as possible, Hungarian Socialist Party<br />
(MSZP) MP Lajos Korózs said on Tuesday. KSH<br />
data on subsistence levels normally come out in<br />
mid-June but are not available yet, Korózs said,<br />
accusing the government of seeking to hide a high<br />
level of poverty in Hungary unseen since the<br />
Second World War.<br />
The data would reveal that the poverty line is at<br />
HUF 85,000 (EUR 287) for a single person, HUF<br />
150,000 (EUR 507) for a couple and HUF 250,000<br />
(EUR 845) for a family with two children, he said.<br />
Korózs cited data by polling firm Tárki according<br />
to which 4.6 million of Hungary’s fewer than 10<br />
million inhabitants live below EU poverty lines. The<br />
number of poor people has increased under the<br />
Orbán government in place since 2010, and so has<br />
the gap between the richest and poorest ten per<br />
cent, he said.<br />
Rail link for new<br />
football stadium<br />
The new national football stadium – to be built<br />
within the walls of Puskás Ferenc Stadium – will be<br />
accessible by train from nearby Keleti (Eastern)<br />
Railway Station, government commissioner László<br />
Vígh said on sports network Digi Sport this week.<br />
“The stadium-within-a-stadium concept has<br />
already been used in Leipzig and Berlin but this will<br />
be the first time that the space saved by not having<br />
a running track will be used to house training and<br />
other service facilities,” Vígh added. The stadium<br />
will hold 65,000 and cost HUF 60-90 billion (EUR<br />
203.46-305.21 million). It is expected to open in<br />
2017. Two other stadiums are already being built:<br />
both the one at Debrecen and the one to belong to<br />
FTC in Budapest will have 20,000-plus capacity<br />
and both are expected to open sometime in 2014.<br />
Letters of dismissal for<br />
250 postal staff<br />
State-owned postal service Magyar Posta has<br />
released some 250 employees over the past<br />
weeks by mutual agreement. Left-leaning daily<br />
Népszabadság said they had been dismissed in<br />
small groups so as to avoid mass dismissals. The<br />
paper said another 250 of the postal service’s<br />
33,000 employees may go.<br />
MTI<br />
Learn to be happy<br />
Level of education also plays<br />
a role in determining satisfaction,<br />
with university diplomaholders<br />
showing mild satisfaction<br />
(0.5), school leavers with<br />
diplomas and technical<br />
diploma-holders at 0 and those<br />
with eight years of formal<br />
education or fewer (the largest<br />
segment of the overall population)<br />
clearly the least satisfied.<br />
Big city? Bluer<br />
In terms of geographic<br />
spread Budapest’s dwellers do<br />
not do too badly, dipping at just<br />
-0.09 on the side of dissatisfaction,<br />
while those living in Fejér<br />
(west of Budapest), Bács<br />
(south), Nógrád (north) and<br />
Baranya (around southern<br />
Pécs) counties the most satisfied<br />
at between 0.06 and 0.02.<br />
Hungary’s impoverished<br />
eastern countries registered<br />
between -0.57 and -0.65 on the<br />
scale, showing inhabitants that<br />
are only a little more dissatisfied<br />
than the national average<br />
of -0.49 and who are certainly<br />
happier than southern Tolna<br />
county’s inhabitants, closing<br />
the list at -2.87.<br />
– Bénédicte Williams<br />
Island will rise<br />
from decades<br />
of neglect: PM<br />
BÉNÉDICTE WILLIAMS<br />
Margit Island is entering a new era of development, Prime<br />
Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday at the opening of<br />
its renovated fountain. The island had been practically<br />
half-dead for the last two decades but the cabinet and Budapest<br />
city aim to transform it from one of neglect to a trouble-free one,<br />
he said.<br />
Grabbed from local (Socialist) council<br />
The island has been under municipal control since Parliament<br />
voted to transfer it from District XIII to Budapest City Council in<br />
June. The vote was MPs’ second on the issue, after President of the<br />
Republic János Áder rejected an earlier decision on the grounds<br />
that it breached European guidelines subjecting changes in local<br />
authority borders to prior consultation or local referendums.<br />
Parliament passed the bill anew without making any changes, so<br />
it now becomes law.<br />
District XIII mayor József Tóth, whose Pest-side district risks<br />
losing HUF 133 million (EUR 451,619) yearly in property, vehicle<br />
and tourist taxes, described the bill as “unreasonable and illegal”<br />
when it was first submitted to Parliament by Administration and<br />
Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics in May. Tóth told news outlet<br />
index.hu the move opens the way for Budapest City Council to get<br />
hold of any part of the city it likes.<br />
A horse-drawn railway track, the renovation of the Palatinus<br />
baths, the development and expansion of the sports stadium, the<br />
renovation of the Japanese garden and the running track, a free<br />
WiFi network, sewerage development and construction of an irrigation<br />
network, and the procurement of electric buses are all in<br />
the works, Budapest Mayor István Tarlós said, though he did not<br />
give any timescale.<br />
The renovation of the fountain, which has stood at the entrance<br />
to the island since 1962, is the first step in revitalisation, Tarlós<br />
said.<br />
Plans are also afoot to upgrade Budapest’s City Park with the<br />
renovation of the zoo, the Transport Museum and Petõfi Csarnok<br />
concert hall, the removal of the circus to a new building and the<br />
creation of a museum quarter next to the park, according to a<br />
cabinet decision published in official gazette Magyar Közlöny this<br />
week.<br />
The cabinet aims to turn the park into a family-friendly culture<br />
and entertainment area by 2020.<br />
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Budapest mayor István Tarlós officially<br />
open the renovated fountain.<br />
NEWS/POLITICS
06<br />
ECONOMY/BUSINESS<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
Jordanian army to<br />
march on cheese<br />
Hungarian dairy products concern<br />
Kõröstej has beaten off Dutch, Austrian and<br />
Australian competition to secure a lucrative<br />
contract to supply Jordan’s 100,000-strong<br />
army with cheese, financial news broadcaster<br />
Gazdasági Rádió reported on<br />
Wednesday. The group achieved turnover of<br />
HUF 15 billion (EUR 50.71 million) in the first<br />
five months of this year and is among<br />
Hungary’s largest exporters of cheese.<br />
While domestic cheese consumption is<br />
dominated by the much-maligned Trappista<br />
sajt, exports tend to be of processed<br />
cheeses and spreads. Jordan’s military will<br />
be supplied with long-life tinned cheese.<br />
“With this agreement we plan to export<br />
many tonnes of cheese to the army,” said the<br />
Kõröstej group’s Lebanese director, Riad<br />
Naboulsi, who founded the firm in 1989.<br />
Spanner in works for<br />
backyard mechanics<br />
The government and car dealers association<br />
GÉMOSZ have signed an agreement<br />
to fight illegal car repair businesses,<br />
Economy Ministry state secretary Sándor<br />
Czomba announced on Tuesday. Creating a<br />
regulatory environment beneficial to legal<br />
businesses and forcing grey and black businesses<br />
to operate legally through crackdowns<br />
by police and tax officers would help<br />
reduce job losses in the auto sector, he said.<br />
The automotive industry brings in HUF 1<br />
billion (EUR 3.39 million) annually, of which<br />
70 per cent remains within the illegal sphere,<br />
GÉMOSZ president Gábor Gablini said.<br />
Illegal businesses have caused 60 per cent<br />
of legal car dealers and 50 per cent of car<br />
repair operations to close in the last five<br />
years, Gablini said, adding the association<br />
was aiming to create 4,000 jobs by 2017.<br />
Hungary’s HUF 5,000 (EUR 16.89) legal<br />
hourly fee for car repair is low compared to<br />
the European average of EUR 35-40, but<br />
even HUF 5,000 seems expensive<br />
compared to illegal rates, he said.<br />
Illegal businesses also caused safety<br />
and environmental problems because<br />
they did not check used parts and oil<br />
quality thoroughly enough.<br />
E-toll system lurches into action<br />
After 24 hours of utter chaos on its day of<br />
introduction on Monday, the new national e-<br />
road toll system worked more or less flawlessly<br />
for the remainder of the week.<br />
Haulers stranded at the borders since 1<br />
July had also disappeared by Wednesday,<br />
but that does not mean the new levy will not<br />
have an effect on prices.<br />
Although the system allows motorists –<br />
haulers for now – to pay according to the<br />
distance they travel on highways, more<br />
roads are now included, which means that<br />
Hu-Go – the imaginative name of the<br />
system – will be the reason for the more<br />
expensive port salut at the grocery store. At<br />
least this is what numerous trucker and<br />
producer organisations and some opposition<br />
parties are claiming.<br />
The price rise will not be because of the<br />
first day: due to the chaos caused by system<br />
freezes, the State Motorway Management<br />
Company announced an amnesty for the<br />
unpaid road usage on Monday.<br />
The breakdown could not have been<br />
unexpected. In the past weeks truckers<br />
have begged for a delay and warned that<br />
the system would collapse. When introduced<br />
in Germany and Slovakia the trial<br />
period lasted a year and nine months<br />
respectively. Two months ago in Hungary it<br />
was still unknown how Hu-Go was exactly<br />
going to work, but as the e-toll system is a<br />
crucial part of the budget – lawmakers plan<br />
to collect HUF 75 billion (EUR 253.33<br />
million) this year – the postponement of the<br />
launch was never a possibility.<br />
“During the test period in Germany using<br />
the roads was free,” a trucker said. “In<br />
Hungary the test period means a<br />
discounted penalty but that’s still HUF<br />
80,000-120,000 (EUR 270-405).”<br />
The lack of testing is clearly shown by<br />
some price quotes. If someone wants to<br />
deliver cargo from Gyál to Kecskemét or<br />
from Kecskemét to Gyál, the one-way fee is<br />
HUF 4,900 (EUR 16.55). A roundtrip ticket:<br />
nearly HUF 15,000 (EUR 50.65).<br />
Fortunately the spokesman of the Hu-Go<br />
project did not experience any of the confusion.<br />
“In the early hours the system<br />
received an overload cyber-attack, which<br />
we immediately let the press know about,”<br />
Lajos Kibédi-Varga said on Monday afternoon,<br />
adding that the staff did not have<br />
knowledge of any “condition causing a<br />
traffic jam”. Perhaps that’s because the<br />
truckers were stranded outside the country.<br />
Thomas Schauer, CEO of the mid-sized<br />
logistics company Gebrüder Weiss Kft.,<br />
would be OK with the new system: “It would<br />
be acceptable for us, the financial aspects<br />
as well as the administrative aspects, if it<br />
will run smoothly at some point,” he said.<br />
“There have been several problems, such<br />
as miscalculations of routes and payments.<br />
My colleagues are busy dealing with<br />
complaints since last Monday.”<br />
“Paying a toll isn’t anything special,<br />
people have to see that using the highway<br />
system in Hungary was simply way<br />
cheaper compared to other countries. We<br />
had, however, only a month to adjust to this<br />
new system. The preparations for the introduction<br />
of the new system weren’t sufficient,<br />
some test runs didn’t even take place<br />
at all.”<br />
MTI<br />
Chinese trade visit<br />
raises export hopes<br />
A long-term, calculable cooperation with<br />
China is one of the pillars of Hungary’s<br />
“opening to the East” foreign trade policy<br />
state secretary Péter Szijjártó said at a<br />
Hungarian-Chinese business forum in<br />
Parliament on Wednesday.The session was<br />
held as part of a European tour of the stateowned<br />
Assests Supervision and<br />
Administration Committee of the city of<br />
Tianjin (population 13.5 million) and was<br />
attended by 60 executives of 41 Chinese<br />
state companies.<br />
“Hungary wants to expand its exports to<br />
China as well as the volume of Chinese<br />
investment in Hungary, and plans to<br />
become a transit country for goods coming<br />
to the European Union,” said Szijjártó,<br />
noting that Hungarian exports to China<br />
increased by 12 times in the last decade<br />
and now had a value around USD 2 billion<br />
(EUR 1.55 billion) a year.<br />
Chinese Embassy trade counsellor<br />
Wang Hongliang (pictured) said there are<br />
still plenty of opportunities to improve bilateral<br />
relations and this is aided by a number<br />
of state institutions and chambers of<br />
commerce.<br />
MTI<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
Petrol fuels rise<br />
in retail sales<br />
The volume of retail sales rose 2.5 per<br />
cent in May year-on-year, the Central<br />
Statistical Office announced on Wednesday.<br />
There was a 0.9 per cent rise in food, drinks<br />
and tobacco stores, 2.1 per cent in non-food<br />
retail trade and 6.8 per cent in petrol sales.<br />
Clean start at<br />
Henkel factory<br />
German chemical products manufacturer<br />
Henkel completed a two-year, HUF 4.6<br />
billion (EUR 15.54 million) investment in its<br />
Körösladány factory this week, which will<br />
allow the company to produce a new Persil<br />
high-quality detergent. The investment<br />
created jobs but Henkel did not disclose<br />
how many.<br />
Tiny dent in car sales<br />
The number of registered passenger<br />
vehicles increased by only 19 to 4,975 in<br />
June compared with June 2012 and the<br />
comparison of the two first halves of 2012<br />
and 2013 revealed a decline of 2.2 per cent<br />
this year, industry researcher Datahouse<br />
said this week.<br />
Town may buy<br />
biomass plant<br />
State-owned electricity company MVM<br />
will spend HUF 6.3 billion (EUR 21.28<br />
million) to build a biomass power plant in<br />
Bokod, which will supply the district heating<br />
in the town of Oroszlány. The town will have<br />
the option to purchase the plant in 2020 at<br />
the book value of the time, mayor Károly<br />
Takács told state news agency MTI.<br />
Developing high-performing teams<br />
Genuinely regard all employees as talent<br />
and staff will see that high performance<br />
is not the preserve of the privileged few<br />
INNOVATION IS OUR FUTURE,<br />
SERVICE IS OUR PASSION<br />
Top talent needs nurturing but is<br />
targeting the rest of the employee population<br />
a better strategy to improve<br />
performance overall? The latest Hays<br />
