Dear Mayor and General Assembly, The management of the Budapest Festival Orchestra has learned from the media that at its Wednesday session the Assembly is planning to decide about discontinuing any further financial support to the BFO. We are aware of the seriousness of the current financial crisis and appreciate the efforts taken to save BKV, the Municipal Transport Company, but we are, at the same time, convinced that the BFO must not be a victim of these steps. 1. The Budapest Festival Orchestra is arguably one of the best orchestras in the world, a pride of the country and of Budapest, a real hungaricum. This high standard is the result of decades of hard work but it can be ruined in just a few days. 2. The proposition to be discussed on Wednesday by the General Assemby is an ultimate threat to the orchestra. 3. The Budapest Festival Orchestra, which is an irreplaceable representative of Hungarian culture, Hungary and Budapest worldwide, was granted less subsidy last year too. 4. It is, moreover, a mistake that the proposal puts the  support of the BFO in the category of voluntary acts by the capital, not covered by commitments, as there exists between the Municipality and the Budapest Festival Orchestra a valid, legally binding public service contract signed for five years. Based on to the above mentioned facts we kindly ask you to delete the Budapest Festival Orhestra from Appendix No.4. of the draft resolution. The Management of the Budapest Festival Orchestra