Paks nuclear deal

In its latest cautiously critical editorial, the formerly staunchly pro-government daily suggests the need for more transparency over the Russian-Hungarian deal on the enlargement of the Paks nuclear power station.

On Tuesday, Parliament passed a law to classify a series of contracts related to the expansion of the Paks nuclear deal for 30 years (see BudaPost through January 16, 2014).  The government argues that the need for the classification of contracts containing technical details of the construction is dictated by security concerns.

It is evident that sensitive details of the nuclear plant construction should be classified, Csaba Erdősi writes in Magyar Nemzet. Erdősi believes that Hungary needs the new plant which will produce cheap electric power. He calls, however, for more transparency in the project. If more access to contracts and impact studies that contain no sensitive data were to be granted, Hungarians would probably be more supportive of the project and fears over corruption could also be dismissed, Erdősi writes.

Tags: energy, Paks, transparency