Journal explores how the debate has<br />
raged in the human resources community about<br />
how best to invest in developing and managing<br />
high-performing teams.<br />
Focusing on the top performers can be satisfying<br />
in terms of providing high-level and high-profile<br />
achievements, but many HR professionals argue<br />
that nurturing the average band of workers making<br />
up the body of any organisation would prove a more<br />
effective investment.<br />
In addition, defining performance can be a minefield<br />
and it can be difficult to distinguish between<br />
mid- and top-performing people. Many mid-performance<br />
staff stay at that level not because they lack<br />
potential, but because those defined as the top<br />
maintain their own level by not providing information<br />
that might help others to follow in their footsteps.<br />
Line managers also contribute to the problem by<br />
creating a culture in which the top level are<br />
promoted, regardless of whether they are adding<br />
value in reality or keeping to the company’s value.<br />
Setting targets acts as an incentive for everyone but<br />
striving for the unachievable is disengaging and can<br />
lead to extreme behaviour, such as increased risktaking.<br />
Meanwhile, those at the top are likely to<br />
under-perform, even on easy goals, if their only<br />
reward is likely to be setting harder goals.<br />
Tammy Nagy-Stellini, managing director of Hays<br />
Hungary, says: “Good performance is not just about<br />
getting the best results. How people behave within<br />
an organisation also plays an important role.<br />
“On occasions, bad or damaging behaviour can<br />
be overlooked if the individual is high-performing. If<br />
all employees are genuinely regarded as talent,<br />
then staff will see that high performance really is<br />
something for everyone and not the preserve of the<br />
privileged few.<br />
“With such a message at their heart, organisations<br />
might hope to create a performance culture<br />
that will help them survive and grow into a<br />
successful future.”<br />
– For the full feature see pages 34-37 on<br />
http://www.hays-journal.com/issue5/<br />
–To access Hays Journal Issue 5 visit: www.haysjournal.com<br />
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
07<br />
Philips expansion<br />
HUF 1.1bn<br />
Philips IPSC – a Hungarian LED<br />
lighting manufacturer subsidiary of the<br />
Dutch multinational – will spend HUF<br />
1.17 billion (EUR 3.97 million) on the<br />
refurbishment of two halls and the<br />
construction of a testing laboratory as<br />
well as two new production units, the<br />
Tamási-based company announced<br />
this week. The development is<br />
expected to be completed before the<br />
end of the year.<br />
National debt up<br />
despite rhetoric<br />
The National Bank of Hungary has<br />
revised its earlier estimate by +0.2<br />
percentage points and now says the<br />
country’s debt-to-GDP ratio stood at<br />
82.4 per cent at the end of March. This<br />
is 3.2 points higher than at the end of<br />
2012 and 0.4 points above the level of<br />
2010, when the current Fidesz-KDNP<br />
government took control, vowing to<br />
lower national debt.<br />
Slovak imports up<br />
11% last year<br />
Relations between Hungary and<br />
Slovakia are based on political and<br />
personal trust, Prime Minister Viktor<br />
Orbán said following a summit of officials<br />
from the two governments in<br />
Budapest on Tuesday. “Hungary and<br />
Slovakia are following the same path<br />
and it is up to the two countries how<br />
they utilise Europe’s broadening opportunities,”<br />
Orbán (right) said. His<br />
Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico,<br />
said that despite the global economic<br />
crisis, Slovak exports to Hungary had<br />
increased 11 per cent in 2012, proof<br />
that the two countries are capable of<br />
close cooperation. “Successful years<br />
for both Hungary and Slovakia are<br />
coming but countries in the Central<br />
European region will need to strive for<br />
an even closer cooperation than<br />
before,” Fico said.<br />
Malta, Hurghada<br />
on Wizz Air radar<br />
Low-cost airline Wizz Air will keep<br />
Malta in its winter line-up and it will fly<br />
between the Egyptian holiday city<br />
Hurghada and Budapest from 2<br />
November, the company announced on<br />
Wednesday. From October Wizz Air will<br />
start to offer vacation packages – flight<br />
and lodging for now – via its subsidiary<br />
Wizz Tours.<br />
Quicker security<br />
checks expected<br />
BA, the operator of Budapest's<br />
Liszt Ferenc International Airport,<br />
has started its own security<br />
company, which will provide jobs for<br />
workers previously leased from<br />
employment agencies and should cut<br />
queues and waiting times before<br />
departure.<br />
MTI<br />
Hungary acts as bridge for China’s companies<br />
The Fujian Brand Trade Center, which<br />
provides space for 200 Chinese firms,<br />
covering two floors in a wing of Asia Center,<br />
was inaugurated last week, and the sixth<br />
China Brands exhibition opened with a<br />
forum involving representatives of various institutions of<br />
the Central and Eastern European region. The Budapest<br />
Times spoke to Rudolf Riedl, CEO of the Asia Center in<br />
District XV, who promotes business relations between<br />
Hungary and China with great enthusiasm and seems to<br />
be more successful in doing so than the Hungarian state.<br />
What role does China play in the government’s<br />
economic policy programme of opening to the East?<br />
China is a traditionally important trading partner of<br />
Hungary. it should be noted that the programme of<br />
opening to the East is not a new one. It was initiated<br />
under former prime minister Péter Medgyessy [in office<br />
2002-2004]. China has since been a strategic partner of<br />
every Hungarian government, although Viktor Orbán<br />
himself earlier protested against China. Hungary also<br />
acts as a bridge for Chinese companies in the region.<br />
Hungarian companies are also looking increasingly<br />
towards China. The hot topic in the media of the sale of<br />
Hungarian state bonds to Chinese people granting<br />
them Hungarian citizenship is really a secondary topic,<br />
because they are not the only ones able to acquire<br />
such bonds. Nevertheless, it presents an attractive<br />
opportunity for entering the European region. Most of<br />
the Chinese people living here have long been<br />
Hungarian citizens. We can’t speak here about the risk<br />
of a Chinese wave of immigration.<br />
How do the Chinese view Hungary as a trading<br />
partner? And can you comment on the current<br />
Hungarian strategy concerning trade with China?<br />
With regard to Chinese people living abroad, Hungary<br />
is the largest “colony” in Central Europe. The Chinese<br />
people living here are so well integrated already that<br />
they are almost more Hungarian than Chinese. Those<br />
who are new to Hungary are looking for new markets<br />
and find a lot of opportunities here. I always recommend<br />
that they become brand producers in Europe and<br />
the USA, instead of nameless producers – as they<br />
were used to being, from China as exporters – because<br />
that creates confidence in the West and automatically<br />
leads to higher turnover. The Chinese government sees<br />
this the same way and provides these enterprises with<br />
financial support. It needs to do that because the<br />
Chinese are not so enthusiastic about moving abroad.<br />
However, since production costs in their home country<br />
are by now almost at the European level, they need to<br />
do that at some point. The EU also provides support to<br />
such enterprises in some cases, for example if a<br />
company establishes itself in eastern Hungary. If they<br />
have the products produced here they automatically<br />
gain the “made in EU” label as a selling point. Hungary<br />
offers the Chinese major logistic advantages. For<br />
example, in terms of transport links it’s the best-positioned<br />
country in the whole of the CEE region.<br />
What are your aims in connection with the China<br />
Brands exhibition at the Center?<br />
The exhibition is part of the long-term strategy of<br />
establishing the Center as the Asian trade centre of<br />
the CEE region. We want to promote trade between<br />
the two regions, for example by helping Chinese<br />
traders to set up business in Hungary. The idea is for<br />
them to see on the ground how the market functions<br />
Top Manager in Discussion: Rudolf Riedl, CEO of Asia Center<br />
Country has good location but poor political strategy<br />
here and how they can enter it with the help of the<br />
Asia Center. It’s the largest exhibition of its kind in the<br />
region. In this respect Budapest is the CEE centre. Ten<br />
million Hungarians, and as many as 150 million CEE<br />
citizens, can be targeted from here. The exhibition<br />
takes place twice yearly, once at the end of<br />
June/beginning of July and once at the end of<br />
November/beginning of December. Following their<br />
successful presentation at the exhibition, the next step<br />
is for the traders to be encouraged to have their products<br />
produced in Hungary too. The market here<br />
presents a lot of opportunities with regard to production<br />
and labour and is continuing to develop. Hungary,<br />
for example, offers a good, low-cost labour force and<br />
relatively low production costs.<br />
In other words, as a private businessman you are<br />
almost performing the tasks of the Hungarian<br />
Investment and Trade Agency (HITA).<br />
Yes, you could say that. We have a similar concept.<br />
However, here at the Asia Center we don’t develop a<br />
general policy of getting companies to set up business<br />
here. Instead we have access directly from the business<br />
sphere. We seek to encourage Chinese companies<br />
to establish themselves in Hungary. Our task is to<br />
show companies which products they can sell and<br />
how, and to support them in marketing and sales.<br />
HITA’s task is to offer companies the best possible<br />
place in Hungary and to make also possible state<br />
support available to them. Our activities complement<br />
one another, since we have different approaches to the<br />
same goal.<br />
The Asia Center celebrates its tenth birthday this year.<br />
How would you sum up its development to date?<br />
We celebrated the anniversary in April with our<br />
employees and customers, and further festivities will<br />
follow in September. On the one hand, I’m satisfied<br />
that we’ve already been able to implement a lot of our<br />
strategies. You could almost say that the 2008 financial<br />
crisis “came to our aid”. A lot of Chinese people seized<br />
the opportunity and made their way to Hungary, in<br />
particular to the CEE region and Hungary. The Asia<br />
Center has been a loyal partner to them over the<br />
years, enabling them to use our infrastructure and our<br />
network. Otherwise they would have had to go to great<br />
lengths to build up business here themselves – which<br />
certainly would have meant considerable initial difficulties<br />
for the Chinese with their somewhat different<br />
commercial and economic culture. On the other hand,<br />
I’m dissatisfied because we wanted to achieve a lot of<br />
goals significantly earlier. I would like the Hungarian<br />
government to create a better image of Hungary as a<br />
business location. Currently there are still too many<br />
superfluous political battles.<br />
What kind of superfluous political battles are you referring<br />
to and how do they hinder you in achieving your<br />
goals?<br />
Under the concept of “Hungary’s unorthodox economic<br />
policy” there is permanent wrangling with the EU to the<br />
detriment of the population and foreign investors. A lot<br />
of reforms, which were certainly necessary and some<br />
of which have even been implemented, have been<br />
ignored. All investors, regardless of their country of<br />
origin, would like to have a predictable business environment<br />
and legal environment. These firms need to<br />
generate profit, which is extremely difficult if the basic<br />
conditions keep on being changed.<br />
In an interview with us in 2008 you said that you intended<br />
to stand down by 2012 at the latest and place management<br />
of the Asia Center in Asian hands. You are still<br />
active here. Do you find it difficult to hand over the reins?<br />
The Asia Center is one of my many projects. I could<br />
happily spend less time here (laughs). However, there are<br />
still sufficient tasks that I need to perform personally. I<br />
can’t simply delegate maintaining relations in China to<br />
somebody else at short notice. That would likely create an<br />
awkward situation. I will probably hand over management<br />
of the Asia Center to my team, when it gets to that stage,<br />
rather than to somebody from Asia. I would like the Asian<br />
firms here to play a more active part in business and<br />
business development and be more active on the<br />
European market. After all, traders need to offer their<br />
wares to customers, rather than expecting customers to<br />
run after traders for their wares. That’s one of the differences<br />
between China and Europe. I need to convey that<br />
and a lot more to our customers, while acting as a mediator<br />
between the 12 nations that are under one roof here.<br />
My substantial experience abroad helps me in avoiding<br />
conflicts between the nations, while also being responsive<br />
to their regional characteristics. I’m proud of that.<br />
Dedication to such a task is important.<br />
You also said in the interview that you would like to see<br />
solidarity between Hungary’s political camps and that<br />
Hungary should adapt proven solutions of others instead<br />
of always stubbornly doing things its own way. Do you still<br />
stand by those comments today?<br />
Unfortunately the rifts between the political parties haven’t<br />
become any smaller, and I’d still like to see solidarity<br />
between them in the interest of everyone. In my view, for<br />
almost every problem in the world there’s already a<br />
country with a proven solution. However, wanting to find a<br />
unique solution in every case seems to be part of the<br />
Hungarian mentality. If a businessman behaved like that<br />
they would go bankrupt sooner or later.<br />
You thought in 2008 that increasing the tax burden on<br />
companies was no longer feasible. What is your view of<br />
the special taxes that have been introduced in the meantime<br />
and to what extent do they affect your business?<br />
I’m certainly affected by the special taxes. The government’s<br />
