Minister of Agriculture István Nagy reported the grant amount for hungarikums was increased from HUF 230 million to HUF 980 million, thanks to increased funding of HUF 750 million. This amount was distributed to various entities, while another HUF 50 million was allocated to individual grants. Thanks to the additional resources, 360 of the 425 applications received were formally approved and received support, including from non-governmental organizations, local governments, public cultural institutions, ecclesiastical legal entities, and foreign organizations. The minister stressed that Hungaricums are national values, providing an ideological and moral background that connects Hungarians wherever they are in the world.
“They establish a national self-consciousness, a tradition-respecting and tradition-loving existence, and they contribute to our historical memory,” he said. There are now 75 hungarikums registered, plus 175 “outstanding national values” and more than 10,000 “national values.” Nagy noted that nearly HUF 1.8 billion was allocated for the collection, research, promotion and preservation of hungarikums between July 2013 and December 2019, and the need for support keeps growing every year due to the greater and greater number of applicants. The government will incorporate additional resources into the central budget in the coming years as well to fund events, publications and marketing activities that strengthen national identity and cohesion. This will also help domestic tourism and tourist attractions, thereby helping to restart and develop the economy, the minister said.
Source: kormany.hu, hungarianinsider.com
Phot: Csaba Pelsőczy
