BRUSSELS
Hungary will vote against the European Commission's proposal to impose new tariffs on ferro-alloy imports, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Friday.
"Brussels just cannot calm down. The EU Commission now wants to impose new tariffs again, this time on ferro-alloy imports. This will trigger another wave of price increases because these raw materials are used across many industrial sectors," Szijjarto wrote on the US social media platform X.
Ferro-alloys are essential in steelmaking and other strategic industrial production.
The minister said he held a phone call earlier in the day with Norway's Trade Minister Cecilie Myrseth and reiterated Hungary's rejection of the measure ahead of the vote.
"Tariffs and sanctions have already caused enormous damage to the European economy and we certainly do not need more of them," he said.
Szijjarto also directed criticism at the European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, saying they are "unfit for their job" and asserting that "it is time for a change in Brussels."
The European Commission’s proposal on ferro-alloy tariffs is expected to be discussed by member states later on Friday.