strategy doesn’t work because the more taxes it<br />
aims to collect, the more people try to avoid them. The<br />
more barriers are put in place that hamper the economy,<br />
the more alternative paths are sought and found, for<br />
example via abroad. The whole economy is suffering from<br />
that strategy, which seems to be a side effect of the flat<br />
tax, since it’s necessary to compensate for the lower tax<br />
revenues paired with higher salaries. The government’s<br />
approach of coming up with more and more types of tax<br />
and higher tax rates isn’t the right one. Instead the<br />
Hungarian state needs to be efficiently structured and<br />
offer taxpayers something in exchange for the taxes that<br />
they pay. You don’t even need to look to Asia for good<br />
examples. There are plenty of good examples in Europe,<br />
including in Germany and Austria, where you get good<br />
value for the high taxes, for instance in the form of good<br />
infrastructure, good education and training possibilities<br />
and a good social network. However, as an investment<br />
location Hungary offers very good general conditions.<br />
Budapest is also among the leaders in terms of quality of<br />
living in international comparison. That’s why I would<br />
certainly recommend Hungary to Chinese companies as<br />
an investment location despite the issues I mentioned.<br />
– Daniel Hirsch<br />
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
08 5 July – 11 July 2013 <strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
09<br />
Special<br />
guests:<br />
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Sophia<br />
TRAVEL<br />
Review: Kempinski Palace Portoroz, Slovenia<br />
CHRISTOPHER MADDOCK<br />
Ablown-up photo of Che<br />
Guevara puffing on a<br />
man-size cigar hangs in<br />
the smoking room at the<br />
Kempinski Palace<br />
Portoroz, in Slovenia. It’s a bit of an<br />
enigmatic portrait: the great revolutionary<br />
is keeping an eye on something<br />
out of shot. The same image is<br />
printed on all four pages of the<br />
room’s Cigar Menu, which offers 24<br />
selections from Cuba and the<br />
Dominican Republic. If Che were in<br />
the room now, which might he select<br />
from the humidor? The cheapest, the<br />
Macanudo Caffe Ascot from the<br />
Dominican Republic (EUR 9,<br />
smoking time 10 minutes), the most<br />
expensive, the Arturo Fuente Opus X,<br />
again Dominican Republic (EUR 88,<br />
smoking time 45 minutes), or something<br />
in between?<br />
And what might be his choice of<br />
drink to go with the throat-burner?<br />
Smoking room choices include Remy<br />
Martin fine champagne cognac,<br />
Mount Gay Rum from Barbados, The<br />
Glenlivet single malt (aged 18 years),<br />
The Macallan Fine Oak (12 years) or<br />
perhaps one of the Johnnie Walkers:<br />
Black Label (12 years), Gold Label<br />
(18 years) or Blue Label (a blend of<br />
Johnnie Walker’s finest). Who knows?<br />
Even a Marxist guerrilla used to<br />
operating from mountain hideouts<br />
must have appreciated some luxury<br />
now and then.<br />
Another famous figure (and<br />
“figure” is the operative word), the<br />
wonderfully voluptuous Italian actress<br />
Sophia Loren, adorns another room at<br />
the hotel, the Sophia Gourmet<br />
Restaurant, where a series of her<br />
photos gazes from the wainscotting<br />
onto the diners. The display is an<br />
affectionate tribute commemorating a<br />
holiday at the hotel by a young Sophia<br />
and her parents. What’s the betting<br />
she was a plain, gawky girl then, who<br />
showed no sign of blossoming into the<br />
stunning temptress who strips off her<br />
stockings before a dribbling Marcello<br />
Mastroianni in the 1963 film Ieri, Oggi,<br />
Domani (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow)?<br />
See this scene on YouTube; half a<br />
million other people have.<br />
Unlike Guevara, Miss Loren is still<br />
alive. If she too were here right now,<br />
what might she choose to eat in the<br />
beautiful namesake restaurant<br />
(pictured above) with four ornate<br />
concrete pillars supporting a wooden<br />
ceiling, or outside on the terrace,<br />
where a breeze blows from the Bay of<br />
Piran, less than 100 metres away. The<br />
Piran sea bass or the Black Angus<br />
cheek and filet, perhaps.<br />
It’s intriguing too, while<br />
daydreaming, to imagine Miss Loren,<br />
in her curvaceous prime, getting the<br />
full treatment in the hotel’s Rose Spa.<br />
Even with their Turkish, Finnish and<br />
infra-red saunas, pedicures, manicures,<br />
facials, massages, solarium,<br />
relaxation areas, designer cosmetics<br />
and the connecting indoor and<br />
outdoor sections of the saltwater pool<br />
- how to improve on female bodily<br />
perfection?<br />
Slovenia has 46 kilometres of<br />
Adriatic coastline for sea-seeking<br />
Hungarians. Squeezed between the<br />
Italian port Trieste to the north and<br />
the straggling popular Croatian<br />
coast, Slovenia has one of the sea’s<br />
nicest coastal towns, namely the<br />
Venetian-style Piran, and both Koper<br />
and Izola have smaller old centres<br />
with narrow Mediterranean streets.<br />
Portoroz (Port of Roses) is home to<br />
the imperious five-star Kempinski,<br />
which they claim is the grandest<br />
waterfront hotel between Venice and<br />
Dubrovnik. On the other side of the<br />
bay is Croatia’s Istria, where lofty hill<br />
towns vie with the beaches and ports<br />
for tourists’ attention.<br />
After the Kempinski Palace<br />
Portoroz’s Habsburg-era birth in<br />
1910 as an upmarket health spa, it<br />
suffered pillaging in the Second<br />
World War and a decline in opulence<br />
until closure in 1990. Renovation<br />
began in 2005 and the hotel<br />
reopened in 2008, mixing tradition<br />
and modernity.<br />
The gilt and mirrored splendour of<br />
the Crystal Hall, where breakfast is<br />
served, recalls those days of<br />
monarchy. Under the chandeliers, a<br />
huge rug is bigger than the average<br />
Budapest flat. Did Miss Loren breakfast<br />
here? No dribbling, please.<br />
Kempinski Palace<br />
Portoroz<br />
Obala 45, 6320 Portoroz, Slovenia<br />
Tel. (+38-6) 5692-7000<br />
www.kempinski.com/en/portoroz/pal<br />
ace-portoroz/welcome<br />
reservations.portoroz@kempinski.com<br />
Getting there<br />
M7 motorway to Slovenian border<br />
joins A1 motorway to Koper.<br />
Coast road to Portoroz.
10<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
BOOKS<br />
You can dump us at the North<br />
Pole and we’ll still survive<br />
We continue our series of excerpts from Jaap Scholten’s Comrade Baron. A Journey through the Vanishing World of the<br />
Transylvanian Aristocracy, recently released in English by Corvina Kiadó. Comrade Baron is Scholten’s first non-fiction<br />
work. It traces the lives of members of the Transylvanian aristocracy before and after March 1949, when the collectivisation<br />
of agriculture under the new communist regime included the expropriation and deportation of all large landowners.<br />
Kolozsvár, September 2009<br />
On his walk from the Hook of<br />
Holland to Istanbul in 1934,<br />
Patrick Leigh Fermor passed<br />
through Kolozsvár. He wrote<br />
about it in his introduction to<br />
one of the volumes of Miklós Bánffy’s trilogy: ‘It<br />
was in the heart of Transylvania – in the old<br />
princely capital then called Kolozsvár (now Cluj-<br />
Napoca) that I first came across the name of<br />
Bánffy. It was impossible not to. Their palace<br />
was the most splendid palace in the city, just as<br />
Bonchida was the pride of the country and both<br />
of them triumphs of the baroque style. Ever<br />
since the arrival of the Magyars ten centuries<br />
ago, the family had been foremost among the<br />
magnates who conducted Hungarian and<br />
Transylvanian affairs, and their portraits, with<br />
their slung dolmans, brocade tunics, jewelled<br />
scimitars and fur kalpaks with plumes like<br />
escapes of steam – hung on many walls.’<br />
The Bánffy palace in Kolozsvár.<br />
Seventy-five years later, I’m about to visit Béla<br />
Bánffy in Kolozsvár. I’ve already met his son and<br />
after some urging the father is now willing to<br />
receive me. His son has told me about him and<br />
the strict upbringing he and his brothers and<br />
sisters were given: an appointment is an appointment<br />
and you must always stick to your agreements<br />
to the letter. If the son turned up a minute<br />
later than arranged, his father would give him a<br />
dressing down, since any form of misconduct was<br />
unacceptable. ‘He taught us to keep our backs<br />
straight. We bore the name Bánffy, which<br />
conferred obligations. Even without any possessions<br />
we had a duty to behave with dignity. We<br />
had to do our work well and be honest under all<br />
circumstances.’ Every Sunday the family would<br />
gather for lunch in the modest little house where<br />
his grandparents lived. It provided continuity, as<br />
if the grandparents still lived in a castle.<br />
I drive through a district of 1970s apartment<br />
blocks. In the car park are long lines of Trabants<br />
and Dacias, plus a few Mitsubishis. Now that I<br />
finally have an appointment I don’t want to<br />
arrive late. I know what gentlemen of rank from<br />
the old times are like. Béla Bánffy senior is<br />
seventy-three, born in 1936, and he no doubt<br />
grew up with strict governesses and tutors. The<br />
Prussian and Hungarian school system is still<br />
evident in gentlemen over seventy. There’s a<br />
military discipline to everything they do. It’s as if<br />
they’re trying to preserve all the honour, class<br />
and integrity cast aside by the rest of postcommunist<br />
society. In short, I’m in a hurry, trying<br />
to avoid immediately acquiring a reputation for<br />
Dutch insolence.<br />
I’m in a jumble of long blocks of flats four<br />
storeys high with a maze of streets between them.<br />
They all look the same. There’s little to help you<br />
get your bearings. At last I find the street and the<br />
flat. I’m a quarter of an hour late. In Budapest I<br />
filled the boot of the car as a small grocer might,<br />
with bottles of Hungarian wine and chocolates<br />
from Szamos, the patisserie named after a river<br />
that winds through Transylvania.<br />
I put a bottle of red wine for Béla Bánffy into<br />
my shoulder bag, along with an audio recorder<br />
and notebooks. It’s a decrepit structure, like<br />
many residential buildings in the former<br />
Eastern Bloc, built decades ago with substandard<br />
materials by men judged on quantity<br />
rather than quality. The collapse of communism’s<br />
planned economy, in which all anyone<br />
worried about was the production quota, was<br />
inevitable. The bankruptcy of that system can<br />
still be seen all over Eastern Europe. Tiles are<br />
missing from the shared stairwell; the metal<br />
entrance gate no longer shuts; the handrail has<br />
come loose.<br />
Béla Bánffy is an extremely amiable man, it’s<br />
just that I’d imagined him very differently.<br />
Dressed in tracksuit trousers with a lumberjack<br />
shirt and white pointed shoes, he has a hefty<br />
paunch and thick glasses. In the living room the<br />
television is turned up to high volume, showing<br />
Formula One with a Hungarian commentary.<br />
It’s not clear to me whether the race is live or<br />
happened some time ago. Just as these countries<br />
are fobbed off with unmarketable batches<br />
of textiles and furniture from Western Europe,<br />
local television broadcasters are sold old football<br />
and boxing matches by the dozen. In the<br />
concert venues and football stadia you can<br />
watch entertainers who were put out to pasture<br />
in the West years ago and if there’s a major<br />
tennis tournament, Lendl and Wilander will<br />
play each other once again.<br />
I greet his wife, who is also wearing a tracksuit.<br />
On a long table between the television and a<br />
three-man settee of an indeterminate colour, an<br />
ashtray overflows with cigarette ends. There’s a<br />
low veneer sideboard and little else in the room.<br />
I can’t see anything that points to an aristocratic<br />
past. The family seems to have been successfully<br />
severed from its history. On the sideboard are<br />
cartons of Viceroy, filter cigarettes sold these<br />
days only in countries with heavy smokers: the<br />
Middle East, Chile, Turkey. Romania is the only<br />
place in Europe where you can buy them.<br />
I sit down on the settee next to Béla Bánffy<br />
and switch on my audio recorder. The television<br />
with Formula One is making too much background<br />
noise. Béla Bánffy turns the sound off<br />
but leaves the set on. The interview takes place in<br />
Hungarian. Béla’s wife brings black coffee in<br />
gleaming little fluted cups. He sits slumped<br />
relaxedly, using the stub of each cigarette to light<br />
the next. There are Bánffy counts and Bánffy<br />
barons. The baron branch was repeatedly<br />
offered the title of count by the Habsburg<br />
emperors but refused every time. The family is<br />
also divided between Bánffy pipás and Bánffy<br />
kupás: a branch of smokers and a branch of<br />
drinkers. The quantity of cigarettes on the sideboard,<br />
enough to get you through a short war,<br />
leads me to suspect that Béla senior belongs to<br />
the former.<br />
Béla tells me his story. His father qualified in<br />
Vienna as a forestry engineer and managed the<br />
Bánffy forests near Hadad. Throughout the<br />
Second World War the family lived in Hungary<br />
and after the war they returned to their estate in<br />
Transylvania, but it was taken from them by the<br />
Romanians. Béla’s father accepted the communist<br />
revolution as inescapable. He moved to<br />
Kolozsvár with his family and opened a wine<br />
warehouse. He had five children to keep. As far<br />
as the family was concerned, not much<br />
happened on 3 March 1949. The change came<br />
later, when the wine warehouse was nationalized<br />
and Béla’s father was forced to work in a crate<br />
repair shop to keep his family fed. They moved<br />
to a small house in the Donát út, outside the city<br />
on the banks of the Szamos. Béla was barred<br />
from attending school. He became a gatekeeper<br />
at a factory, leaving at four every morning to get<br />
to work on time.<br />
Béla Bánffy later worked for a while as a locksmith<br />
and then trained to be a truck driver. He<br />
drove trucks for twenty-five years, mostly tentonners.<br />
As a class enemy he wasn’t allowed to do<br />
any runs abroad, but he could work all over<br />
Romania. He never had any trouble from his<br />
workmates, only from the bosses, all of whom<br />
were party members.<br />
As a child Béla did not have Domiciliu<br />
