MOSCOW, August 10 Budapest's decision to allow two-year visas to be issued to Russians is perceived as a big problem in the European Union, writes Spectator editor Lukas Degutis.
On July 9, the official gazette of the Hungarian government published a list of countries whose citizens have the right to apply for a «national card» — a two-year work visa. These countries include Russia and Belarus. The introduction of the national card was one of the consequences of changes in Hungary's migration legislation, which came into force on January 1, 2024.
“The subtle changes in Hungary’s migration policy are likely to be even more problematic from Europe’s perspective,” Degutis wrote.
As the journalist noted, the West has already rushed to accuse Hungary of an imaginary threat to the security of the European Union. However, according to Degutis, it will be difficult for the confederation countries to counter Hungary’s decisions due to its presidency of the organization until the end of the year.
Earlier, the Financial Times newspaper wrote that Manfred Weber, chairman of the largest faction in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party, called on European leaders to take action against Hungary due to the supposed simplification of issuing visas to Russian citizens. Weber called for a discussion of Hungary’s actions on issuing visas to Russians at the next summit of European leaders in October.