State subsidies for civil orgs to total HUF 9.2 bn in 2021

Central subsidies for civil organisations will increase from 7.7 billion forints in 2020 to 9.2 billion forints (EUR 27.2m) next year, a deputy state secretary of the Prime Minister's Office told a press conference on Friday. Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky spoke before a prayer breakfast organised by pro-government organisation COF and associated COKA foundation, saying that civil groups in towns with fewer than 5,000 residents would benefit from a further 5 billion forints. According to the official, Hungary's 61,000 civil groups benefitted from a total 370 billion forints last year, including central, municipal and EU subsidies, as well as private donations. Szalay-Bobrovniczky added that the PM's Office could decide on 15 percent of the central subsidies, and those decisions reflect "the government's priorities of protecting Christian culture and the family".