Obligatoriu. His father did, though, and he was<br />
under constant political supervision. Béla’s father<br />
had a problem with his eyes. Whenever he needed<br />
to make an appointment with an eye doctor in<br />
Marosvásárhely, he first had to go to the<br />
Securitate. If they were feeling well-disposed<br />
towards him, they would issue a document giving<br />
him permission to leave Kolozsvár for five days.<br />
Apart from that he always had to stay within the<br />
city limits. The Securitate kept an eye on him. His<br />
phones were bugged, letters opened.<br />
‘Everyone had to watch what he said and what<br />
he wrote; you couldn’t say anything stupid in a<br />
letter. The aristocrats used to meet every week on<br />
Sundays in the Donát út and sometimes on a<br />
weekday evening as well. We played bridge until<br />
eleven or twelve o’clock, and before leaving we<br />
always agreed with our bridge partners what to<br />
say if we were interrogated by the Securitate,<br />
because after almost every meeting someone<br />
would be picked up and questioned. The men<br />
agreed to say they’d talked about women, whores<br />
and sport.’<br />
‘So the Securitate would be waiting for you after<br />
an evening of bridge?’<br />
‘Usually, yes. They liked to pick on people<br />
who’d been convicted of something, who could be<br />
blackmailed, which included anyone with<br />
Domiciliu Obligatoriu. Those detained were often<br />
released after they’d signed a document saying<br />
they would cooperate with the Securitate the next<br />
time. But it was pointless, because nothing important<br />
was ever discussed. When we were with the<br />
family, we deliberately avoided talking about politics,<br />
so that no one would be in any difficulty if<br />
interrogated. There were people who said things<br />
on the street that they’d have done better not to<br />
say; they disappeared.’<br />
When I ask how the traditions were upheld,<br />
Béla tells me that the older generation explained<br />
which country estates had been in the family and<br />
the ins and outs of each one. I ask him whether he<br />
still has any photographs. He stands up and<br />
searches in a cupboard, coming back a little later<br />
with a beautiful worn leather photograph album.<br />
It’s an object from another world, right there<br />
amid the veneer and the cartons of Viceroy. The<br />
pages are of black card, with wafer-thin transparent<br />
paper between them. The album turns out<br />
to be a subtle record of decline.<br />
It starts with black-and-white photos with scalloped<br />
borders: fathers and grandfathers with<br />
impressive faces and imposing grey moustaches;<br />
admiring locals in the background; babies in<br />
princely lace dresses; country estates with gardens<br />
full of blossoming peonies and lilac. The photographs<br />
from the interwar years are in tones of<br />
grey and have an aura of exclusivity: relaxed men<br />
in plus fours, hunting attire or riding gear<br />
standing beside their horses, with clematis- and<br />
ivy-covered walls as a backdrop. The country<br />
estates, the parks, the companionable dogs, the<br />
well-tended mounts and the long white dresses no<br />
longer feature.<br />
Halfway through the book, simple square snapshots<br />
are suddenly in evidence, with a cheap gloss<br />
to them. The medium is the message. The decor<br />
shifts to nondescript houses and gardens. They<br />
show the family in the 1950s at the little house on<br />
the Donát út. The older generation is still<br />
elegantly clad in tweed jackets, the women in skirts<br />
and silk shawls, all radiating a kind of dauntlessness.<br />
In the later photographs that too is gone.<br />
When the pictures switch to the polychrome<br />
of the 1970s, the colour slowly goes out of the<br />
older generation. They become frail, their<br />
jackets threadbare, but even so they preserve an<br />
air of distinction. Only the elderly who have left<br />
the country, photographed in front of Argentine<br />
museums and mediaeval French churches, still<br />
exude the natural ease with which life should be<br />
faced – a handkerchief sticking nonchalantly out<br />
of the breast pocket of a chequered jacket. The<br />
young lack such elegance. They wear shapeless<br />
Comintern clothes. They have grown up. They<br />
have turned inwards. They no longer have that<br />
air of distinction.<br />
I ask Béla senior how he sees his family’s<br />
future. Béla: ‘The name Bánffy means something<br />
again now. When I go to the market to buy<br />
a string of onions they address me as “Baron”.<br />
The man who sells me onions calls me that. The<br />
title of baron is honourable. Under communism<br />
the aristocrats worked hard to survive. The<br />
communists did nothing. They were the weak<br />
ones. Others had to work hard and keep their<br />
mouths shut, otherwise they’d be taken away to<br />
the Danube – Black Sea Canal.<br />
‘I’m trying to get as many family possessions<br />
back as I can, but it isn’t easy. Property deeds<br />
have been stolen and lost; the judiciary is full of<br />
Securitate and former party members. But the<br />
Bánffys have preserved their honour. My children<br />
are doing better. They work hard. People<br />
who work hard will always manage. It’s said of<br />
the Bánffys that you can dump us at the North<br />
Pole and we’ll still survive.’<br />
I thank Béla Bánffy for his time. The Grand<br />
Prix continues. I walk down the shabby stairwell<br />
and make my way off under the scrawny trees<br />
between the blocks of flats. The sunlight falls<br />
through the yellow-green foliage above me.<br />
Buy the book<br />
Comrade Baron. A Journey through the<br />
Vanishing World of the Transylvanian<br />
Aristocracy<br />
by Jaap Scholten<br />
Corvina Kiadó, 2013<br />
404 pages, HUF 3990<br />
The book is available at Bestsellers (District V,<br />
Október 6 u. 11) and at Massolit (District<br />
VII, Nagy Diófa u. 30).
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
Friday 5 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL AT 2PM: Choir of St Francis (The<br />
Netherlands) with Geert Verhallen (organ)<br />
perform works by László Halmos, Lotti,<br />
Nikolai Kedrov, Stanford, Fauré, Mozart,<br />
Elgar, Handel and Rutter.<br />
PALACE OF ARTS AT 7.30PM: El Camino<br />
Youth Symphony Orchestra (USA)<br />
conducted by Camilla Kolchinsky performs<br />
Rossini's The Thieving Magpie - overture,<br />
Sibelius' Violin Concerto (violin: Yujin Ariza)<br />
and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1 in F<br />
minor.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
DISTRICT III, FÕ TÉR AT 7PM: Tango<br />
Apertura with Quartett Escualo, Occam, DJ<br />
Bootsie, Mezõ Misi, Óbudai Danubia<br />
Orchestra.<br />
PETÕFI LITERARY MUSEUM AT 7.30PM:<br />
Kistehén Orchestra.<br />
INTERCONTINENTAL <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> AT 8PM:<br />
Erika Náray (pictured) sings jazz.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Winand<br />
Gábor and Oláh Kálmán Duo; AT 10.30PM:<br />
Rozsnyói Péter Trio.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Uzgin Üver (world music,<br />
folk); AT 8PM: The Silver Shine (rock); AT<br />
10PM: Spanish Wax (electronica, hip hop);<br />
AT 10PM: Takaaki Itoh (Japan), Isu, Dork,<br />
electronica.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE AT 9PM: Arura<br />
Trio with Viktor Tóth, Miklós Lukács and<br />
György Orbán.<br />
Saturday 6 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM AT<br />
11AM: Anastasia Seifetdinova (piano)<br />
performs Muzio Clementi's Sonata for Piano<br />
in F sharp minor, Schumann's Carnival Jest<br />
from Vienna and Mussorgsky's Pictures at<br />
an Exhibition.<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL AT 7PM: Magyar String Trio with<br />
Viktória Szilvásy (violin), András Rudolf<br />
(viola) and Marcell Vámos (cello) perform<br />
works by Haydn, Rolla, Zellner and Mozart.<br />
Perfect<br />
summer<br />
sounds<br />
setting<br />
BÉNÉDICTE WILLIAMS<br />
Vajdahunyad Castle open-air concerts<br />
Longer days and balmy evenings make for as<br />
good a combination as one can get in Budapest<br />
when it comes to open-air concerts. These<br />
abound in the summer, from the jazz and world<br />
music emanating from the nearby zoo (www.zoobudapest.com),<br />
to the more eclectic mix displayed in<br />
District III's Óbuda Summer Festival (obudainyar.hu), to<br />
the broad range of styles and locations of Budapest<br />
Summer Festival (www.szabadter.hu).<br />
Vajdahunyad Castle Music Fest<br />
Where City Park stands out from the crowd is in the<br />
backdrop it offers to its yearly Vajdahunyad Castle Music<br />
Festival, with the mock walls, turrets and arches of this<br />
late-19th-century medley of Romanesque, Gothic,<br />
Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles now<br />
housing the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture.<br />
It also - or rather its courtyard - plays host to regular<br />
concerts on Mondays and (occasionally) Thursdays. The<br />
programme is mostly classical, starting this Thursday<br />
with the Szent István Király (King Saint Stephen)<br />
Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky classics<br />
such as the Waltz of the Flowers, Violin Concerto in D major<br />
and Symphony No. 5.<br />
Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra continues on 15<br />
July with a crossover mix of Latin and classical music for<br />
guitars and string orchestra.<br />
Sonny And His Wild Cows are among the acts this Saturday.<br />
More strings, this time on 22 July with Budapest<br />
Strings, bring up an evening of symphonies and cello<br />
concertos by Mozart and Haydn.<br />
On 5 August the Hungarian Virtuoso Chamber<br />
Orchestra performs Baroque music including works by<br />
J.S. Bach and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.<br />
Not always classical<br />
The few exceptions to the classical rule are on 18 July<br />
(Budapest Klezmer Band with Mariann Falusi), 29 July<br />
(Budapest Bár) and 1 August (an evening of operetta<br />
tunes by prolific composer Imre Kálmán). The festival<br />
ends on a glorious note on 8 August with the 100<br />
members of the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra<br />
performing a selection of works by Rossini, Brahms,<br />
Radics, Sarasate, Ferraris, Strauss and others, and of<br />
international Gypsy music.<br />
Concerts start at 8.30pm but will be postponed for 24<br />
hours if it rains.<br />
The ticket<br />
Vajdahunyad Castle Open-Air Concerts<br />
Mondays and occasionally Thursdays from Thursday 11 July to<br />
Monday 8 August<br />
Tickets HUF 2,900-5,500 depending on concert, available<br />
www.jegymester.hu, www.ticketportal.hu via email at<br />
info@vajdahunyad.hu or by phone at (+36-1) 363-4201 or<br />
(+36) 30 954-4866.<br />
www.vajdahunyad.hu (in English)<br />
Stomach some blues<br />
The ill-named<br />
Gastroblues<br />
Festival in Paks<br />
wraps up this Sunday.<br />
Check out their website for<br />
the daily line-up of entertainment.<br />
This Sunday<br />
chefs and winemakers will<br />
feature at ESZI Park for<br />
the annual cooking<br />
contest. Musical entertainment<br />
will be provided on<br />
the open-air stage.<br />
The ticket<br />
20th International<br />
Gastroblues Festival,<br />
Paks<br />
1 to 7 July<br />
Tickets HUF 500-6,900<br />
www.gastroblues.hu<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
PALACE OF ARTS AT 7.30PM: Calvinist<br />
Hymns with choirs from the Carpathian<br />
Basin.<br />
DUNA PALACE AT 8PM: Duna Symphony<br />
Orchestra conducted by András Deák with<br />
Gergely Oláh (dulcimer) perform works by<br />
Berlioz, Erkel, Delibes, Bartók, Haydn,<br />
Liszt, Strauss and others.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
MILLENÁRIS PARK BETWEEN 9AM AND<br />
11PM: Gastro Picnic, Night Market and children's<br />
fishing competition.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Zselenszky, Tape<br />
Underground (rock, reggae, dancehall); AT<br />
10PM: Bergi, Sirmo (electronica).<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Borbély<br />
Mûhely; AT 10.30PM: Egri János Trio.<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 8PM: Veronika Harcsa<br />
(vocals) and Bálint Gyémánt (guitar).<br />
MARGIT ISLAND WATER TOWER AT 8PM:<br />
FolkSide (jazz).<br />
MÜSZI ARTS CENTRE AT 9PM: Biodub<br />
(Germany, techno, electronica).<br />
Sunday 7 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL AT 7PM: Savaria Baroque<br />
Ensemble with Krisztina Jónás and Nóra<br />
Ducza (soprano), Nóra Kallai (viola da<br />
gamba), István Gyõri (lute) and Pál Németh<br />
(harpsichord) perform works by Monteverdi,<br />
Grandi, Caldara, Legrenzi and Sances.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
MILLENÁRIS PARK BETWEEN 9AM AND<br />
11PM: Gastro Picnic, Night Market and children's<br />
fishing competition.<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 7PM: Polski Drom; AT<br />
8PM: Cabaret Medrano.<br />
Monday 8 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
ÓBUDA SOCIAL CIRCLE AT 8PM: Open-air<br />
concert with Liszt Ferenc Chamber<br />
Orchestra conducted by János Rolla<br />
performing works by Bach, Mozart, Rossini,<br />
Bartók, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Brahms and<br />
Weiner.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
A38 AT 7PM: Karma to Burn (USA), Shapat<br />
Terror (rock, heavy metal).<br />
IF CAFÉ AT 7.30PM: Váczi Eszter Quartet.<br />
Tuesday 9 July<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
HUNGARIAN HERITAGE HOUSE AT 8PM:<br />
Hungarian Rhapsody by Hungarian State<br />
Folk Ensemble.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Random Trip (hip hop, funk,<br />
electronica).<br />
PETÕFI LITERARY MUSEUM AT 8PM:<br />
Söndörgõ Orchestra with Attila Buzás, Áron<br />
Eredics, Benjamin Eredics, Dávid Eredics<br />
and Salamon Eredics.<br />
ZÖLD PARDON AT 8PM: Suicidal Tendencies<br />
(USA).<br />
11<br />
TEN-DAY GUIDE<br />
W H E R E I T ’ S A T<br />
A38: Boat moored on Buda side of<br />
Petõfi Bridge. Tel. (+36-1) 464-<br />
3940. www.a38.hu<br />
BENCZÚR HOUSE: District VI,<br />
Benczúr u. 27.<br />
www.benczurhaz.hu<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB: District XIII,<br />
Hollán Ernõ u. 7. Tel. (+36) 70<br />
413-9837. www.bjc.hu<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE: District<br />
IX, Mátyás u. 8.(+36-1) 216-7894.<br />
www.bmc.hu<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> PARK: District IX,<br />
Soroksári út 60. http://budapestpark.hu/<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> ZOO: District XIV, Állatkerti<br />
krt 6-12. Tel. (+36-1) 273-4901.<br />
www.zoobudapest.com<br />
