Overview
- Péter Szijjártó resigned his parliamentary seat on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, and said he will serve as BYD’s executive responsible for external relations and the development of new business lines.
- Prime Minister Péter Magyar publicly accused Szijjártó of representing foreign interests and of lobbying for large Hungarian subsidies for BYD before taking the job.
- BYD told Hungary’s state news agency MTI that Szijjártó’s role is a global position outside the company’s Hungarian management structure.
- The Szeged plant that Szijjártó helped secure has faced safety and environmental scrutiny, including worker deaths, allegations of excessive shifts for subcontracted migrant labour and claims about moved soil, and BYD has pushed full vehicle assembly back to the fourth quarter of 2026.
- Hungary provided substantial support for BYD under the previous government—reported at roughly $450 million—and the Szeged site is central to BYD’s plan to avoid EU import duties on Chinese EVs, a fact that heightens regulatory and geopolitical stakes for the company and for Brussels.