Dialogue: Hungary should not be an eco-colony!
It is thanks to the factories of Far Eastern companies operating in Hungary that Hungary has become a major power in the production of electric cars and related batteries – this is what Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó wrote on Facebook in connection with his trip to South Korea.
“Samsung SDI and SK Innovation not only created a genre, but a complete industry in Hungary. They were the swallows of electric battery production in our country, and today this industry is the backbone of the Hungarian economy,” writes Szijjártó.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs reminds us that these are the 5th and 6th largest electric battery manufacturing companies in the world, which operate or have large factories built in Gödö, Komárom and Iváncsa, together employing 6,500 people.
“Samsung S’s factory in Göd is constantly expanding, while SK Innovation’s plant in Iváncsi is the second largest investment in the Hungarian economy and will be more than twice the size of the company’s two factories in Komárom combined. These two companies have played a major role in recent years in our country has a chance to fight for the title of world champion of the electric car industry. The Hungarian factories of the two companies catapulted Hungary to the 3rd place in the world ranking of electric battery production,” writes the minister.
Rebeka Szabó, co-president of Párbeszéd and member of parliament, describes the post as triumphant and Szijjártó as “the minister with the biggest carbon footprint on the planet”. The opposition politician believes that, even in the short term, the fact that Hungary is considered a leading battery-producing country in Europe has more harm than good.
“One of the typically owned factories in the Asian part is in a fight with the host settlements, their hosting, and the trade unions, because – with the knowledge and consent of the Orbán government – they refuse to comply with Hungarian environmental protection and labor law regulations. Of course, this is no accident: they come to us precisely because the government gave them an exemption in advance: they know what can pollute the soil, water, and air, they can exceed the noise limit, they can expand to the fences of the first residential buildings, they don’t have to worry about anything. They are also aware that low wages, unpaid overtime, and the mass employment of foreign guest workers will not be a problem,” says Rebeka Szabó.
China and Vietnam had such an industrial policy in the 90s, and Fidesz did not yet recognize that it does not serve national interests, argues the co-chairman of Párbeszéd. According to Szabó, it is not only the endangerment of the environment and the suppression of labor rights that cause problems, but also the fact that the government puts everything on one sheet, a single sector, and thus leaves the country’s economy vulnerable.
“What if in driving, as for example the president of Toyota confirmed recently, the electric effect will not be the winner in the long run? Or if the current battery technology does not become dominant? Or will an economic crisis come, which will bring about the permanent downsizing of the car industry and battery manufacturers? And anyway, why are we bringing the biggest polluter of the entire electric car industry, but the sector that produces the least added value, here? Why not research and development? The research does not pollute the environment, and 70 percent of the added value is included, with 20 percent of battery production – surely we need to produce batteries, with a school system only suitable for mass production of apprentices, a reduced green authority, and the right to strike?” asks Szabó. According to him, the eco-colonization of Hungary is taking place, and Párbeszéd will take action against this.