GOH PRESENTS NEW PROGRAM: GRAND VISION, FEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BUDAPEST 001201 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NCE MICHELLE LABONTE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI HU SUBJECT: GOH PRESENTS NEW PROGRAM: GRAND VISION, FEW DETAILS BUDAPEST 00001201 001.2 OF 003 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) At Parliament,s May 30 plenary session, PM-elect Ferenc Gyurcsany presented MPs and media with the new coalition program, entitled &New Hungary ) Freedom and Solidarity.8 The 85-page document is the fruit of weeks of negotiations between coalition partners MSZP and SZDSZ, and lays the groundwork for a &successful, modern and just8 Hungary, through a set of exhaustive and ambitious reforms of the public sector, finances, education and health care. The key word of the program, in fact, is reform. Gyurcsany, both in his foreword to the document as well as in his May 30 speech in Parliament, promises four years of a &reform government.8 This cable examines some of the most essential points of the government agenda submitted to Parliament on May 30, 2006, as they pertain to foreign policy and the government,s focus on a just Hungary. -------------- A Secure Hungary -------------- ¶2. (U) The program lays out the new government,s agenda for creating a Hungary that is secure both domestically and on the international stage. Following an outline of steps needed to increase Hungary,s border security, public safety, and security of its citizens, data, as well as a discussion of improving first-response and natural disaster response services and systems, the program spells out that NATO is the guarantor of Hungary,s security internationally: &Hungary,s security is comprised of two pillars, our European and our transatlantic commitments.8 Hungary, says the document, is not faced with threats in the traditional sense; international terrorism, extreme nationalism, a proliferation of WMD, poverty, famine, disease and natural disasters are what endanger societies today. ¶3. (U) Hungary must thus prepare for new security challenges. The program signals that the GOH will commit itself to finishing the transformation of Hungary,s armed forces, to protect the country,s sovereignty and fulfill its commitments to international organizations. The document spells out concrete steps the GOH will take in the next four years. Hungary will &undertake8 to contribute some 1,000 troops to NATO, EU and UN peacekeeping operations. (Note: The previous MSZP-SZDSZ government committed itself to fielding 1,000 troops on international missions.) A special focus will be on geographic areas with direct implications for Hungary,s security. Hungary will increase its role in the exchange of information between allies. NATO radar installations will be put in place; Gripen jets will enter into service; a modernization of transport and armored vehicle fleets will begin; better training will be offered to Hungary,s all-professional army personnel. -------------- Foreign Policy Objectives -------------- ¶4. (U) One of the primary responsibilities of the government will be to increase the significance/weight of Hungary internationally; the business sector, civil society and individuals should all have a role to play in this endeavour, says the program. As the primary directions of Hungarian foreign policy, the document names the countries of the European Union, the United States, NATO allies, Russia and &the swiftly developing nations of Asia.8 ¶5. (U) Hungary has a vested interest in a strongly integrated, democratic and transparent European Union, as well as in an effective transatlantic relationship. The government will support the further expansion of the EU, the development of a common energy policy, as well as the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. The GOH also looks forward to closing the gaps between old and new EU member states, to adopting the euro, entering the Schengen border regime, and fostering the free movement of labor within the European Union. The GOH will promptly begin preparing for Hungary,s 2011 EU presidency. ¶6. (U) Hungary intends to play a proactive and cooperative role in the Central and Eastern European region; the Visegrad Partnership will be a key aspect of the country,s foreign policy. Regional cooperation will also be important, and Hungary will pay &close attention8 to initiatives to bring Ukraine and the western Balkans closer to Europe. Hungary,s foreign policy will also take into consideration the interests of ethnic Hungarians living in surrounding BUDAPEST 00001201 002.2 OF 003 countries; the GOH will also work to protect minorities and human rights, both in the CEE region and the world over. -------------- A Just Hungary -------------- ¶7. (U) According to the program, although Hungarians have reacquired their legal rights since the transition, they are still not free in a social sense, and various social groups still require added attention from the state. In this regard, more attention must be paid to basing social advancement on individual capability and not on factors such as family environment and location of dwelling. According to the section of the program entitled &A Just Hungary8, new forms of support must be found for the under-privileged, while those with greater means must take on added responsibility. -------------- Child Poverty -------------- ¶8. (U) One aspect of realizing a just Hungary is the elimination of child poverty, which the program cites as afflicting 1 in 5 Hungarian children. The government wants to tackle the issue through its National Program Against Child