According to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister said that one of the most significant investments in the history of Hungary, the Paks expansion, cannot be successful without French cooperation, as the I&C system, which is the „soul” of the power plant, is being manufactured by a French-German consortium, MTI Hungarian News Agency reported.

„At least it should manufacture and deliver it” – he emphasized, underlining that the German government has still not approved Siemens Energy's participation.

„This is an absolutely unfair behaviour on the German government’s part, because the issue of energy supply is a national competence, and security of energy supply is a matter of sovereignty” – he said.

„In order to have a Western European I&C system in the Paks NPP, we will further expand the Hungarian-French nuclear cooperation and further increase the role of Framatome in the Paks investments” – he said.

Péter Szijjártó also pointed out that the war in Ukraine and the measures imposed in response to it have led to a global energy crisis, while the effects of climate change are increasing pressure on the world.

„In the future, two things will have to be resolved in the field of energy supply. To have a secure, cheap, predictable energy supply in the long term, and to do it in a way that environmental concerns are taken into account” – he said.
„It is absolutely clear that nuclear energy can meet these two objectives” – he said.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister underlined that Hungary is an important leader in the field of nuclear energy in Europe and is a member of the nuclear coalition, which is led by France, which pursues a „rational energy policy”.

„An important cooperation in the field of nuclear energy has been established between France and Hungary, which now has practical consequences and ramifications” – he said.