Hungarian government says it will issue visas to Russians and Belarusians based on security risks
Hungary has responded to the European Commission's request to clarify its decision to simplify entry for Russian and Belarusian citizens. The Hungarian government assures that it will apply "the same migration and security checks to applications" by Russians and Belarusians for the so-called National Card as it does to other residence permits.
A letter of explanation addressed to the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, was published by the Minister for EU Affairs of the Hungarian government, Janos Boka, European Pravda writes, Censor.NET reports.
"The national card will be issued in accordance with the relevant EU regulatory framework and with due regard for possible security risks. In this sense, Hungarian legislation and practice, to which the Commission has not yet objected, have not changed," the Hungarian minister said in a letter.
In addition, Hungary assures that it will continue to pay considerable attention to "protecting its national security and the security of the Schengen area as a whole".
As a reminder, Hungary is simplifying entry conditions for citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus. In particular, Budapest has included them in the programme of the so-called "national card", which is issued to those wishing to work in Hungary for two years with the possibility of extension. Commissioner Johansson has stated that Hungary's decision to simplify entry for Russians and Belarusians threatens EU security.
