Hungarian FM Szijjártó: Brussels’ mistakes led to tariffs situation

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said the European Commission’s mistakes in recent weeks had contributed to the difficult tariffs situation speaking on a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday.

Szijjártó judges Brussels

Szijjártó told the forum that the EC’s executive was “simply not able to lead” in difficult times.

He said Hungary had urged the EC to start negotiations with the United States after President Donald Trump announced a patriotic economic strategy, including tariffs, following his election win, and had proposed the European Union cut its tariff on American-made vehicles from 10pc to 2.5pc, level with the US tariff on ones made in Europe. He added that a big obstacle was presented by the competition among European leaders over “who can say more nasty things about President Trump to satisfy the liberal media”.

After the announcement of the US tariff increases, Szijjártó said the Hungarian government had warned the EC not to take countermeasures that could lead to an escalation, but Brussels decided on retaliatory tariffs that were supported by all member states but Hungary. He added that when President Trump announced a 90-day suspension of the tariff increases for trading partners that had not taken countermeasures, the EC had proposed rolling back the step.

Szijjártó said Hungary’s government had been “Trump before Trump”, adopting a patriotic and sovereignist political and economic strategy for 15 years, and welcomed Trump’s opposition to “woke ideology” and “the global dictatorship of the international liberal mainstream”. He added that the world had become a safer place since Trump took office, simply because of the re-establishment of direct communication between the US and Russia.

Read also:

• US tariff measures on Europe: Trump dashes Hungary’s hopes for a special deal
• PM Orbán: tariff war will soon become a “tariff peace” benefiting Hungary