Szijjártó Péter’s BYD role prompts aid to Szeged plant

Former foreign minister Szijjártó Péter resigned from the Hungarian parliament after being offered a global leadership position at Chinese electric‑vehicle maker BYD. Shortly after the appointment he phoned Szeged mayor Botka László, offering assistance from BYD’s international office for the city’s large‑scale plant. The Szeged facility is still under construction, with no battery or chemical production yet, and must comply with strict EU regulations that also apply to Hungarian law. In 2023 the city received a 300‑hectare New Industrial Park tax‑incentive from the state, not directly from BYD, to support the building phase. The investment is projected at about 1.6 trillion forints, promising several thousand jobs and significant annual tax revenue. Prime Minister Magyar Péter announced that the government will scrutinise all of Szijjártó’s past decisions, negotiations and state support linked to the BYD project for possible conflicts of interest.