On Thursday, 22 August, the European Commission indicated that it had received Budapest’s response to the questions raised by the new Hungarian national card, which notably makes it easier for Russian and Belarusian workers to obtain visas (see EUROPE 13464/1) and potentially poses security problems for the EU and the Schengen area.
On 21 August, the Hungarian government did, in fact, send the European Commission a letter, assuring the institution that the new Hungarian card—which simplifies the visa process and security screenings for guest workers from a group of eight countries, including Russia and Belarus—meets EU requirements.
Still, spokeswoman Anitta Hipper indicated that the European Commission would carefully “assess” this response and verify its compatibility with the European framework.
Concerned that the Hungarian scheme—which is supposed to allow Russian workers to come operate Hungarian nuclear power plants—would give Moscow an advantage with respect to espionage, the European People’s Party (EPP) had written President of the European Council Charles Michel on this subject. Following on from this, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson had likewise sent a letter to the Hungarian authorities on 1 August.
In a post on X, she declared, “Russia is a security threat. We need more, not less, vigilance. Giving potential Russian spies and saboteurs easy EU access would undermine the security of us all.”
The scheme “need[s] to be carefully balanced [so as] not to put at risk the integrity of our common area [...] and to duly consider potential security implications”, she stated, offering her assurance that the European Commission would take all necessary measures if need be.
On 21 August, the Hungarian government, for its part, gave its assurance that its scheme does indeed meet all the requirements imposed by EU regulations.
In his response, Hungarian Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér notably affirms that the scheme is applied “in accordance with the relevant EU framework and with due consideration of the possible security risks involved”.
He adds that Hungary applies the same rules that it does for all other residence permits and that the country continues to “place great emphasis on the protection of its national security and the security of the Schengen area as a whole”.
Links to Mrs Johansson’s letter and the Hungarian minister’s reply, respectively: https://aeur.eu/f/d7j and https://aeur.eu/f/d7d (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)