DUNA PALACE: District V, Zrínyi u. 5.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 235-5533.<br />
www.dunapalota.hu<br />
DÜRER-KERT: District XIV, Ajtósi<br />
Dürer sor 19-21. Tel. (+36-1) 789-<br />
4444. www.durerkert.com<br />
HUNGARIAN HERITAGE HOUSE:<br />
District I, Corvin tér 8. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
225-6056. www.heritagehouse.hu<br />
IF CAFÉ: District IX, Ráday u. 19. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 299-0694.<br />
www.ifkavezo.hu<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL: District V, Váci u. 47/b.<br />
(+36-1) 337-8116. www.szentmihalytemplom.hu<br />
INTERCONTINENTAL <strong>BUDAPEST</strong>:<br />
District V, Apaczai Csere u. 12-14.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 327-6333.<br />
www.budapest.intercontinental.com<br />
KOBUCI KERT: District III, Fõ tér 1.<br />
Tel. (+36) 70 205-7282.<br />
www.kobuci.hu<br />
LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM:<br />
District VI, Vörösmarty u. 35. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 322-9804 www.lisztmuseum.hu<br />
MARGIT ISLAND OPEN-AIR STAGE:<br />
District XII, Margit Island. Tel. (+36-<br />
1) 375-5922, 356-1565.<br />
www.szabadter.hu<br />
MARGIT ISLAND WATER TOWER:<br />
District XII, Margit Island. Tel. (+36-<br />
1) 375-5922, 356-1565.<br />
www.szabadter.hu<br />
MILLENÁRIS PARK: District II, Fény u.<br />
20-22. Tel. (+36-1) 438-5335.<br />
www.millenaris.hu<br />
MÜSZI ARTS CENTRE: District VIII,<br />
Blaha Lujza tér 1, third floor of<br />
Corvin Shopping Centre, entry<br />
from Somogyi Béla u.<br />
www.muszi.org<br />
PALACE OF ARTS: District IX, Komor<br />
Marcell u. 1. Tel. (+36-1) 555-3300.<br />
www.mupa.hu<br />
PAPP LÁSZLÓ <strong>BUDAPEST</strong><br />
SPORTARÉNA: District XIV,<br />
Stefánia út 2. Central Ticket Office<br />
(Ticketpro) Tel. (+36-1) 422-2682.<br />
www.ticketpro.hu<br />
PEST COUNTY HALL (PESTI<br />
VÁRMEGYEHÁZ): District V,<br />
Városház u. 7. Tel. (+36-1) 215-<br />
5770.<br />
PETÕFI LITERARY MUSEUM: District<br />
V, Károlyi Mihály u. 16. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
317-3611. www.pim.hu<br />
SECESSIO CAFÉ (HOUSE OF<br />
HUNGARIAN ART NOUVEAU):<br />
District V, Honvéd u. 3. Tel.<br />
(+36) 20 285-1207.<br />
www.secessio-cafe.hu<br />
VAJDAHUNYAD CASTLE: District<br />
XIV, Vázsonyi Vilmos sétány 2.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 364-0072.<br />
VÁROSMAJOR OPEN-AIR STAGE:<br />
District XII, Városmajor.<br />
www.szabadter.hu<br />
ZÖLD PARDON: District XI,<br />
Pázmány Péter sétány at the<br />
Buda end of Rákóczi bridge. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 279-1880. www.zp.hu
12<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
TEN-DAY GUIDE<br />
Wednesday 10 July<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
BENCZÚR HOUSE AT 7PM: Benkó Dixieland<br />
Band with Sándor Benkó (clarinet), Béla<br />
Szalóky (trumpet), Iván Nagy (trombone),<br />
Pál Gáspár (banjo, vocals), Vilmos Halmos<br />
(piano, vocals), Gábor Kovacsevics (drums)<br />
and Miklós Csikós (double bass).<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 7PM: Blues Festival with<br />
"Sir" Oliver Mally (Austria); AT 8.15PM:<br />
György Ferenczi és a Rackajam; AT<br />
9.30PM: Deitra Farr's Rhythm and Blues<br />
Explosion (USA).<br />
ÓBUDA SOCIAL CIRCLE AT 8PM: Éva Vári<br />
and Péter Axmann perform music by Edith<br />
Piaf.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Live Large (indie, rock); AT<br />
8.30PM: Crystal Castles (Canada), Dictator<br />
and Hussar (electronica); AT 10PM: LóriPoP<br />
(punk, rock, heavy metal).<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Enyedi<br />
Sugárka Jazz Tett.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> ZOO AT 8.30PM: Open-air<br />
concert, Eszter Bíró and Mariann Falusi.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE AT 9PM: Neda<br />
and Vytautas Labutis Quartet (jazz).<br />
Thursday 11 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL AT 7PM: János Pilz (violin), Ulrike<br />
Engelke (recorder), Nóra Kallai (viola da<br />
gamba) and Judit Varga (harpsichord)<br />
perform Baroque music by Guillemain,<br />
Leclair, Bach and Telemann.<br />
PEST COUNTY HALL AT 8PM: Concerto<br />
Budapest conducted by Gábor Csalog<br />
performs Mozart's Serenade in C minor and<br />
Quintet in E flat major for piano and winds<br />
and Poulenc's Sextet.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 7PM: Blues Festival with<br />
Pély Barna Trio; AT 8.15PM: Ripoff<br />
Raskolnikov (Austria); AT 9.30PM: Big Daddy<br />
Wilson Trio.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Kozmosz, Super Starsky (rock,<br />
punk); AT 10PM: DJ Garfield and Ordiman<br />
(hip hop, funky, soul).<br />
HUNGARIAN HERITAGE HOUSE AT 8PM:<br />
Hungarian Rhapsody by Hungarian State<br />
Folk Ensemble.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Babos<br />
Gyula, Attila László and Tibor Tátrai Guitar<br />
Trio.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE AT 9PM:<br />
Smárton Trio 10th anniversary concert.<br />
Friday 12 July<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
MILLENÁRIS BETWEEN 9AM AND 11PM:<br />
Gastro Picnic and Night Market with artisanal<br />
beer tastings.<br />
DISTRICT III, FÕ TÉR AT 7PM: Djabe (jazz,<br />
world music).<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 7PM: Blues Festival with<br />
Jambalaya; AT 8.15PM: Muddy Shoes; AT<br />
9.30PM: Little G Weevil Band (USA).<br />
SECESSIO CAFÉ AT 7.30PM: Mátyás Tóth<br />
(guitar) and Márton Soós (double bass) play<br />
jazz.<br />
INTERCONTINENTAL <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> AT 8PM:<br />
Erika Náray sings jazz.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> PARK AT 8PM: Pannonia Allstars<br />
Ska Orchestra (ska, dancehall, reggae).<br />
Karma to Burn "a true legend of stoner rock" (stoner rock: a slow- to mid-tempo subgenre<br />
of heavy metal). You’re welcome.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Trio<br />
Midnight; AT 10.30PM: Balázs József Trio.<br />
MARGIT ISLAND OPEN-AIR STAGE AT 8PM:<br />
Oliver!, musical.<br />
DÜRER-KERT AT 8.30PM: colorStar, The<br />
Carbonfools (electronica, rock).<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE AT 9PM: Gayer<br />
Mátyás Trio (jazz).<br />
Saturday 13 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM AT<br />
11AM: Randall Scotting (counter tenor).<br />
Renoir, a 2012 drama on film director Jean Renoir (son of painter Pierre-August Renoir) will<br />
be shown on Monday 8 July.<br />
French cinema<br />
French outdoor screenings. Mondays, 8.45pm<br />
Holdudvar, Margit Island<br />
The films – all premiering in Hungary – run with English subtitles, will be screened<br />
inside Holdudvar’s hall in case of rain, and can be seen for a HUF 900 fee available<br />
on the door from 7pm.<br />
www.franciaintezet.hu (French, Hungarian. No English)<br />
Heavy metal<br />
(yet light on the death grunts)<br />
A38 serves up a night of rock<br />
and heavy metal this Monday<br />
with the main slot occupied by<br />
Karma to Burn, from the US,<br />
supported by Hungary's Shapat Terror<br />
band.<br />
In an on-and-off existence since<br />
2002, Karma to Burn (K2B for friends)<br />
currently consists of William Mecum<br />
on guitar, Rich Mullins on bass and<br />
Evan Devine on drums, though in the<br />
past it's also had a number of vocalists.<br />
Branded "a true legend of stoner rock",<br />
the band has released five studio<br />
albums, the latest, V, in 2011 with<br />
vocals by Daniel Davies.<br />
The ticket<br />
Karma to Burn<br />
Monday 8 July at 7pm<br />
Tickets HUF 2,000 from www.a38.hu or<br />
the A38 ship box office, open daily 11am<br />
to midnight (until the end of the concert<br />
on performance days).<br />
A38 Boat moored on Buda side of Petõfi<br />
Bridge<br />
INNER CITY PARISH CHURCH OF ST<br />
MICHAEL AT 7PM: Alta Cappella Krakow,<br />
Szczawnica Chamber Choir, Musica Aeterna<br />
Bratislava, Zoltán Megyesi (tenor) and<br />
Nicholas Spanos (countertenor) conducted<br />
by Agnieszka Zarska perform Bach's<br />
cantatas BWV 129 "Gelobet sei der Herr,<br />
mein Gott" and BWV 29 "Wir danken dir,<br />
Gott, wir danken dir" and Handel's Chandos<br />
Anthem No. 6 B "As pants the hart for cooling<br />
streams".<br />
DUNA PALACE AT 8PM: Duna Symphony<br />
Orchestra conducted by András Deák<br />
performs works by Berlioz, Delibres, Bartók,<br />
Haydn, Liszt, Strauss and others.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
MILLENÁRIS BETWEEN 9AM AND 11PM:<br />
Gastro Picnic and Night Market with artisanal<br />
beer tastings.<br />
KOBUCI KERT AT 10.30AM: Concert for children<br />
with Alma Ensemble.<br />
FRENCH INSTITUTE AT 6PM: French national<br />
holiday celebrations with music by Le Train<br />
Fatal, Presszó Tangó Libidó and DJ Palotai<br />
(Hungary).<br />
A38 AT 6PM: Flash-f@sztival with Zsuzsi Ujj<br />
and Kristóf Darvas (rock); AT 8PM: Flash,<br />
Lopunk, C.A.F.B., Vidámpark (rock); AT<br />
10PM: 101 Depeche Mode Club (electronica).<br />
VÁROSMAJOR OPEN-AIR STAGE AT 8PM:<br />
Budapest Bár.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> JAZZ CLUB AT 8PM: Hajdu Klára<br />
Quartet; AT 10.30PM: Gáspár Károly Trio.<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> MUSIC CENTRE AT 9PM: Gábor<br />
Subicz (funk, soul).<br />
Sunday 14 July<br />
Classical entertainment<br />
PAPP LÁSZLÓ <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> SPORTARÉNA AT<br />
8PM: David Helfgott and Hungarian Virtuosi<br />
Chamber Orchestra perform Rachmaninov's<br />
Piano Concerto No. 3.<br />
Popular entertainment<br />
MILLENÁRIS BETWEEN 9AM AND 11PM:<br />
Gastro Picnic and Night Market with artisanal<br />
beer tastings.<br />
A38 AT 8PM: Cabaret Medrano, A.K.T.<br />
(jazz); AT 8PM: White Fence (US, rock).<br />
MARGIT ISLAND OPEN-AIR STAGE AT 8PM:<br />
Oliver!, musical.<br />
DÜRER-KERT AT 8.40PM: The Casualties<br />
(US, punk, rock).<br />
DOWN <strong>THE</strong> ROAD<br />
MONDAY 5 TO MONDAY 12 AUGUST: Sziget<br />
Festival<br />
MONDAY 16 SEPTEMBER (7.30PM):<br />
Evgeny Kissin at Palace of Arts<br />
SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER (7.30PM): Jordi<br />
Savall, La Capella Reial de Catalunya at<br />
Palace of Arts<br />
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<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
13<br />
Ambassador<br />
says aloha<br />
T<br />
he United States’<br />
Independence Day<br />
celebration in Budapest<br />
on Wednesday doubled as a<br />
farewell to Ambassador to<br />
Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos<br />
Kounalakis (right), who will be<br />
leaving in a few weeks.<br />
It was the fourth and final<br />
Independence Day in<br />
Hungary for Tsakopoulos<br />
Kounalakis, who took up her<br />
post in January 2010 and<br />
spoke to guests on<br />
Wednesday of three-and-ahalf<br />
“extraordinary” and<br />
content years. Her successor<br />
has not been named.<br />
Tsakopoulos Kounalakis<br />
extolled the American virtues<br />
of liberty, equality, democracy<br />
and self-determination on the<br />
237th anniversary of the birth<br />
of the US in 1776.<br />
Hundreds of guests mainly<br />
from Budapest’s diplomatic<br />
and governmental circles<br />
attended the Hawaiian-themed<br />
event in the grounds of the US<br />
Embassy residence in District<br />
XII. They heard the Légierõ<br />
Zenekar Air Force Band,<br />
watched Hungarian hula<br />
dancers and consumed<br />
American staples of burgers,<br />
hot dogs and potato salad.<br />
Hungarian Foreign<br />
Minister János Martonyi (left),<br />
who was accompanied by<br />
Minister of the Interior Sándor<br />
Pintér (second from left), said<br />
America was a dream and<br />
inspiration for Hungary with<br />
its universal values, liberty,<br />
pursuit of happiness, democracy,<br />
rule of law and national<br />
independence.<br />
“Look me up in San<br />
Francisco,” the outgoing<br />
Ambassador told the throng.<br />
MTI<br />
Last Canada Day, eh?<br />
The Embassy of Canada held a reception<br />
on Tuesday at the Ambassador’s<br />
Official Residence to celebrate<br />
Canada’s 146th birthday (main photo below).<br />
In her speech, Ambassador Tamara<br />
Guttman (right), who is finishing her posting<br />
this summer, listed recent successes in<br />
Canada-Hungary relations, including an<br />
increase in Canadian investment, with<br />
Hungary now tied for the 8th place among<br />
Canada’s leading destinations for foreign<br />
investment abroad.<br />
Ambassador Guttman thanked the government<br />
and people of Hungary for their strong<br />
support in helping to strengthen bilateral<br />
ties. Over 300,000 persons of Hungarian<br />
ancestry live in Canada. In the wake of the<br />
1956 Uprising some 200,000 political<br />
refugees left Hungary, 35,000 of whom made<br />
their way to Canada.<br />
Embassy of Canada (2)<br />
DIPLOMACY<br />
Exit the Australian Embassy<br />
The Australian Embassy in Budapest, which announced<br />
recently that it will close due to budgetary reasons, said on<br />
Thursday that its final day of operation will be next Friday, 12 July,<br />
closing at 4.30pm.<br />
From that date the Australian Embassy in Vienna will provide<br />
Hungarian customers with consular and passport services. The<br />
contact details in Vienna are: Australian Embassy, Mattiellistraße<br />
2-4, A -1040 Vienna. Phone: (+43 1) 506 740. Fax: (+43 1) 513<br />
1656 (not for visa matters). Website: www.austria.embassy.gov.au<br />
The general<br />
manager of the<br />
Corinthia Hotel<br />
Budapest,<br />
Thomas Fischer,<br />
and executive<br />
chef Joel Khalil<br />
present the<br />
"Pommes<br />
Marton".<br />
Corinthia goes sweet<br />
on singer Éva Marton<br />
The birthday of chamber<br />
singer Éva Marton on<br />
18 June was celebrated<br />
in the menu at the Corinthia<br />
Hotel Budapest by a dessert<br />
called the "Pommes Marton",<br />
created exclusively by Todd<br />
Rogers, the executive chef of the<br />
Ritz Carlton Hotel in Houston,<br />
Texas.<br />
The Corinthia Hotel, on<br />
District VII's Erszsébet körút, is<br />
the cooperation partner of the<br />
GLOBALARTS4PEACE<br />
Foundation, which sets out to<br />
promote young singers from<br />
Liszt Ferenc Music Academy in<br />
Budapest, where the<br />
International Éva Marton<br />
Singing Competition will be<br />
held for the first time next year.<br />
A gala in honour of Marton<br />
by the State Opera House was<br />
shown live on a large screen in<br />
front of Szent István Basilica.<br />
International stars such as<br />
Grace Bumbry and Jonas<br />
Kaufmann were given a<br />
standing ovation and Marton,<br />
born in 1943, treated the audience<br />
to a beautiful rendition of<br />
the Vissi d'arte aria from Tosca.<br />
Éva Marton as "Elizabeth" in Richard<br />
Wagner's opera Tannhäuser.
