According to László Baán, the government took note of the capital’s position on the Liget issue out of benevolence until the elections.

The To the index László Baán, Ministerial Commissioner of the Liget Budapest Project, Director General of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery gave an interview.

According to him, the halting of some construction projects of the Liget project has so far been beyond the competence of the local government, but the government was “willing” to acknowledge the position of the city administration until the elections.

“Even before the elections, at the opening of the Hungarian House of Music, the Prime Minister stated that the elections on April 3 would be the end of this debate. In other words, the government was willing to take note of the position of the leadership of the capital in a matter far beyond the competence of the capital, until the next decision, which is now in line with the level of the case, ie the national elections, decides which political force is entrusted with the task and powers of government. That was pretty clear last Sunday. And this force, now with the right and sufficient level of electoral legitimacy, will also decide the fate of the Liget project, Europe’s largest and most complex cultural urban development program today. ”

Viktor Orbán on Wednesday he said, the election result decided that the Liget project would be implemented as originally envisaged. However, when Gergely Karácsony was elected mayor in 2019, the government suspended the completion of the plans, claiming that they would only build what the people of Budapest wanted. Thus, the new National Gallery, the Hungarian Innovation House and the children’s theater were not built either.

According to Baán, the government side has repeatedly initiated a meaningful professional dialogue on the elements of the Liget project objected to by the municipality, but the capital has refrained from doing so. “Let’s say we were not surprised, as it is quite clear that the reason why the Capital is trying to prevent the implementation of the Liget project – that is, to prevent the reduction of green space – is to require minimal work to prove the city’s commitment to greenery. , a cheap political marketing product. ”

According to Baán, the new National Gallery will have to be procured later this year “so as not to further increase the financial burden of the forced postponement, as it is clear that any development hitherto suspended due to the political veto in the capital will cost much more than before. , we would have done as originally planned ”.

He believes it should be ranked among public investment because of the economic crisis, but “the parking brake should not be fully applied”. He said that the Hungarian Innovation House and the City Park Theater could take place within a few years, depending on the government’s decision.

Deputy Mayor Kiss Ambrus spoke on Thursday about leading the capital tiltif the government restarts the project.

–