OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 118, 18 JUNE 1996

HUNGARY'S COALITION PARTIES STILL AT ODDS OVER CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
BILL. Hungary's Socialist Party and Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ)
are still divided over the crucial conflict of interests bill, Hungarian
media reported on 18 June. Voting was scheduled for April but has been
delayed until after the summer recess. Last week, the SZDSZ submitted
its own version of the bill. The coalition parties disagree over to whom
the law should apply and when it should take effect. The SZDSZ wants the
law to apply retroactively to deputies who have held office since 1994,
while the Socialists want the law to go into effect after the 1998
elections. Prime Minister Gyula Horn recently said that the conflict of
interest law "can wait." -- Zsofia Szilagyi

HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT SUBMITS BILL TO CURB ILLEGAL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.
The government on 17 June submitted a bill to the parliament that aims
to curb black-market activities by stepping up measures against illegal
employment and earnings, Napi Gazdasag reported. The bill provides for
control officers to conduct spot checks at all businesses in Hungary.
The officers would be allowed to enter workplaces and examine all
documents. However, they would be obliged to respect business secrecy
legislation. Authorities would be able to initiate proceedings against
both employers and employees for petty offenses or impose fines ranging
from 50,000 forints to 1 million forints ($330-$6660) for first-time
offenders and up to 3 million forints for further violations within
three years. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON HUNGARIAN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS.
Gheorghe Tinca, in an interview with the Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet,
said the celebrations marking the 1100th anniversary of the Magyar
Conquest are "full of manifestations insulting for Romanians." He
conceded that the present Hungarian government cannot be blamed for
that. But in an allusion to Jozsef Antall's cabinet, he noted that
"nobody can guarantee that another government of historians will not
take power in Budapest again." Tinca also said his country neither can
nor wants to prevent Hungary from joining NATO before Romania. However,
he reiterated that such a development could have a negative impact on
bilateral relations and stability in the region. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave