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Mayor László Papp was a guest on the TV2 programme “Mokka “on Monday morning. He spoke about the start of series production at the BMW factory in Debrecen this year, and was also asked about the demonstration against battery factories planned for the 1st of February.
László Papp highlighted that the automotive industry is extremely important for Hungary, and he believes that it is the right decision on the part of the government to also play a significant role in the production of batteries.
“Since BMW announced that it will produce purely electric cars in Debrecen, it is unthinkable without batteries. For this reason, battery production capacities are being built in our city, as in many other European countries, such as Poland and Germany. It was recently announced that CATL, which is also building a battery factory in Debrecen, is building a large-capacity battery factory in Zaragoza, Spain. These developments are taking place everywhere, and nowhere is the matter accompanied by such political hysteria as in Hungary,” he said.
The Mayor drew attention to the fact that Hungarian regulations have changed a lot in the past two years. An important role in this was played by the fact that both the Municipality of Debrecen and the government are paying special attention to the concerns related to this and the voices that accompany battery production in Hungary.
“Thanks to the government’s decision, the emissions limit that was most objected to by opponents of battery companies has been reduced to practically a tenth since October last year.
We have also made significant progress in water-saving, as a significant part of these plants will run on treated wastewater, so-called grey water. You can say that all the concerns that have been raised over the last two years have been addressed,” he said.
He added that the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office is acting with exemplary rigour and consistency in its licensing procedures. The same rules apply to German, Chinese and American companies and must be respected.
László Papp also spoke about the steps the city has taken to give the population guarantees about the factories that are moving in.
“As already mentioned, the rules must be respected by all. Secondly, on the basis of what was said at previous public hearings, the city government is setting up an Environmental Control System in cooperation with professors from the University of Debrecen. There will be monitoring stations at 16 points in and around the city. These will be used to continuously assess and monitor the five components of our environment: soil, water, air, noise and biodiversity. Any changes will be detected immediately and, if necessary, reported to the authorities,” he said.
The programme also talked about a demonstration being organised in Debrecen on 1 February by the Mothers for the Environment Association of Mikepércs (MIAKÖ) and one of the Tisza “Islands”in Debrecen against the expansion of the battery industry.
“Of course, everyone has the right to debate or support a cause, there is no problem with that. We must always be careful not to inflame tempers to the point where they lead to conflict.
Last week, kindergartens and schools in Debrecen were approached by e-mail to take part in the demonstrations, and even threatening statements were made in this connection, and I do not think that this is right. I am convinced that the people of Debrecen know and understand the processes, and just as in the past years they did not give in to hysteria after the announcement of the battery factories, I think that the people of Debrecen will not take a stand against the economic interests of the city, practically in the case of the demonstration on 1 February,” the Mayor said.
Afterwards, László Papp was also asked about the prefabricated housing programme launched in Debrecen in 2023. The Mayor said that Debrecen is the only city in Hungary that has revived the prefabricated housing programme.
“ Starting in 2023, we announce the relevant tender every year, which is largely related to the economic development and growth of the city. The city’s tax revenue has increased more than three and a half times compared to 2010, which allows us to launch such caring programmes. The condominium communities cannot solve the renovation of the aging panel buildings on their own, the city provides very significant support for this, we provide half a billion forints annually for this purpose, and this will be the case in 2025 as well,” he informed.
In parallel, the Főnix Housing Programme was launched, which is intended to help the housing of the people of Debrecen.
“Every city that can show significant economic development has serious housing challenges. Real estate prices are also high in Debrecen, and in order to address this, we are launching a housing programme that provides a two-thirds discount for the tenant. So, you only have to pay one-third of the market rent to be able to move into a new apartment of appropriate quality,” he said.
Mayor László Papp finally added that they would like to expand the housing stock related to the Főnix Housing Programme year after year.
Source and photo credit:dehir.hu
