The foreign minister has revealed that during a meeting of EU foreign affairs and trade ministers, discussions focused on the protection efforts against the coronavirus epidemic.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the ministers discussed “Europe’s vulnerability during the pandemic”, when equipment had to be procured “almost exclusively” from external sources.
Minister Szijjártó called on the EU to create capacity to produce masks, ventilators and protective clothing to reduce its dependence on others during a second wave of COVID-19, or another pandemic.
The minister also said Hungary promoted speeding up the talks between Europe and its partners on free trade agreements. Hungarian companies are competitive on international markets and “the freer the international trade, the better it is for Hungarian companies,” he said.
A call center set up for advice on the coronavirus can be reached on +36-80-277-455 and +36-80-277-456 or by email koronavirus@bm.gov.hu