Hungary simplifies entry conditions for Russians and Belarusians

Iryna Balachuk — Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 07:40

Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow in July. Stock photo: Orbán on Facebook

Hungary has simplified the conditions of entry for citizens of Russia and Belarus. After Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's visit to Moscow, Budapest included citizens of these countries in the programme of the so-called national card, which is issued for two years with the possibility of extension for those who want to work in Hungary.

Source: German media outlets RND and DW

Quote from RND: "For several days now, Russians have been able to enter the EU through Hungary without any security checks and move freely to other EU countries. This was made possible by the registration as guest workers in Hungary, which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán extended to people from Russia and Belarus in July. There is now great concern that Russian spies could also enter the EU or that the Kremlin could deliberately smuggle Russians into the EU to carry out terrorist attacks."

Details: RND called Hungary's actions provocations and emphasised that these actions caused discontent in the EU because they posed a security threat.

EU foreign policy expert Sergey Lagodinsky called Budapest's actions "the wrong approach": entry permits for Russians and Belarusians without security checks are being granted at a time when the Russian authorities are doing everything possible to weaken Europe through hybrid attacks.

Lagodinsky believes that "it would be wrong to stigmatise all Russian citizens as submarines of the regime", but added that Orbán is doing what he always does: "He undermines the European migration system and at the same time makes himself a servant of the Kremlin".

In the spring, the Hungarian government announced that it was expecting about 65,000 migrant workers. After three years, the workers can bring their families with them and apply for permanent residence.

Other EU countries, such as Finland, no longer allow Russians to enter the country. The government in Helsinki justifies this by saying that Russia is trying to destabilise the border and EU countries.

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