A recent decision by Hungary to make it easier for Russian and Belarusian nationals to enter that country is triggering criticism within the EU, with the leader of the biggest political bloc warning it could open the doors to spies.
In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s party (EPP), said the Hungarian move raised “serious national security concerns.”
The "questionable" new rules "create grave loopholes for espionage activities...potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision, posing a serious risk to national security," Weber said in his letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Financial Times.
Earlier this month, Hungary published details of a new fast-track visa system for citizens of eight countries -- including Russia and Belarus -- to enter Hungary without security checks or other restrictions. Budapest has said many would be employed in the building of a nuclear power plant that is contracted to Russia’s Rosatom.
Russian citizens do not face a ban on entering the EU and the border control-free Schengen zone, which also includes non-EU members Norway and Switzerland, if they possess a valid visa and have no ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But Western sanctions in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine include a ban on Russian-owned airlines operating in EU airspace, making it more difficult for Russian nationals to travel to the bloc. At the same time, rules on issuing working permits are a matter for each EU member state.
In his letter, Weber called for EU leaders “to adopt the most stringent measures to immediately protect the integrity of the Schengen area, limit the security risk that has already arisen, and prevent member states from taking similar initiatives in the future.”
Orban, long criticized for his friendly ties with Putin, faced a fresh backlash earlier this month after traveling to Moscow to meet with the Russian leader after a stop in Kyiv. Holding the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, Orban cast the visit as a peace mission, but EU leaders made clear he did not represent them on his travels.
Many countries have since refused to send their ministers to meetings held in Hungary, prompting them to be rescheduled in Brussels.
Rasa Jukneviciene, a member of the European Parliament and a former Lithuanian defense minister, was critical of Orban's actions in an interview with Current Time.
“A lot of people are taken aback [by Hungary’s decision], although we shouldn’t be because Hungary and Orban’s actions have been destroying the EU from inside," she said. "But our patience will run out sooner or later."
Though many hope that Hungary’s government will change through a democratic process, "until then no one wants to expel the entire Hungarian nation out of the EU," she said.
Throughout Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, Orban has broken with other EU leaders by refusing to provide Kyiv with weapons to defend against Russian forces and has routinely delayed, watered down, or blocked efforts to send financial aid to Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow.
The EU’s longest-serving leader, Orban has become an icon to some conservative populists for his firm opposition to immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. He has also cracked down on the press and judiciary in Hungary and been accused by the EU of violating rule-of-law and democracy standards.