BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top migration official expressed concern Wednesday about a Hungarian work visa program open to citizens of Russia and Belarus, as sabotage attacks and allegations of espionage spark unrest across Europe.
Hungary expanded its National Card program to citizens of Russia and Belarus when it took over the EU’s rotating presidency in July. It came as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a trip criticized by his EU counterparts.
The card also offers easier access to the EU’s ID-check-free zone for work purposes for citizens of Bosnia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. All six countries are candidates to join the EU. Russia and Belarus are not.
“It is a bit strange to welcome specifically citizens from Russia and Belarus in a situation where we know that these countries are hostile to the European Union,” European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told EU lawmakers.
The Hungarian prime minister, seen as the one with the warmest relations with Putin among EU leaders, has consistently blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to help Kiev and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine.
Belarus is Russia’s main ally and serves as a base for Russian troops.
Johansson listed a series of incidents since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including sabotage or hacking attacks in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. She also noted possible threats to military bases in Germany.
“This is a time for more vigilance, not less. This is not a time to be soft on security,” she said, adding that safe travel within the passport-free zone that links 29 countries, most of them EU, could be undermined. “We need to keep each other safe.”
Early last month, Johansson sent a letter to Hungary seeking clarification about the National Card, specifically whether the program imposes stricter security checks on Russian and Belarusian citizens. She received a response two weeks ago, but wanted to know more on Tuesday.
Johansson asked: “Why does the Hungarian government consider such a plan necessary or appropriate in the current political situation? The expected national economic gain seems limited (and) disproportionate to the potential impact on security.”
At a press conference in Brussels, Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka played down the commission’s concerns, saying seven countries, including Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain, had increased the number of visas issued to Russians.
“In the past two months, 10 permits were issued to Russian citizens and four permits were issued to Belarusian citizens. This is not an upward trend and these numbers are statistically irrelevant,” Boka told reporters. Johansson said the number of visas issued to Russians has fallen by almost 90%.
Boka insisted that there is “no legal or security problem for Hungary when it comes to the national card.” Hungarian officials complained that he was not invited to the European Parliament to answer Johansson’s questions in person.
The parliament’s press service reported that Hungary had not expressed a wish to attend.
