Hungary on Monday criticised the Austrian government over its lobbying for OMV's hostile approach to oil and gas company MOL.
"In this situation, the Austrian economy minister thinks it is his job to apply all the tricks of politics. That's why he is lobbying in Budapest, Vienna and Brussels for the hostile takeover attempt of OMV and against MOL," Economy Minister Janos Koka said in a statement.
Austrian Economy Minister Martin Bartenstein said at the weekend that Hungary should buy a blocking state in MOL, which was privatised after communism ended.
"That way the Hungarian government could ensure politically that OMV was not taking over MOL, but rather that this was a deal between equals," Bartenstein told the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper.
OMV last week said it would be willing to pay 32,000 forints ($181) a share for MOL if the Hungarian company dismantled its anti-takeover defences.
The Hungarian company faced calls at the weekend from some funds to unwind the 40 percent stake it and its allies have built and to end a cap on voting rights so that investors could consider the bid which values MOL at around $20 billion.
Hungary's parliament is scheduled on Monday to debate amendments to legislation to protect what it says are strategic industries.
OMV is 31.5 percent held by the Austrian government and 17.6 percent is held by an Abu Dhabi state investment fund.
MOL stock was up 1.2 percent by 1040 GMT at 28,845 forints, compared with a 0.2 percent rise in the wider Budapest Stock Exchange Index.
(Reuters)