Page 11 - bne_newspaper_May_04_2018

Central Europe
May 4, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 11
Few surprises among Orban's picks for new cabinet
bne IntelliNews
Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced his new cabinet on April 27. While on the whole there were few surprises, and most senior ministers retained their posts, Orban said he is scrapping the development ministry amid a shift in focus to the high tech sector.
The tasks previously carried out by the development ministry, created in 2010, will
be delegated to a new ministry focusing on innovation and technology and another led by Hungary’s only female minister, who will be in charge of the management of national assets.
During Orban's first term the development ministry oversaw energy policy and state-
owned companies, R&D issues, transport and infrastructure development. Between 2010 and 2014 it was headed by ministers close to Lajos Simicska, the former Fidesz cashier and a college friend of Orban, but after Orban broke ties with Simicska in 2015 he shook up the ministry with new personnel and it gradually lost its importance, with many of its tasks delegated to the Prime Minister's Office.
Laszlo Palkovics will rise to ministerial rank, heading the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, after serving as state secretary for education at the human resources ministry. This clearly signals the government's intentions to focus more on high-tech and innovation to put Hungary on a higher growth path as the country is facing slower growth by all forecasts due to the possible cuts in EU transfers after 2021.
PM Viktor Orban (centre) and Deputy-PM Zsolt Semjen (left) at Fidesz election victory celebration.
Former monetary council member Andrea Bartfai-Mager will be appointed minister without portfolio for the management of national assets, becoming the only woman at ministerial level
in the fourth Orban cabinet. She has been government commissioner for postal affairs and national financial services since 2016.
Continuity in key positions
No change is expected in economic policy, meanwhile, as Orban has voted confidence in Mihaly Varga, who is apparently lobbying for the creation of a separate finance ministry.
Also retaining their posts are other key ministers such as Peter Szijjarto at the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Minister of Justice Laszlo Trocsanyi. Minister of the Interior Sandor Pinter begins his third straight term in the job, while another stalwart team member, the Christian Democrat (KDNP) leader Zsolt Semjen, is set to remain as deputy prime minister.
Orban has also let the minister without portfolio for the Paks nuclear power plant expansion stay in his post.
Orban loses chief of staff Lazar
One of the key changes will be Prime Minister's Office leader Janos Lazar leaving government office to return to local politics. Lazar's departure is a clear loss to Orban, as his chief of staff has been known for his diligence and hard-work. He was a loyal but sometimes critical figure in the Fidesz government, the only minister in the