Sebastian Burduja, former Romanian Minister of Energy, who currently works as an advisor to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, has once again stirred up anti-Hungarian sentiment in the case of the Hungarian acquisition of the Napolact milk processing plant, Kronika.ro has reported. He emphasized on his social media page that the acquisition by the Hungarian company Bonafarm is “not only a business issue, but also affects the security of Romanians.”
According to the former minister, Bonafarm’s owner, Sándor Csányi, is a close associate of PM Viktor Orbán and represents “strategic interests” linked to the Hungarian state, which he claims could endanger Romania’s national interests and run counter to EU principles. Sebastian Burduja believes that the transaction cannot be viewed as a purely business decision, but must be analyzed as an extension of the Hungarian state’s political and economic influence.
Sebastian Burduja. Photo: Facebook/ Sebastian Burduja
The former minister previously prevented the Hungarian company MVM from acquiring E.On’s Romanian interests, and is now using similar “national security” arguments in the Napolact case.
He requested an expert report and the opinion of the Romanian intelligence services on the matter, indicating that the Hungarian company “has suspicious international connections” and claiming that its owner has promoted the idea of ‘Greater Hungary’ at various events.
Bonafarm, however, would like to proceed with the acquisition, and the Hungarian state-owned MVM Group has confirmed that its strategic goal is to successfully complete the transaction. Napolact currently has two factories near Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) and Târgu-Mureș (Marosvásárhely), with around 400 employees, and the Dutch FrieslandCampina group is planning to sell it.
Fact
Sebastian Burduja did not provide details on what would constitute a “suspicious international connection” strong enough to disqualify Sándor Csányi from the acquisition. As for the reference to “Greater Hungary,” it denotes the historical territory of the former Hungarian Kingdom, a concept which is typically seen as a threat only by extremist circles in neighboring countries. Sebastian Burduja’s statements are further evidence that anti-Hungarian investment rhetoric continues to thrive in Romania and is being used as a political tool in economic matters, especially in relation to the acquisition of Hungarian-owned companies.
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Via Kronika; Featured photo: Facebook/ Mihai Tirnoveanu
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