A group of 67 members of the European Parliament wrote a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, questioning Hungary’s continued membership in the Schengen area, following Budapest’s decision to ease visa requirements for Russians and Belarusians.
The letter initiated by the Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius and the Czech MEP Danuše Nerudová gathered the signatures of a total of 67 MEPs.
“Prime Minister Orbán is clearly increasingly testing the EU’s patience. This month, the Hungarian government extended its ‘national card’ immigration program, allowing ‘guest workers’ from Belarus and Russia to enter their territory. The holder of such a card is allowed to work in Hungary without security checks and can to bring his family to the country,” the letter said.
The MEPs called Orban’s decision “irresponsible” and a significant security threat to all EU members and their citizens.
“These ‘workers’ with Hungarian visas will be able to move freely throughout the Schengen area. Without proper authorization, there is a risk that these non-European citizens could strengthen the Russian spy network within the EU. It is our duty, as European institutions, to protect European citizens from these threats, and not to completely open the borders to countries that consider us their enemies,” the letter reads.
It further states that if the Hungarian government refuses to change its policy, the Commission and all EU representatives should question Hungary’s presence in the Schengen area by introducing new measures to protect European citizens, including new controls at Hungarian borders if necessary.
They also added that “other Schengen states have the right to refuse to recognize visas issued by Hungary to Russian and Belarusian citizens, with appropriate consequences.”
“The safety of our citizens must be the first concern of all European institutions, and we count on the full engagement of the Commission in this matter,” the MEPs concluded.
On August 1, the EU asked Hungary to respond to concerns that Budapest’s decision to ease visa requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens increases the risk of espionage in the bloc.
The largest group in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party, previously complained that loosening the regulations could create “serious loopholes for espionage activities”.
Lithuania appealed to the European Commission regarding Hungary’s decision to ease entry restrictions for Russian and Belarusian citizens, Klix.ba writes.
