On Wednesday 18 September, MEPs debated in Strasbourg the consequences of the new Hungarian national card allowing Russian and Belarusian workers to come and work in Hungary and stay for two years (see EUROPE 13475/9).
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties had already debated the subject on 4 July, at the request of the EPP group in particular, which was concerned about the repercussions of this system on the EU’s internal security and feared new espionage or sabotage operations.
During the plenary debate, requested this time by Renew Europe, the arguments were similar, with France’s Fabienne Keller (Renew Europe) reiterating her call for Hungary to be partially suspended from the Schengen area, under article 19 of the Schengen Borders Code.
The Commission was represented on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides. She went on to explain that the Commission had sent two letters to Budapest, on 1 August and 4 September.
As of 18 September, Hungary had not yet replied in writing to the Commission, but the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, had met with the Hungarian Minister of the Interior last week, explained Ms Kyriakides. They discussed the issue and he provided some clarification.
Ylva Johansson also met the Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, in Strasbourg on Tuesday 17 September, and it was mutually agreed that Hungary should provide a written response to the remaining questions. “The Commission is now awaiting written explanations”, said the Health Commissioner, who reiterated the reasons for the institution’s concern: Russia is “considered a threat to the security of the EU and all instruments at EU and Member State level must therefore guarantee the security of the Union and take into account the security of the Schengen area as a whole”.
The letter sent on 4 September focused more specifically on the relevance and necessity of extending the regime in the current political situation, the reasons why Hungary “cannot find labour in other Member States or third countries” and the way in which security checks on Russians and Belarusians are carried out. Because it seems here that the requirements have not been tightened up for Russian and Belarusian workers, said Ms Kyriakides.
Many MEPs denounced the provocative actions of Hungary and its Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who visited Moscow at the beginning of July. Greens/EFA MEP Tineke Strik (Dutch) said that the Hungarian leader had reached this point because the other Member States had turned a blind eye for too long to the violations of fundamental rights in the country and had allowed the crisis to develop. She also called on the Member States to react to Hungary’s decision to withdraw the right of residence for Ukrainian refugees on its soil.
Several MEPs, notably from The Left, called on the Council of the EU to activate the voting disenfranchisement mechanism provided for in Article 7 of the Treaty.
János Bóka spoke primarily in his capacity as President of the Council of the EU and not as a Hungarian minister. However, he assured MEPs that Hungary was complying with all the security requirements laid down in the Schengen regulations, and said he was ready to come and explain everything to the MEPs. But they “have not yet invited” the Hungarian government. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)