FT: The EU called Hungaryʼs ease of entry for Russians a “door for spies” and wants to resort to countermeasures

The head of the European Peopleʼs Party — the largest party in the EU — Manfred Weber wants to discuss Hungaryʼs decision to ease visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians at the summit of EU leaders in October. He believes that this is "opening the door for spies."

The Financial Times (FT) writes about it.

The updated immigration legislation entered into force in Hungary on January 1, 2024, and it was planned to apply it from March 1. If earlier there were 18 types of residence permits in the country, now there are already 24 of them.

Low-level media wrote on July 29 that after Prime Minister Viktor Orbanʼs visit to Moscow in early July, Hungary simplified entry for citizens of Russia and Belarus — they were included in the "national card" program, which is issued to all those willing to work in Hungary for two years with the possibility continue it.

Budapest has stated that many of them will build a nuclear power plant using Russian technology, the FT notes.

Because of this, Weber wrote a letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, whose text was read by the Financial Times. Weber questions the need for a new immigration system in Hungary, noting that it could "create grave loopholes for espionage activities, and potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision, posing a serious risk to national security."

"This policy could also make it easier for Russians to move around the Schengen [borderless] area, bypassing the restrictions required by EU law," the letter says.

Weber called on EU leaders to "to adopt the most stringent measures to immediately protect the integrity of the [border-free] Schengen area, limit the security risk that has already arisen and prevent member states from taking similar initiatives in the future."

• On September 12, 2022, the EU Councilʼs decision to suspend the simplified visa regime with Russia, which had been in effect since 2007, entered into force. The process of obtaining visas to EU countries for Russians has become much longer and more expensive.