Ex-minister Szijjártó joins BYD, exposing EU ethics gap
Hungary's former trade minister Péter Szijjártó is taking an executive role at BYD, a move that exposes the lack of post-government employment rules in Europe as the EU struggles to regulate Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing on its soil.
Péter Szijjártó has resigned as a Hungarian MP to take an executive role at BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer. He described the position as an “extremely honourable offer from one of the defining companies of the global economy”. The move comes just months after he left government, where he spearheaded former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s push to attract Chinese investment.
Hungary has no mandatory cooling-off period, no disclosure requirements and no ethics body to scrutinise such appointments. A former minister can leave office on a Wednesday and walk the halls of a company they courted on the state's behalf by the evening. Across the EU, only seven member states impose restrictions on post-mandate activities for national lawmakers. Prime Minister Péter Magyar summed up the public backlash, stating that “the only difference from before is that, from now on, Péter Szijjártó will no longer be paid by the Hungarian people for the same ‘work,’ but by his actual employer.”
Szijjártó’s new employer is a central figure in Europe's trade disputes with Beijing. As minister, he helped lure BYD to build a massive plant in Szeged, aided by Hungarian and Chinese state subsidies. The European Commission is currently investigating that facility for potential illegal foreign state aid. BYD’s domestic expansion is a direct response to EU tariffs imposed in late 2023, which hit the automaker with a 17 percent duty on top of the standard 10 percent import tax.
Beyond trade policy, BYD's Hungarian operations are mired in controversy. Two workers have died at the Szeged construction site this year. Rights group China Labor Watch has alleged forced labour at the facility, including 14-hour shifts, seven-day weeks and wage withholding. The subcontractor involved was linked to conditions Brazilian authorities described as “analogous to slavery” at another BYD site in 2024. The company was also fined €28,700 for soil contamination, though the Commission maintains that investigating these issues is Budapest's responsibility.
Szijjártó's appointment highlights the friction between Budapest's economic alignment with Beijing and Brussels' efforts to protect its market. Chinese brands now account for over 15 percent of electric-vehicle sales in Europe, a surge the Commission warns puts 600,000 EU automotive jobs at “mortal danger”. This week, MEPs grilled commissioners over whether the new Hungarian government can be trusted with up to €16 billion in frozen EU funds. While Commissioner Michael McGrath noted a “clear change of direction in Hungary” on rule of law, Magyar has made clear that reviewing Chinese investments does not mean stopping them.
