Opposition party turns to top court over battery plant regulations

“[Ruling party] Fidesz is intent on turning the country into a battery superpower,” the party’s co-leader, Rebeka Szabo, told a streamed press briefing on Friday. The plants use up water resources and electricity while harming environment with toxic substances, she said, adding that they “don’t comply with occupational health and safety regulations”.

Referring to the law on priority investments and a government decree published on Thursday, which provides exemptions in the case of zoning regulations, she said Parbeszed accused the government of easing regulations so Asian multinationals “don’t have to take the environment or workers’ rights into consideration”.