MEPs Criticized Hungary Over Visa Regime for Russians and Belarusians

(Patria) - Members of the European Parliament criticized Hungary over its decision to facilitate the issuance of residence permits for citizens of Russia and Belarus, which they believe endangers EU security.

In July, Hungary expanded its "national card" immigration program to include Russians and Belarusians, among others, after previously including citizens of Serbia and Ukraine.

Holders of such a card are allowed to work in Hungary without a security check and can bring their families to the country.

At the beginning of August, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, sent a letter requesting an explanation from Budapest for this decision at a time when the EU is making it more difficult for Russian citizens to enter its territory.

The Swedish Commissioner was not satisfied with the response from the Hungarian authorities because it did not clarify two issues: why Budapest believes it was necessary at this geopolitical moment to introduce this system for citizens of two countries supporting aggression against Ukraine, and why they do not undergo stricter security checks than other citizens.

Johansson then sent a new letter to which she is still awaiting a response.

Hungary, the country currently presiding over the EU, was defended yesterday in Strasbourg by Justice Minister János Bóka, who stated in a brief address that it is the right of every country to issue residence permits to whomever it wishes and that Hungary conducts checks in accordance with Schengen rules.

Speaking on behalf of the European Commission (EC), Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that Russia poses a threat to the Union, and therefore, since the beginning of the 2022 invasion, the EU has been making it more difficult, not easier, for its citizens to enter Europe.

"Since the beginning of the war, the number of visas issued to Russians has fallen by 90 percent," Kyriakides said.

She emphasized that reports of Russian espionage and sabotage in member states are increasingly frequent, which justifies stricter visa application measures, but also raises the question of why Hungary decided to take a step in the opposite direction.

In the debate, MEPs condemned Hungary's decision, stating that it was an unclear and unsupportive decision that jeopardizes the area of free movement in Europe.

Some of them defended Hungary, emphasizing that it is its sovereign right.

András László, a member of Fidesz, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, defended his country with statistics showing that EU countries issued as many as 150,000 Schengen visas to Russian citizens after the invasion, while Hungary issued a total of ten in July and August.

Croatian MEP Davor Ivo Stier told Hina that it is very important for Hungary, like other Schengen member states, to agree on their positions with other member states before taking such steps, as they can truly undermine the coherence of European policy towards Russia and Belarus.

"Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have seen such moves when it comes to Orbán; he also uses it for domestic consumption, but by doing so, he weakens the EU's position, and indirectly, Hungary's own position," Stier said.

Social Democrat MEP Tonino Picula believes this is another provocation by Viktor Orbán's regime, who is using his six-month presidency to send a whole series of political messages to Brussels and articulate non-European policies within the EU itself.

Picula is inclined to the idea that other member states should react to Budapest's decision by suspending the Schengen system at the border with Hungary.