German politicians suffer selective indignation over Hungarian visa policy for Russian workers.Continue reading
An open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, signed by 67 MEPs, questions Hungary’s stay within the Schengen area and calls for the reintroduction of checks at the Hungarian border, wrote ma7.sk. Among the MEPs are representatives of the radical leftist Progressive Slovakia (Progresívné Slovensko; PS), headed by Ľudovít Ódor, who is of Hungarian origin, formerly a visiting professor at George Soros’ Central European University (CEU), and acting Prime Minister of Slovakia between May to October 2023.
The letter, signed by Czech MEP Danuše Nerudová and Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevicius, complains, amidst a flurry of slips and half-truths, that
Hungary, by simplifying parts of its National Card program – targeting Russian and Belarusian guest workers – has created a “security risk” that “could strengthen the Russian spy network in the EU.”
67 MEPs expressed great concern over the recent decision of the Hungarian government to ease
visa restrictions for Russian and Belarusian citizens and ask @EU_Commission to respond to growing risks. Thank you colleague @danusenarudova for great cooperation pic.twitter.com/6UXk11D1Qo— Petras Austrevicius (@petras_petras) August 3, 2024
In their letter, the MEPs “dreadfully” urge the European Commission to “take action to investigate Hungary’s decision, which could constitute a loophole and potentially jeopardize the functioning of the entire Schengen area and its territorial role in ensuring the security of its citizens. “The politicians also raise the prospect that “all EU representatives will question Hungary’s presence in the Schengen area and take new precautionary measures, including the reintroduction of border controls”.
Reading the allegations, it can be assumed that the authors of the text are “uninformed” and unaware of the actual implications of the said legislation or, more likely, that it is a deliberate lie and distortion, pointed out the Slovakian-Hungarian news portal. “Presumably it is the latter, since, even if they were not initially aware of the content of the regulation, they could hardly have missed the recent statement by Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in which he corrected the authors of the letter.”
The politician made it clear that there is no question of a visa waiver, only of a slight relaxation of the strictness of the procedure for examining the visa application. Mr. Szijjártó called these news a “childish lie” and explained that the truth is that Russian and Belarusian citizens can still only enter Hungary, and thus the Schengen area, with a visa, and can only obtain a residence permit in accordance with the procedure laid down by law, following a procedure carried out by the Directorate-General for Aliens. Such procedures and the issuing of residence permits are a national competence under European rules,” he explained.
Via ma7.sk; Featured image via Facebook/Ľudovít Ódor