Péter Szijjártó, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with István Joó, President of the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), hosted Bence Pintér, the Mayor of Győr, and Roland Kósa, the Deputy Mayor, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The meeting addressed several outstanding issues from the previous administration, particularly concerning the planned 400-hectare industrial park.

Mayor Pintér indicated that the administration has made progress in upgrading the designation of the industrial park to a less restrictive classification (GIPE) from the more severe hazardous designation (GIPZ), fulfilling a campaign promise.

However, he highlighted ongoing challenges, notably concerning a 10 billion HUF state support package allocated in 2022 for land purchases, which is subject to repayment even if no infrastructure development progresses in the industrial park.

The repayment obligation continues to burden the city’s finances, as the previous administration left this issue unresolved.

Mayor Pintér asserted that the current local government would need to navigate these obligations without immediate budgetary relief, stating, "We must repay this support even if we do not develop the infrastructure on the 400-hectare site."

While the city's current budget forecasts show no funds for starting infrastructure projects this year or next, the development is crucial for attracting new investments, including a planned central kitchen by Eatrend, which is expected to utilize the land by 2024.

During the meeting, the Győr leaders proposed to Minister Szijjártó that the remaining state support funds be utilized to initiate infrastructure development, suggesting a relaxation of the restrictions tied to the earlier support.

The Minister reportedly found this proposal logical.

Additionally, discussions included the agricultural utilization of currently idle lands.

Previously, Mayor Pintér had raised concerns in an open letter to Minister Szijjártó regarding the potential negative impact of proposed US tariffs on the automotive industry in Europe, including Győr. In May, he met with Robert Palladino, the acting US ambassador, to discuss these tariffs and their implications, asking Palladino to communicate the adverse effects of any presidential decisions to Washington.

The issue of tariffs was also part of the discussions during the recent meeting at the Ministry, where Minister Szijjártó sought to reassure the mayor about the potential impacts of the American tariffs.

In a related development, Mayor Pintér publicly released a previously classified contract with Audi, revealing a discrepancy in the local business tax rate, which is set at 1.6 percent, not 2 percent as previously reported.