Budapest has not responded in time to the concerns expressed by several European Union countries related to the potential security threats that would bring to the bloc Hungary’s decision to ease entry rules for nationals of Russia and Belarus.
The deadline for a response to the Commission expired on Monday, August 19, Schengen.News reports.
Earlier this month, the European Commission sent a letter to authorities in Hungary addressing questions to the latter regarding the decision to ease visa rules for Russians and Belarussians by including them in Hungary’s National Card.
The deadline for answering these questions was August 19. However, no response from authorities in Hungary has been officially given.
The issue is expected to be discussed during the upcoming EU foreign ministers’ meeting, which is set to be held on August 28.
Easing Entry Rules to Russians & Belarusians May Constitute a Serious Security Risk
The National Card of Hungary allows internationals to acquire residency in Hungary without being required to have special or high qualifications.
While the card at first permitted only nationals of Ukraine and Serbia to benefit from it, recently, it has included other countries as well, among them Russians and Belarussians.
The inclusion of these two countries in this card has sparked controversies among authorities in Europe.
Recently, eight Schengen countries expressed their concerns to the European Union regarding Hungary’s eased rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals.
The leaders of the Nordic and Baltic states told the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, that such a decision “may constitute a serious security risk.”
Hungary’s response, your analysis and the next steps are extremely important in ensuring our national security. In order to assess the security risk, we would be grateful for any additional information that the Commission would share after receiving the requested information from the Hungarian authorities.
Nordic and Baltic States’ letter addressed to the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.
The signatories of this letter were the Interior, Justice and Foreign Ministers of the following countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway and Sweden.
Hungary’s decision to facilitate entry rules for nationals of Russia and Belarus led a total of 67 members of the European Parliament to address a letter to the European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for tightened measures to be imposed against Hungary.
Besides, the Member of the Finnish Parliament and the leader of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, Tytti Tuppurainen, called for the exclusion of Hungary from the Schengen Zone.