14<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
MUSEUMS<br />
MUSEUMS<br />
AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM: Covering life in a<br />
medieval village, viticulture, plants and more<br />
with a temporary exhibition on turn-of-thecentury<br />
agriculture minister Ignác Darányi.<br />
Open Tues.-Sun., 10am-5pm. Tel. (+36-1) 363-<br />
1117. District XIV, Vajdahunyad Castle in City<br />
Park. www.mezogazdasagimuzeum.hu<br />
AQUINCUM MUSEUM: Archaeological findings<br />
from the remains of the Roman military<br />
garrison and trading settlement Aquincum. The<br />
exhibition Tales of Finds, Archaeological Finds<br />
from a Different Perspective is open until 15<br />
April. Open daily 10am-6pm except Mon. The<br />
outdoor ruins are open from 9am. District III,<br />
Szentendrei út 135. Tel. (+36-1) 250-1650.<br />
www.aquincum.hu<br />
BÉLA BARTÓK MEMORIAL HOUSE: Concerts<br />
in one hall and a memorial room with original<br />
furniture and Bartók's folk art collection,<br />
photos, letters and notes on his life. Open<br />
Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm. District II, Csalán út 29.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 394-2100. www.bartokmuseum.hu<br />
Budapest from 1944-1945, who saved up to<br />
15,000 Jews by handing out protection documents.<br />
Flashlight tour daily at 7pm in quest of<br />
lost treasures of Count Gorgey. Open Tues.-<br />
Sun. 10am-8pm. District I, Lovas út 4/C. Tel.<br />
(+36) 70 701-0101. www.sziklakorhaz.hu<br />
HOUSE OF HUNGARIAN ART NOUVEAU:<br />
Secession-era furniture, objects, instruments<br />
and paintings in contemporary house. Mon.-<br />
Sat. 10am-5pm. District V, Honvéd u. 3. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 269-4622. www.magyarszecessziohaza.hu<br />
HOUSE OF TERROR MUSEUM: Secret police<br />
headquarters during both the fascist and<br />
socialist periods, with an exhibition on<br />
Cardinal Mindszenty. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-<br />
6pm. District VI, Andrássy út 60. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
374-2600. www.terrorhaza.hu<br />
HUNGARIAN JEWISH MUSEUM AND<br />
ARCHIVES: Religious and historical collection<br />
at the Great Synagogue in District VII,<br />
Dohány u. 2. Tel. (+36-1) 317-1377.<br />
www.dohany-zsinagoga.hu<br />
Kapisztrán tér 2-4. Tel. (+36-1) 325-1600.<br />
www.militaria.hu<br />
MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS: Permanent<br />
collection of works of applied art in an Art<br />
Nouveau landmark. Art from the Monastery of<br />
Clay, exhibition of collections of the Kecskemét<br />
Contemporary Arts Workshop. International<br />
Ceramics Studio runs until 2 September. The<br />
exhibition The Bigot Pavilion on Art Nouveau<br />
ceramics from Paris is open until 15<br />
September. Masters of the Secession, works<br />
from the collections of the Museum of Applied<br />
Arts, is open until 15 September. Open Tues.-<br />
Sun. 10am-6pm. District IX, Üllõi út 33-37. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 456-5107. www.imm.hu<br />
MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY: Covering traditional<br />
customs and clothing. The exhibition<br />
Objective Case - Subjective Ethnography is<br />
open until 10 July. The exhibition "I was a<br />
humble filmmaker" on László Keszi Kovács<br />
(1908-2012) runs until 1 September. Véménd<br />
1916-1920, photographs by a village teacher,<br />
runs until 8 September. History in Photographs<br />
of Danube Schwabians runs until 8 September.<br />
MADI Universe - 20 Years of the Mobile MADI Museum<br />
The primary precursor of the<br />
MADI (Movement -<br />
Abstraction - Dimension -<br />
Invention) was the South American<br />
school of "constructive universalism".<br />
The MADI movement itself started in<br />
Buenos Aires in 1946. They set out an<br />
artistic programme whose main<br />
elements were polygonality, the<br />
coherent representation of motion<br />
and systematic construction in every<br />
sphere of art. The exhibition in the<br />
Kassák Museum (Branch of Petõfi<br />
Literary Museum) is open until 8<br />
September. District III, Fõ tér 1<br />
(Zichy House). Open Wed.-Sun.<br />
10am-5pm. Tel. (+36-1) 368-7021.<br />
www.kassakmuzeum.hu<br />
on Sándor Weöres run until 31 December and<br />
1 June 2014 respectively. District V, Károlyi<br />
Mihály u. 16. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 317-3611. www.pim.hu<br />
PIETY MUSEUM: Items connected to funerals.<br />
District VIII, Fiumei út. 16, Building C. Open<br />
Mon.-Thur. 10am-5pm, Fri. 10am-1pm. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 323-5132. www.nemzetisirkert.hu<br />
POSTAL MUSEUM: Relics of Hungarian post<br />
and telecommunications history. District VI,<br />
Benczúr utca 27. Open Tuesday-Sunday<br />
10am-6pm. Tel. (+36-1) 269-6838. www.postamuzeum.hu/indexa.html<br />
STAMP MUSEUM: Items from around the world.<br />
Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm. District VII,<br />
Hársfa u. 47. Tel. (+36-1) 341-5526.<br />
www.belyegmuzeum.hu<br />
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY MUSEUM:<br />
Commemorates the continent's first underground<br />
train line, the "Földalatti", which opened<br />
in 1896 (now Metro 1, the yellow line). In an<br />
original stretch of the tunnel at Deák tér metro<br />
station in District V. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-<br />
5pm. Tel. (+36-1) 461-6500. www.bkv.hu<br />
GALLERIES<br />
ACB GALLERY: The exhibition Sense of Time<br />
by Gyula Várnai is open until 26 July. Open<br />
Tues.-Fri. 2pm-6pm or by appointment. District<br />
VI, Király u. 76. Tel. (+36-1) 413-7608.<br />
www.acbgaleria.hu<br />
BÁLINT HOUSE: The exhibition Chipped Mirror<br />
by Dániel Fehér runs until 31 August. Open<br />
daily 9am-8pm. District VI, Révay u. 16. Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 311-9214. www.balinthaz.hu<br />
BARABÁS VILLA GALLERY: The exhibition by<br />
András Várkonyi runs until 13 July. Open Mon.-<br />
Fri. 10am-6pm, Sat. 10am-12noon. District XII,<br />
Városmajor u. 44. Tel. (+36-1) 457-0501.<br />
http://www.hegytortenet.hu/galeria<br />
DEÁK ERIKA GALÉRIA: The exhibition Why do<br />
not you say hello ever again? by Alexander<br />
Tinei runs until 3 August. Open Wed.-Fri.<br />
12noon-6pm and Sat. 11am-4pm. District VI,<br />
Mozsár u. 1. Tel. (+36-1) 201-3740. www.deakgaleria.hu<br />
DOVIN GALLERY: The collective exhibition My<br />
Little Cloud runs until 31 August. Open Tues.-<br />
Fri. 12noon-6pm and Sat. 11am-3pm. District V,<br />
Galamb utca 6. Tel. (+36-1) 318-3659.<br />
www.dovingallery.com/<br />
exhibition of photographs by Helmut Newton<br />
runs until 14 July. The exhibition Egon Schiele<br />
and his Age runs until 29 September. Open<br />
daily 10am-6pm except Mon. (ticket office<br />
closes at 4.30pm).Ticket desk open Tues.-Sun.<br />
10am-5pm, and on second Thursdays until<br />
9pm with a Museum + events ticket. District<br />
XIV, Hõsök tere. Tel. (+36-1) 469-7100.<br />
www.szepmuveszeti.hu<br />
STUDIO GALLERY: The exhibition Here comes<br />
the folk science! by Tamás Kaszás and Anikó<br />
Loránt runs until 30 July. Open Tues., Thu. and<br />
Fri. 10am-6pm, Wed. 12noon-8pm. District VII<br />
Rottenbiller u. 35. Tel. (+36-1) 342-5380.<br />
www.studio.c3.hu<br />
VAM DESIGN CENTRE: The 3D exhibition of<br />
paintings by Van Gogh runs until 30 November.<br />
Open daily 9am-6pm. District VI, Király u. 26.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 666-3100. www.vamdesign.hu<br />
VASARELY MUSEUM: Large permanent collection<br />
of works by Hungarian-French artist Victor<br />
Vasarely, the founder of op art. The exhibition<br />
Grauwinkel Collection, Berlin Concrete Art<br />
1982-2012 runs until 1 September. Open daily<br />
10am-5.30pm except Mon. District III,<br />
Szentlélek tér 6. Tel. (+36-1) 388-7551.<br />
www.vasarely.hu<br />
VÍZIVÁROSI GALLERY: The exhibition<br />
Paintings, Collages by Éva Sebõk, Katalin<br />
Székelyi and László Ottó is open until 24 July.<br />
Open Tues.-Fri. 1-6pm, Sat. 10am-2pm. District<br />
II, Kapás u. 55. Tel. (+36-1) 201-6925.<br />
www.vizivarosigaleria.hu<br />
ERNST MUSEUM: The exhibition On the Shore<br />
by Eszter Csurka runs until 28 July. Open daily<br />
11am-7pm except Mon. District VI, Nagymezõ<br />
utca 8. Tel. (+36-1) 413-1311. www.ernstmuzeum.hu<br />
<strong>BUDAPEST</strong> HISTORY MUSEUM: Covering the<br />
history of the capital. The exhibition The<br />
Capital's Treasury - 125 years of the Budapest<br />
History Museum is open until 31 August. The<br />
exhibition Votive Rituals, Ancient Feasts is<br />
open until 8 September. The exhibition on<br />
Armenian culture in the Carpathian Basin runs<br />
until 15 September. Open daily 10am-6pm<br />
except Mon. Buda Castle building E, District I,<br />
Szent György tér 2. Tel. (+36-1) 487-8800.<br />
www.btm.hu/<br />
EVANGELICAL NATIONAL MUSEUM: Covering<br />
the Protestant faith in Hungary. The exhibition<br />
A century of tolerance - Protestant church life<br />
in the first half of the 19th century runs until 31<br />
October. Open Tues.-Sun., 10am-5pm. District<br />
V, Deák Ferenc tér 4. Tel. (+36-1) 317-4173.<br />
www.evangelikusmuzeum.hu<br />
FERENC HOPP MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN<br />
ARTS: Works collected by the traveller Ferenc<br />
Hopp with an exhibition on Land of the Morning<br />
Calm, Korean Art in the 18th-19th Centuries.<br />
Open Fri.-Sun. 2pm-6pm. District VI, Andrássy<br />
út 103. Tel. (+36-1) 322-8476. www.imm.hu<br />
(Museum of Applied Arts website)<br />
FERENC LISZT MEMORIAL MUSEUM: A reconstruction<br />
of Liszt's last Budapest flat<br />
containing his original instruments, furniture,<br />
books, scores, personal objects and memorabilia.<br />
The exhibition Liszt and the French<br />
Musicians of his Time is running until 19<br />
October. In the Old Music Academy, District VI,<br />
Vörösmarty u. 35. Open Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm,<br />
Sat. 9am-5pm. Tel. (+36-1) 322-9804.<br />
www.lisztmuseum.hu<br />
GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF HUNGARY:<br />
Collection of rocks and fossils in a building by<br />
architect Ödön Lechner. Open Thurs., Sat.,<br />
Sun. 10am-4pm. District XIV, Stefánia út. 14.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 251-0999. www.mafi.hu<br />
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTRE: Open<br />
Tues.-Sun.10am-6pm. District IX, Páva u. 39.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 455-3333. www.hdke.hu<br />
HOSPITAL IN <strong>THE</strong> ROCK: Formerly secret<br />
underground air-raid hospital and nuclear<br />
bunker, with an exhibition about Friedrich<br />
Born, Swiss delegate of the Red Cross in<br />
HUNGARIAN MUSEUM OF TRADE AND<br />
TOURISM: Catering industry relics based on<br />
the private collection of Frigyes Glück and<br />
extended to include posters, scales, furniture<br />
and a numismatic collection. The exhibition<br />
Realised and Unrealised Dreams runs until 14<br />
July. The exhibition Hortus Conclusus by Gyula<br />
Wegrosta runs until 28 July. The exhibition on<br />
Hungarian camera design Pajtás runs until 15<br />
September. The exhibitions "The good<br />
merchant is the benefactor of the world" - Two<br />
hundred years in the history of Hungarian trade<br />
and "I have never had a home..." - Scenes<br />
from Gyula Krúdy's Budapest Life run until 31<br />
December. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm.<br />
District III, Korona tér 1. Tel. (+36-1) 212-1245.<br />
www.mkvm.hu<br />
HUNGARIAN RAILWAY MUSEUM: Train buff's<br />
paradise with many steam engines and<br />
carriages, operational turntables, the largest<br />
roundhouse in Central Europe with interactive<br />
programmes such as a self-powered rail car<br />
and engine driving. Children's miniature rail<br />
line. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm. District XIV,<br />
Tatai út 95. Tel. (+36-1) 238-0558. www.vasuttortenetipark.hu<br />
KODÁLY MEMORIAL MUSEUM: Instruments,<br />
documents and original furnishings on display<br />
in Kodály's former flat. Open Wed.-Fri. 10am-<br />
12pm and 2pm-4.30pm by appointment.<br />
District VI, Andrássy út 89. (+36-1) 352-7106.<br />
www.kodaly-inst.hu<br />
MEDIEVAL JEWISH HOUSE OF PRAYER:<br />
Collection shedding light on the life of Jews<br />
during the Middle Ages. Open Tues.-Sun.<br />
10am-6pm. District I, Táncsics Mihály u. 26.Tel.<br />
(+36-1) 225-7816. www.museum.hu<br />
MEMENTO PARK: Communist statuary<br />
shunted out of the streets and into a field on the<br />
edge of town. Direct buses leave from Deák tér<br />
at 11am daily. Open from 10am-dusk. District<br />
XXII, corner of Balatoni út and Szabadkai út.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 424-7500. www.mementopark.hu<br />
MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM: Permanent exhibitions<br />
on the Hungarian military from 1815<br />
through the world wars and the fall of the Iron<br />
Curtain. Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-4pm. District I,<br />
The exhibition on Finnish Ryijy textiles<br />
between 1707 and 2012 runs until 5 January.<br />
Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm. District V,<br />
Kossuth Lajos tér 12. Tel. (+36-1) 473-2400.<br />
www.neprajz.hu<br />
MUSEUM OF ÓBUDA: Permanent exhibition on<br />
Óbuda - Three faces of a town. The temporary<br />
exhibition "So the last will be the first." The<br />
Salesian Wonder runs until 8 September.<br />
District III, Fõ tér 1. Open Tuesday-Sunday<br />
10am-6pm. Telephone (+36-1) 250-1020.<br />
www.obudaimuzeum.hu<br />
MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT: Covering the history<br />
of road and rail transport in Hungary. The aerospace<br />
collection is in the nearby Petõfi Csarnok<br />
(Zichy Mihály u. 3). Open Tues.-Fri. 10am-4pm,<br />
and Sat.-Sun. 10am-5pm. District XIV,<br />
Városligeti körút 11. Tel. (+36-1) 273-3840.<br />
www.mmkm.hu<br />
NAGYTÉTÉNYI CASTLE MUSEUM: Eighteenthcentury<br />
castle restored to former splendour<br />
featuring a permanent exhibition on the art of<br />
furniture making from the Gothic to the<br />
Biedermeier. Open Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pm.<br />
District XXII, Kastélypark u. 9-11. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
207-0005. www.nagytetenyi.hu<br />
NATIONAL MUSEUM: Covering the whole of<br />
Hungarian history, from the ancient origins of<br />
the Hungarians, their journey to the Carpathian<br />
Basin and events until 1990. The exhibition<br />
Affinities and Transformations on 18th and 19th<br />
century painting runs until 21 July. The exhibition<br />
on Ancient Burial Masks is open until 13<br />
September. Open Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pm. District<br />
VIII, Múzeum körút 14-16. Tel. (+36-1) 338-<br />
2122/327-7749. www.hnm.hu<br />
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Covering botany<br />
and zoology. Open daily 10am-5pm except<br />
Tues. District VIII, Ludovika tér 2-6. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
210-1085. www.nhmus.hu<br />
PETÕFI LITERARY MUSEUM: Named after the<br />
poet Sándor Petõfi (1823-1849). The exhibition<br />
on photographs by Ferenc Berko is open until<br />
30 September. The exhibition Southern<br />
Adventures. Hungarian writers' experiences of<br />
Italy 1890-1950 runs until 31 October. The<br />
memorial exhibitions on Frigyes Karinthy and<br />
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL GALLERY: Hungarian<br />
Art Photography in the New Millennium is open<br />
until 28 July. The exhibition Monet, Gauguin,<br />
Szinyei Merse, Rippl-Rónai runs until 13<br />
October. Open daily 10am-6pm except Mon.<br />
Wings B, C and D of the Royal Palace. District<br />
I, Szent György tér 2. Tel. (+36) 20 439-7325 or<br />
(+36) 20 439-7331. www.mng.hu<br />
KASSÁK MUSEUM (BRANCH OF PETÕFI<br />
LITERARY MUSEUM): Mainly works of Lajos<br />
Kassák (1887-1967), leading figure of the<br />
Hungarian avant-garde. The exhibition MADI<br />
Universe - 20 Years of the Mobile MADI<br />
Museum is open until 8 September. District III,<br />
Fõ tér 1 (Zichy House). Open Wed.-Sun. 10am-<br />
5pm. Tel. (+36-1) 368-7021. www.kassakmuzeum.hu<br />
LUDWIG CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM<br />
(PALACE OF ARTS): The exhibition The Naked<br />
Man on the male nude in art from 1900 to the<br />
present runs until 30 June. Pieter Hugo - This<br />
Must Be The Place, Selected Works 2003-<br />
2012 runs until 11 August. The Other Half of<br />
the Sky. Selection from the Ludwig Museum's<br />
Collection is open until 1 January 2014. Open<br />
Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm. On the last Sunday<br />
each month entrance is free for visitors under<br />
26, and up to two adult relatives accompanying<br />
a child under 18. District XI, Komor Marcell u 1.<br />
Tel. (+36-1) 555-3444 www.lumu.hu<br />
MAI MANÓ (HUNGARIAN HOUSE OF<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY): Shows works by Hungarian<br />
and foreign photographers. The exhibition<br />
Codes of Reality/Observations/Relations,<br />
Series by twelve young photographers from the<br />
recent past is open until 22 September. Open<br />
weekdays 2-7pm, weekends 11am-7pm.<br />
District VI, Nagymezõ u. 20. Tel. (+36.1) 473-<br />
2666. www.maimano.hu<br />
MOLNÁR ANI GALLERY: The exhibition Syntax<br />
of Parallels by Tanja Koljonen, György Szász<br />
and Beatrix Szörényi is open until 6<br />
September. Open Tues.-Fri. 12noon-6pm.<br />
District VIII, Bródy Sándor u. 22. Tel. (+36-1)<br />
327-0095. www.molnaranigaleria.hu<br />
MÛCSARNOK/KUNSTHALLE: The exhibition Art<br />
lives! by Tamás Körösényi runs until 8<br />
September. District XIV, Dózsa György út 37.<br />
Open Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm except<br />
Thurs.12pm-8pm. Tel. (+36-1) 460-7000.<br />
www.mucsarnok.hu<br />
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS: Huge collection of<br />
Hungarian and international paintings. The<br />
A FRIEND IN NEED<br />
A FRIEND IN DEED<br />
The Suspended Coffee movement<br />
allows you to buy a warm<br />
beverage or food in advance<br />
for someone in need.<br />
There are more than 100 participating<br />
restaurants, cafés, service providers<br />
etc. that are identified by this sticker on<br />
the door, making it easy for anyone<br />
who wishes to “pay forward” an item.<br />
The list of businesses can be found on<br />
the Facebook page of “Suspended<br />
Coffee Magyarország”.<br />
See an article on the movement here in<br />
Hungary at http://tinyurl.com/csqtskx
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
5 JULY – 11 JULY 2013<br />
15<br />
V. Zoltán u. 16<br />
(next to Szabadság tér)<br />
Reservations:<br />
331-4352<br />
...then call Rob<br />
on 06-30-552-0840<br />
or visit<br />
www.primecuts.hu<br />
EATING OUT<br />
Julián S. Montoni (2)<br />
Arany Kaviar Restaurant<br />
Lunchtime traditional Russian Bistro:<br />
5.900 Ft (20 EUR) - 3-course lunch with 1 glas (1dl) of wine,<br />
mineral water and coffee!<br />
Every day from 12pm to 3pm!<br />
1015 Budapest, Ostrom u. 19 Open every day: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-12am<br />
Tel.: (+36 1) 201 6737 reservation@aranykaviar.hu www.aranykaviar.hu<br />
Pass the hookah, please<br />
ANAÏS LYNN VOSKI<br />
Shiraz opened in 1995 as the first authentic<br />
Persian restaurant in Central Europe and<br />
whose owner, of Iranian origin, decided to<br />
name it after the country’s fifth-most-populous<br />
city. In retrospect he did so successfully.<br />
Upon entry the visitor is immediately transported to<br />
another world. The decoration is every bit authentic<br />
and creates a truly oriental getaway in the middle of the<br />
Hungarian capital. There’s even a small parrot in the<br />
corner beside the entrance, who from<br />
time to time charmingly sings the song<br />
of his people. The sweet smell of the<br />
shisha, or waterpipe, creates a homey<br />
but exotic atmosphere.<br />
Altogether the guests can choose<br />
from six rooms: five differently themed<br />
rooms and the VIP room. The Apanda,<br />
the Eram, the Paszargad and the<br />
Seherezade rooms are all for smokers<br />
and shisha-friendly, while the Prince of<br />
Persia room is non-smoking. The VIP<br />
room is free of charge, however<br />
welcome drinks, champagne, caviar<br />
and all other extras are paid<br />
depending on consumption.<br />
It is especially recommended to<br />
reserve a seat for Friday and Saturday<br />
nights because the restaurant fills up<br />
quickly. However, even when at its fullest, food and<br />
drinks take no longer than 25 minutes to serve, which is<br />
quite impressive.<br />
Those merely dropping by should try the shisha, a<br />
special flavoured tobacco smoked in a hookah. It costs<br />
HUF 1,490, comes in many different flavours and can<br />
be smoked on the terrace as well, which is especially nice<br />
during warm summer evenings.<br />
The authentic teas are also a pleasurable choice,<br />
especially the kardamon and the rose teas. They can be<br />
ordered in jugs for those wishing to share.<br />
Those coming to eat, however, will have a hard time to<br />
choose, as everything is made from spices imported<br />
directly from Iran and is as delicious as oriental food gets.<br />
For drinks, the rose water is made fresh with seeds and<br />
sugar and tastes as if you could bite the smell of a rose bud.<br />
As for the appetisers, the mastebademjan (eggplant and<br />
sour cream) and the mirza ghashami (eggplant and tomatoes)<br />
are a must and are served with home-made pita<br />
Review: Shiraz, District IX<br />
bread. The mirza ghashami bears some similarity to<br />
Hungarian lecsó but tastes twice as good.<br />
The kebab kubide is a must for someone looking to try<br />
the most authentic dish of the house. It can be served<br />
from beef or lamb and even those who normally don’t<br />
enjoy beef should love it. This can be ordered in a kebab<br />
menü, which serves three to four people and contains all<br />
kinds of meats and sides for HUF 12,500.<br />
Those still wishing to stick to wings should try the<br />
kebab morgh, a chicken dish sprinkled with homemade<br />
pomegranate syrup and baked in saffron. However, the<br />
kebab jouje chicken’s plain taste is quite underwhelming<br />
in contrast to other dishes. The khoreshe<br />
sabzi is also a great choice, especially for<br />
Hungarian pörkölt lovers, with a twist and<br />
a unique taste.<br />
For the side the zeresk polo accompanies<br />
the spicy dishes excellently; rice with<br />
red raisins also imported straight from<br />
Iran. If available, definitely ask for the<br />
highly popular tadik, the leftover rice<br />
from the bottom of the cooking pot,<br />
which, when dried, becomes an excellent<br />
and tasteful side to the more watery<br />
mains such as the khoreshe sabzi.<br />
Despite their humble looks it is worth<br />
leaving space for dessert. The halva, an<br />
authentic dessert made of tahini, dates<br />
and sesame, brings the perfect finish to<br />
the tastebuds. The homemade saffron<br />
ice-cream is a must, while the homemade<br />
pomegranate ice-cream is less impressive when the two<br />
are eaten together but still satisfying.<br />
Price points<br />
Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . around HUF 920<br />
Salads: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . around HUF 1,400<br />
Main courses: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HUF 1,850-4,050<br />
Platters:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HUF 12,500-14,500<br />
Desserts: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HUF 850-1,400<br />
Shiraz<br />
District IX, Ráday u. 21<br />
Open every day 12 noon to midnight<br />
Tel.: (+36-1) 218-0881<br />
www.shirazetterem.hu
16<br />
WHAT LIES BENEATH FAITH MATTERS<br />
5 July – 11 July 2013<br />
MARY MURPHY<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>BUDAPEST</strong> <strong>TIMES</strong><br />
Trust in God freed her from unhealthy obsession<br />
BRADLEY BELCHER<br />
Supersized me - po'girl carrying excess baggage<br />
Walking down the<br />
aisle on the<br />
airplane en route<br />
from Chicago to<br />
Munich, I found it<br />
difficult to keep my distance from<br />
those occupying aisle seats. At first I<br />
thought it was the design - another<br />
space-saving measure dreamed up by<br />
an airline to add more seats to an<br />
already cramped plane. But three<br />
weeks ago I’d made the same journey<br />
on a similar plane flying in the opposite<br />
direction and hadn’t impinged<br />
on anyone’s personal space. Then the<br />
light came on. I’d grown - literally -<br />
into a bigger person - in just three<br />
weeks.<br />
A food odyssey<br />
Kentucky and its southern BBQ<br />
had started off the expansion. Add<br />
the burgers in Nashville and the<br />
po’boy sandwiches in Memphis and<br />
there’s a couple of Tennessee kilos<br />
accounted for. Moving across into<br />
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New<br />
He didn't know what to do. He<br />
loved his wife Lisa so much but<br />
her behaviour was becoming<br />
more and more erratic each<br />
passing day. What to do when<br />
the one you love more than anything becomes<br />
impossible to live with? What had gone wrong?<br />
Why had she become so deranged and confused?<br />
Years before, Lisa was a nurse in an emergency<br />
room hospital in a large town in the US<br />
