The authorities of Hungary did not provide explanations to the EU leadership regarding the decision to simplify the visa regime for citizens of Russia and Belarus.
Points of attention
- Hungary's decision to issue visas to Russians and Belarusians without providing explanations to the EU has raised concerns in the European Union.
- The relaxation of the visa regime by Hungary for citizens of Russia and Belarus may have security implications for the EU, leading to demands for clarifications from Hungarian authorities.
- The EU's Internal Affairs Commissioner expressed concerns about the risk of espionage due to the simplified visa regime, urging Hungary to respond to inquiries by a specified deadline.
- Viktor Orban's decree to extend the visa program to include citizens of Russia and Belarus with 'national cards' for work has further fueled the controversy and prompted the EU to take action if necessary.
- The issue highlights the need for balanced immigration policies that consider security implications and the integrity of the EU's internal border control, emphasizing the importance of transparency and cooperation among member states.
Hungary refuses to provide the EU with an explanation regarding the issuance of visas to Russians and Belarusians
According to the newspaper's journalists, at the beginning of August, Internal Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson sent a letter to her Hungarian colleague Sándor Pinter with a request to provide an explanation regarding changes to the country's immigration rules and simplification of the visa regime for citizens from Russia and Belarus.
Such schemes must be carefully balanced so as not to put at risk the integrity of our common area without internal border control and to properly take into account the potential security implications, Johansson said.
Johansson asked Budapest to respond to the application with questions "no later than August 19".
However, as a representative of the European Commission told Euractiv, as of Monday afternoon, the answer had not yet been received.
What is known about the EU's reaction to Hungary's decision to issue visas to Russians and Belarusians
The European Union began to publicly demand explanations from Hungary regarding its decision to ease the visa regime for citizens of Russia and Belarus.
Official Brussels has also warned that it is going to act if it detects specific threats to the bloc.
Ilva Johansson is convinced that easing the visa regime for citizens of Russia and Belarus increases the risk of espionage in the bloc.
That is why she decided to send a letter to the team of Hungarian leader Viktor Oran asking them to answer a number of questions by August 19.
Moreover, a few weeks ago, Viktor Orban signed a decree on the extension of the accelerated visa issuance program to eight countries, including Russia and Belarus.
What is important to understand is that the immigration program allows citizens of these countries to apply for so-called "national cards" in order to be able to work in Hungary.
Previously, such cards were available only to citizens of Ukraine and Serbia.
