The Hungarian government remains committed to revitalizing the countryside and retaining its population, as it considers rural areas the ‘backbone of the nation’, Agriculture Minister István Nagy stated on Saturday at the National Civil Guard Day in Abádszalók. During the event, the Ministry of Agriculture renewed its strategic partnership agreement with the National Civil Guard Association.
Nagy praised Hungary as one of the safest countries in the world, a status made possible in part by the everyday work of civil guards. ‘They are present even in the smallest villages and in the fields where farmers work, offering essential help wherever it’s needed,’ he said.
The minister emphasized the ministry’s focus on helping underdeveloped regions catch up, fighting youth unemployment, and improving infrastructure to preserve the competitiveness of local farms. The government’s agricultural policy is designed to support a historic transformation in rural Hungary, which is already attracting more people to countryside living.
The renewed partnership aims to deepen cooperation not only in agriculture and rural development but also in environmental protection, food chain supervision, forestry, land management, fisheries, and game management. A detailed action plan outlines specific responsibilities, including the protection of natural resources and wildlife, guarding protected areas, and supporting conservation efforts in national parks.
The agreement also calls on civil guards to assist in monitoring ragweed-infected areas, curbing illegal dog breeding, safeguarding farmland, and protecting public water areas and related assets.
Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Bence Rétvári called being a civil guard ‘a way of life’, and highlighted new government support: starting in the second half of 2025, civil guard vehicles will be exempt from company car taxes, and the organization will receive nearly 200 million forints more in funding than last year.
He credited the Civil Guard with helping police reduce crime by half and contributing to Hungary becoming one of Europe’s safest countries. Public security spending will increase by 372 billion forints in 2026.
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