IT Minister: BMW Works Councils Back Debrecen Plant

  • 19 Oct 2018 8:46 AM
  • Hungary Matters
IT Minister: BMW Works Councils Back Debrecen Plant
BMW works councils fully back building the German company’s new plant in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, László Palkovics, the innovation and technology minister, said after addressing an international meeting of BMW’s works councils.

Hungary is now a top global investment site thanks to its political and economic stability, Palkovics told Hungarian public media. Hungarians and Germans share a similar work ethic as well as comparable education and taxation systems, he added.

Commenting on a recent European Union pact to curb the carbon dioxide emissions of new cars by 35% by 2030, Palkovics said this was a good reason why cooperation to implement new technologies was so important.

Accordingly, Hungary is building a new test track for self-driving cars in Zalaegerszeg, in western Hungary, and an agreement signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Chancellor Angela Merkel will “raise cooperation in innovation and technology to a new level.” BMW announced late in July its plan to build a new plant in Debrecen with capacity to turn out 150,000 conventional and electric vehicles a year and employing more than 1,000 people when production starts.

Earlier in October, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced at the signing ceremony that the government had decided to create a new transport node on the M35 motorway close to the site of the future BMW plant by expanding the access road and constructing a container terminal with an electrified rail link, as well as creating a new telecommunications and gas network.

Before signing the grant agreement with a representative of the German company, he said the government’s 12.3 billion forint (EUR 38.5m) support for BMW’s investment would reap many times that amount in dividends for Hungary.


MTI Photo: Czeglédi Zsolt

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BMW To Build Factory & Start Production Around 2023 In Debrecen

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