"The European Union cannot sit idly by and watch as Hungarian, and so European citizens are being poisoned, practically ruined, by large international multinational companies," Dobrev said on Facebook on Wednesday.

Reports have been published showing that the plant exposed employees to dangerous poisons, and some had to work in "simple medical masks" while handling cancerous substances or those that can put foetuses at risk, she said.

She insisted that the Fidesz government had known about the issues "but kept mum about it because they value profit, economic growth and money above all."

The plant received a 90 billion forint (EUR 238.5m) government grant, she added.

"I have turned to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, asking her to put pressure on Orban to get that money -- the money of the Hungarian people -- back from Samsung; I also asked her to launch a criminal procedure against Samsung," she said.

"The left-wing values people most. That is why we need a strong left wing in Parliament," she concluded.

Samsung: Hungary plant complies with all requirements

Samsung SDI's battery plant on the outskirts of Budapest complies with all environmental protection and workplace safety regulations, the company told MTI on Tuesday.

The operation of the plant is transparent, Samsung said.

Samsung dismissed media reports containing "false data and misleading information" and said it would weigh legal steps.

Samsung has always cooperated with authorities and maintains a close cooperation with local communities, the company said, adding that it would continue to strengthen its social role.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
 

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