• Laszlo Papp [the mayor if the Hungarian cirty if Debrecen] has publicly called for Chinese battery-parts manufacturer Semcorp to exit after pollution incident after tests revealed contamination 13,000 times above limit
• The $210 million plant was closed last month because of elevated metal levels detected in local water sources.
• The government led by recently appointed Prime Minister Peter Magyar has promised to shift away from reliance on foreign assembly operations and has accused the previous administration of ignoring environmental infractions at foreign investments.

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Papp wrote on social media: “The local authority and all its subsidiaries will refuse any cooperation with Semcorp in the future,” calling the company “irresponsible.”

Semcorp did not respond when contacted via email for comment. The administration of recently elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar has promised to shift Hungary’s economic strategy away from relying on foreign assembly operations, and accused Orban’s former officials of ignoring environmental breaches while assisting projects with preferential treatment and state funds.

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The Fidesz party of Orban, which includes Mayor Papp among its members, has rejected these claims. Accusations of environmental misconduct at multiple major foreign projects played a key role in Magyar’s electoral win. All the factories involved have maintained that they comply with environmental regulations.

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To provide additional context, Debrecen has long been a focal point of Hungary’s battery industry ambitions. The Semcorp facility, built to manufacture battery components, represented one of the largest single foreign investments in the region. Its sudden closure not only idles hundreds of local workers but also raises doubts about the viability of future projects that were planned under the previous administration’s aggressive recruitment of Asian manufacturers.

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