Budapest has not eased the entry process for Russian and Belarusian nationals, Peter Szijjarto insists
A number of fellow EU member states are spreading falsehoods about Hungary allegedly easing visa guidelines for Russian and Belarusian residents, Overseas Minister Peter Szijjarto has mentioned.
In July, Hungary considerably expanded its Nationwide Card immigration program, which permits its holders to work within the nation with none particular safety clearance. Below the up to date guidelines, the cardboard, which is legitimate for 2 years and might be prolonged for one more three, paving the way in which for everlasting residency, covers eight international locations, together with Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
The event sparked vital concern among the many EU officers and lawmakers. In August, Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for residence affairs, who used to carry a ministerial put up within the Swedish authorities, admonished Budapest for together with Russia in this system, calling the nation “a safety menace.”
“Giving potential Russian spies and saboteurs straightforward EU entry would undermine the safety of us all,” she mentioned, warning that the EU “will act” if Hungary’s easy-access scheme is deemed a danger. These issues have been additionally echoed Latvian Overseas Minister Baiba Braze, who recalled that “there was by no means a Schengen free for Russian diplomats with hostile intentions.”
Talking at a press convention in Bucharest on Tuesday, Szijjarto dismissed issues concerning the Nationwide Card program. “There was a faux information marketing campaign carried out in opposition to Hungary… by the Baltic and Nordic international locations. They’re mendacity,” he charged, stressing that Budapest “has completely not eased any type of process” permitting non-EU residents to enter Hungary.
Following the growth to the cardboard program, 67 members of the EU Parliament despatched a letter to the European Fee insisting that “if the Hungarian authorities refuses to alter its coverage, the [EU] ought to query Hungarian presence within the Schengen space.”
Sandor Pinter, Hungary’s minister of the inside, has mentioned that “the Nationwide Card can be issued in accordance with the related EU framework and with due consideration of the potential safety dangers concerned.”
After the beginning of the Ukraine battle, the EU considerably made it rather more tough for Russian nationals to enter the bloc. In September 2022, it suspended a visa facilitation settlement with Moscow, making the appliance course of costlier, lengthier and topic to elevated scrutiny. The EU has additionally imposed a blanket flight ban on Russian planes in its air house.
Budapest and the EU have lengthy been at odds over their strategy to Russia amid the Ukraine battle. Whereas most EU members have pushed for sending arms to Kiev and exerting financial and diplomatic strain on Moscow, Hungary – which is closely depending on Russian power – has opposed this coverage. Particularly, Budapest has described sanctions in opposition to Russia as self-defeating, arguing that arms deliveries will solely result in additional escalation.
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