Hungary is a leader, not a follower, in the development of the new economic sector, the green economy, László György, Government Commissioner responsible for economic strategy and the coordination of the Let’s Teach for Hungary programme stated at a press conference in Debrecen on Tuesday.
László György encouraged participation in the online green energy consultation, which runs until 15 April. He said that the government initiated the new national consultation because ‘there is something to be proud of’ in this area, which will provide employment and secure livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families in the coming decades. The size of the green economy was $1.3 trillion globally in 2020, six and a half times Hungary’s GDP at the time, and this market will expand eightfold by 2050–the commissioner illustrated.
György reminded that in 2020, the government announced the climate and environmental protection action plan, which aims to produce 90 per cent of electricity in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner without carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. He highlighted that this year, Hungary will create the solar capacity planned for 2030.
According to the commissioner, green energy also needs to be stored, and by 2030,
Hungary will have the fourth largest green energy storage manufacturing capacity
after the United States, China, and Germany. The commissioner said there is a ‘fierce competition worldwide’ for these investments, and those who can produce such green energy storage devices in an environmentally friendly manner will represent the world’s elite.
He pointed out that the green energy consultation includes questions related to this as well, and they want to know the opinion of families to ‘confirm our intentions’. Green energy must be utilized, which is why the government has launched the Solar Energy Plus Programme for families and homes worth more than 75 billion forints, supports business electric car programmes with 30 billion forints, and in 2019, announced the Green Bus Programme–listed László György.
He also mentioned as a priority the environmentally friendly recycling of critical raw materials and tools necessary for the production and storage of green energy, which is covered by Hungary’s circular economy strategy. ‘Green energy production, storage, utilization, and recycling:
this is how the green economy is built, of which Hungary is a leader in the world, not a follower’,
László György summarized, encouraging citizens to answer the thirteen questions of the green energy consultation in Debrecen.
Deputy mayor of the city Ákos Balázs said that in Debrecen economic development and environmental protection go hand in hand. He reminded that the city’s assembly adopted the Green Codex, Debrecen’s environmental programme, in February.
The Green Codex, which took into account the opinions of city residents, includes action packages directly related to the production of green energy, the deputy mayor explained, highlighting the creation of new solar parks, increasing the number of green buses, continuing the residential LED replacement programme, replacing street lighting lamps, and the ongoing panel refurbishment programme.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/MTI