Midwest. It was her first job right out of nursing<br />
school. She quickly became immersed in it,<br />
having to deal with all sorts of patients with all<br />
sorts of ailments.<br />
It seemed as if she had seen it all in a very<br />
short time: shooting and stabbing victims,<br />
people mangled in car accidents, domestic<br />
abuse wounds, broken bones, cuts and lacerations,<br />
accidental poisonings and the ongoing<br />
parade of the chronically ill all made their way<br />
into her emergency room.<br />
One evening a man came in with an unusual<br />
and unrecognised ailment. He wasn’t all that<br />
old but his breathing had become very shallow<br />
and it just seemed he was fading away. No one<br />
had a diagnosis. They kept running tests to find<br />
out what was wrong but each came back negative.<br />
All the while his condition deteriorated.<br />
As a last-ditch effort to save the man’s life, the<br />
young doctor on duty instructed Lisa to administer<br />
some medication intravenously. She<br />
followed the doctor’s instructions. As she<br />
stepped out of the room for a moment, the man<br />
went code blue. He never regained consciousness<br />
and shortly after quietly succumbed to his<br />
mysterious ailment and died.<br />
Accidental death<br />
A guide to piling on the pounds stateside<br />
Mexico and Arizona, a steady diet of<br />
carne asada burritos and well-dressed<br />
nachos washed down by copious<br />
margaritas added a couple or three<br />
more to the mix (yes, I really did eat<br />
Mexican seven days on the trot).<br />
California was relatively sane -<br />
something bordering on healthy in a<br />
vain attempt to reacquaint myself<br />
with vegetables; I’m not sure though<br />
that a six-pack of avocados was the<br />
way to go. What was saved in Palm<br />
Springs was more than spent in the<br />
all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas.<br />
A food heaven<br />
All you can eat - the sign said - for<br />
just $22. Or get an all-day pass good<br />
from 7am to 10pm for $35. With a<br />
neat little wristband showing you as a<br />
paid-up member of the buffet<br />
brigade, you could start eating at 7am<br />
and not stop until 10pm, and all for<br />
$35. Can’t beat that for value. We<br />
were a tad more restrained, settling<br />
for the dinner version - two nights<br />
running.<br />
Buffets are great when you have<br />
two people incapable of making a<br />
decision about where and what to eat.<br />
Wholly Matrimony – Part V<br />
Lisa took it very hard that she was unable to<br />
save the man’s life. She slipped out and found a<br />
place to cry privately. She had never lost a<br />
patient before.<br />
Later that evening other nurses and technicians<br />
started to speculate whether the meds Lisa<br />
had given were the best choice based on his<br />
condition. Finally it was determined that the<br />
doctor had made a poor diagnosis and had<br />
really prescribed a lethal dose that in all likelihood<br />
had killed the man.<br />
Lisa was horrified. Instead of helping she<br />
had actually killed the man through administering<br />
what the doctor ordered. As the months<br />
and years rolled by, this incident would play in<br />
her mind over and over. She believed she had<br />
killed a man. She would never ever let that<br />
happen again. It wasn’t long after this that Lisa<br />
stepped away from the medical profession.<br />
A few years later she married a wonderful<br />
young man. At first the marriage seemed<br />
delightful. They loved each other. They went to<br />
church. They professed Christ as Lord and<br />
Saviour of their lives. They were surrounded by<br />
great friends and family. They had their whole<br />
lives together in front of them. The future<br />
looked bright.<br />
Unusual behaviour<br />
However, as time went by, Lisa’s husband<br />
began noticing some unusual things about her.<br />
She seemed to be overly concerned about her<br />
interaction with people. In some ways it seemed<br />
that she couldn’t just drop things she was<br />
concerned about. She would worry if there was<br />
something she might have said or done that<br />
could have hurt others.<br />
He noticed that she was constantly washing<br />
her hands and applying lotion to them because<br />
they had become almost raw from washing.<br />
She would ask him strange, almost irrational<br />
questions about their friends and family. She<br />
seemed to be obsessed with the concern that<br />
somehow, someway her actions were causing<br />
harm to others. It was becoming clear that Lisa<br />
was dealing with OCD, Obsessive Compulsive<br />
Disorder.<br />
Pastoral support<br />
As her husband met with his pastor, he<br />
explained what was going on behind the scenes<br />
in his house. The pastor tried to console him<br />
but he was beside himself. Through his tears he<br />
relayed that things were getting out of hand.<br />
Lisa was slipping into a world of irrationality.<br />
What was he supposed to do? Nothing<br />
seemed to help. If he brought up her obsessions<br />
she would just deny things and become angry<br />
and bitter. Their marriage was in trouble. He<br />
had not bargained for this. He feared that he<br />
was losing his wife as she was slowly slipping<br />
into a world of uncontrollable paranoia and<br />
We’d used up all our decisions by the<br />
time we crossed into New Mexico and<br />
were running on empty by the time<br />
we got to Vegas. The buffet was an<br />
easy option… and the food was good.<br />
A food obsession<br />
What is it about buffets that makes<br />
us lose sight of reason, ignore our<br />
stomach’s screams of “no more, no<br />
more” and continue to load that plate<br />
until we’ve tasted just about everything<br />
on offer? What is it about the<br />
human psyche that turns mercenary<br />
at the sight of a food-for-all? Is it<br />
about eating every last cent of that<br />
$22? Is it about eating just because<br />
it’s there? Is it about greed or gluttony<br />
or piggery?<br />
For the first time ever I’ve considered<br />
why gluttony made it on the list<br />
of the seven deadly sins. Why this<br />
need to make pigs of ourselves? Why<br />
can’t we just settle for one plate of<br />
what we like and leave the rest? And<br />
even if we attempt to walk away, our<br />
carbohydrate-laden weaker wills are<br />
called back by the buffet devils whispering,<br />
“Go on, you have room for<br />
just a little more”.<br />
irrational behaviour.<br />
He explained to his<br />
pastor that he and Lisa<br />
had met with a psychologist.<br />
However,<br />
instead of helping,<br />
the psychologist had<br />
only made things<br />
worse by giving a<br />
label to Lisa’s<br />
condition. The<br />
psychologist<br />
made all sorts of<br />
technical claims<br />
as to the root<br />
causes for her<br />
condition but was<br />
really no help at<br />
all. Now she seemed<br />
even more obsessed<br />
with the fact that she<br />
was dealing with her<br />
obsessions. Now that it<br />
had a name, she could<br />
justify her behaviour.<br />
Biblical counselling<br />
A food attack<br />
Over the course of two evenings I<br />
watched my fellow diners return to<br />
the line three or four times to load up<br />
their plates with food, food and more<br />
food. And, to my shame, I was right<br />
there beside them. All of me. In fairness,<br />
they usually started with a salad<br />
and then moved on to pasta and then<br />
to the carvery and finally to dessert.<br />
And don’t Italians do more or less<br />
the same very day, I told myself, in an<br />
effort to convince my conscience that<br />
I hadn’t become yet another victim of<br />
buffetitis. They do, yes, but not in<br />
these quantities.<br />
Taking refuge from the scorching<br />
heat and the smoke-filled casinos, I<br />
took to watching cable TV. Ad after<br />
ad showed all-you-can-eat ribs, allyou-can-eat<br />
chicken wings, all-youcan-eat<br />
seafood. All you can eat… is it<br />
any wonder America has an obesity<br />
problem?<br />
A food problem<br />
But then I remembered the last<br />
time I was in Verandah - a great little<br />
The<br />
counsellors<br />
pointed out to her the<br />
reality that whatever had<br />
happened had not been her<br />
fault. They explained to her that if<br />
God is sovereign over all things<br />
including this incident, then there<br />
was really nothing different she could<br />
have done. The whole matter was<br />
clearly in God’s hands and not hers.<br />
The counsellors encouraged Lisa<br />
with the biblical truth that “God<br />
causes all things to work<br />
together for good to those who<br />
love God, to those who are<br />
called according to<br />
His purpose”.<br />
The pastor suggested that they meet a couple<br />
in the church who were experienced and welltrained<br />
biblical counsellors. Her husband<br />
approached Lisa with the idea but she was<br />
reluctant. Eventually she agreed and they began<br />
working through her issues with the counsellors.<br />
They were able to trace her erratic behaviour<br />
right back to the incident in the hospital<br />
where the man had died through Lisa’s efforts<br />
to save him.<br />
In her mind it was her fault and she could not<br />
get over it. The counsellors pointed out to her<br />
the reality that whatever had happened had not<br />
been her fault. They explained to her that if<br />
God is sovereign over all things including this<br />
incident, then there was really nothing different<br />
she could have done. The whole matter was<br />
clearly in God’s hands and not hers.<br />
The counsellors encouraged Lisa with the<br />
biblical truth that “God causes all things to<br />
work together for good to those who love God,<br />
to those who are called according to His<br />
purpose”.<br />
restaurant in Budapest’s District IX.<br />
It, too, has an all-you-can eat buffet<br />
lunch. And there, too, people heap<br />
their plates high - something of<br />
everything. They might not go back<br />
for second and third helpings,<br />
instead making sure that their first<br />
go around captures it all. A false<br />
economy methinks.<br />
The main visible difference in<br />
Budapest is that the holder of the<br />
laden plate is usually a svelte, size 8,<br />
which is in sharp contrast with the<br />
chubby size 18s and even 28s on<br />
show in Vegas. When I see slim<br />
young things put away so much<br />
food, I’m left wondering just how<br />
long a union break the food gods<br />
get.<br />
And the non-Christian part of me<br />
snickers and thinks to myself: just<br />
you wait. One day, you’re going to<br />
wake up fat and forty. Try then to<br />
squeeze yourself down an airplane<br />
aisle without bumping anyone off.<br />
- Mary Murphy is a freelance writer<br />
and public speaker, who has developed a<br />
whole new appreciation for the concept of<br />
“in moderation”. Read more on<br />
www.stolenchild66.wordpress.com<br />
Problem solved<br />
They explained that even though a<br />
horrible thing had taken place,<br />
God was still in control and had<br />
allowed it to take place for His<br />
purposes. They explained<br />
that not only was God in<br />
control of all things, but<br />
He is loving and good<br />
and is ultimately out to<br />
bless and help her.<br />
All Lisa really<br />
needed to know was<br />
how much God loved<br />
her and how much<br />
God wanted to help<br />
her through putting<br />
away these obsessions.<br />
It was the knowledge of<br />
God’s perfect love for<br />
her that would cast off all<br />
her fears and anxieties.<br />
All she needed to do was to<br />
trust Him with her life and<br />
future.<br />
The tears poured out as she<br />
heard these things. Could she<br />
really be set free from all this just<br />
through trusting God? They prayed<br />
together and asked God to help her.<br />
Soon and with continued help from her<br />
pastor and counsellors, Lisa began to turn away<br />
from her dysfunctionality. Her bouts of obsession<br />
became fewer and further between. All the<br />
while her husband remained by her side as he<br />
had promised on their wedding day: “In sickness<br />
and in health.”<br />
Happy ever after<br />
Today Lisa and her family are doing very well.<br />
Every now and then those old thoughts creep<br />
back but she has learned to make every thought<br />
captive to the obedience of Christ. Through<br />
trusting God she now sees how richly He has<br />
blessed her, and she now knows with certainty<br />
that her future is safe and secure with Him.<br />
– Reverend Bradley S. Belcher is the senior pastor<br />
with the International Baptist Church of Budapest,<br />
www.ibcbudapest.org. Should you have a question or<br />
comment regarding this column, email<br />
editor@bzt.hu.