Gov't Plan For Budapest To Become 'Dump Site' For Chinese Hazardous Chemicals Opposed by Mayor
- 28 Jun 2023 10:26 AM
- Hungary Matters
Budapest should not become a “dump site” for Chinese hazardous chemicals, Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor said.
Addressing a news conference, Karácsony said the city council had learned from press reports earlier in the day that “the Hungarian government and its Chinese partners want to bring the most important base of dangerous chemical substances needed for European battery production to Budapest”.
He said they wanted to supply “the Chinese battery plants across Hungary and Europe with hazardous materials that could pose a very serious risk to local residents in the event of a disaster”.
“This is directly at odds with the plans we want to implement in Budapest and … with what Budapest residents and those in the Soroksár district want,” the mayor said.
He said the government had not informed the city council of the matter in any way, adding that information indicating that the government wanted to “close this deal in September” was well-founded.
Karácsony said that as mayor he had to do everything in his power to “make sure this plan isn’t carried out”. He said he intended for the matter to be put on the agenda of Wednesday’s city assembly meeting.
The mayor said the government was eyeing an undeveloped area in the 23rd southern Budapest district of Soroksár for the project.
Related links
Will Hungary Become China's 'Battery Colony'?
Building Battery Plants Would Require Residents' Approval, Says Budapest Assembly
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