Poverty, which foresees a broad range of measures, from inclusive education to more fairly-distributed family allowances to employment for impoverished parents, as the solution to be implemented over a 25 year period. To this end, more targeted measures will be introduced to assist job seekers, and employers will be offered incentives for hiring undereducated workers and creating jobs in disadvantaged regions. ¶9. (U) In the same vein, schools and early education institutions will be tweaked to make them more accommodating of impoverished families. Program points here include the expansion of free school meals, an increase in kindergarten spaces and expansion of opening hours to assist working parents. The integration of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be strengthened, and incentives given to provide extra assistance to children who require it. ¶10. (U) Other measures to fight poverty, and particularly child poverty, include new regulations governing debt management and eviction, which will give more protection to poor families. Housing support will be calibrated to benefit those with less. The program promises to redouble GOH efforts to reduce what are still high infant mortality rates, to equalize child care services country-wide, in an effort to expand the number of hospitals with specialized infant care sections. -------------- Roma -------------- ¶11. (U) The program offers continued support for defending the rights of Roma, in part through the ombudsman system and the Equal Opportunity Authority. More concretely, the program states that tolerance training will be made compulsory for all participants in the criminal justice process (i.e. police and prosecution) and that incentives will be provided for Roma to join these institutions in greater number. ¶12. (U) The program recognizes the diversity within Hungary,s Roma community and suggests that anti-discrimination measures are sufficient to improve the condition of most Roma. (Comment: However, the program does propose specific, additional measures targeted to those Roma who live in isolated and/or dilapidated settlements.) The program also emphasizes desegregation in adult education and incentives to increase and diversify Roma employment. -------------- Other Vulnerable Groups -------------- ¶13. (U) The program also promises to do more to combat discrimination against women, both in hiring practices and in social attitudes, to enhance efforts to fight family violence and to provide comprehensive support for battered women. While the program offers little new to present pensioners, whom it considers to be more or less justly treated, in loose language it does note that the next phase of pension reform will be initiated in order to maintain the viability of the BUDAPEST 00001201 003.2 OF 003 entire system for future generations. Finally, the program offers to support a host of actions designed to enhance opportunities for those living with handicaps, as well as to tighten legislation related to consumer protection. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶14. (SBU) While this agenda is an ambitious one, it consists largely of generalities and hortatory language. Opposition parties FIDESZ and MDF have been sharply critical of the program,s lack of concrete measures and specific plans. For example, the previous MSZP-SZDSZ government had already pledged to field 1,000 Hungarian troops on international missions at any given time, and has in practice maintained between 800 and 900 troops abroad over the last year. Given deep cuts to the defense budget in 2005 and 2006, with additional cuts projected for 2007, it is difficult to see how Hungary can increase its troop presence abroad, let alone equip that presence with modern capabilities. Financially, the only feasible opportunities for increasing foreign deployments may be in the Balkans. ¶15. (SBU) On social policy, the program is broadly consistent with PM Gyurcsany,s tendency to eschew ethnically-based policy in favor of a &color-blind8 approach to education, healthcare and poverty. Perhaps of note, in light of PM Gyurcsany,s nomination of former Minister of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunity Kinga Goncz as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, is the program,s contention that civil society and private citizens each have a role in foreign affairs. As Gyurcsany mentioned, much of foreign policy in the context of the European Union revolves around &social and domestic8 affairs -- thus, Goncz,s appointment may serve to link these two sectors and foreign policy in the traditional sense, according to the prime minister. ¶16. (SBU) In foreign policy, the document orders Hungary,s priorities as neighboring countries, EU members, the U.S., NATO allies, Russia and &the rapidly-developing countries of Asia.8 Among the latter, China is highlighted. The only other two references to the U.S. in the paper are in the security-policy section, where the United States is identified as Hungary,s &strategic partner,8 particularly from the security-policy perspective. Russia merits special mention as well: &we ascribe a prominent role to the further strengthening of relations with the United States and Russia.8 While the document presents Visegrad as a useful forum, solidarity therein may be challenged, if only temporarily, by the wrangling over the U.S. visa-waiver amendment. All in all, this is a European social-democratic document with a liberal, forward-leaning vision. It is also based principally in domestic policy, where the twin tasks of downsizing the government and reining in the deficit are front and center. WALKER