Europe Needs Cooperation, Not Tariffs, with Africa and China
6 hours ago
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L-R: Péter Szijjártó and Ryad Mezzour (Moroccan Trade Minister)
“Brussels has made mistake after mistake in economic policy in recent years, causing the European Union to become increasingly isolated from the global economy at a time when it should be striving to forge the widest possible range of relationships”, said Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Monday in Budapest.
At a joint press conference with the Moroccan Trade Minister, Péter Szijjártó explained that the government is interested in the broadest possible economic relations between the European Union and North African countries. He called the serious blow to the European economy in recent years, and criticized the fact that, despite protests from several member states, the EU had imposed tariffs on Chinese car manufacturers and had then proved unable to quickly reduce the high tariffs imposed on the United States, thus creating a very difficult situation between the parties.
We consider it simply nonsensical that the European Commission has decided or is preparing to impose tariffs on several African countries, including Morocco,”
he said.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (right) and Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour (left) at a joint press conference following their meeting. Photo: MTI/Soós Lajos
Péter Szijjártó emphasized that Africa’s population will grow by almost one billion in the next five decades, so Europe should instead develop a comprehensive development strategy, because if sufficient job opportunities are not created locally, then “either the most serious humanitarian crisis of all time or the most serious migration crisis of all time will ensue.”
And we do not want either of those, so instead of imposing tariffs on African countries, we want to see a comprehensive, well-thought-out African development strategy from Brussels to prevent illegal migration,”
he said.
The minister emphasized that Morocco has been Hungary’s number one trading partner in Africa since last year, with bilateral trade increasing fivefold since 2010 to reach $400 million, and growth of more than 20 percent already recorded this year. He welcomed the increasingly close and fruitful cooperation in the fields of digitalization, defense, water management, and high-quality food industry. He also believed that this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and the 2030 World Cup offer significant business opportunities for Hungarian companies, and that the local government is open to this. Finally, he recalled that 165 Moroccan students study in Hungary on scholarships each year, and the huge oversubscription for the program demonstrates its popularity. He also stated that relations between the two countries are problem-free and based on mutual respect, and that accordingly, they do not interfere in each other’s internal affairs.
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