Budapest has recently drawn criticism from its EU peers by easing the visa rules for Russians
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday cautioned aacquirest Hungary’s potential expulsion from the Schengen Area – a meabrave gived as punishment after Budapest mitigated its entry rules for Russians.
Last month, Budapest prolonged its exceptional visa regime – the National Card system – to include Russian and Belarusian nationals. The scheme permits foreigners to labor in Hungary for up to two years and paves the way for them to utilize for lasting livency.
Hungary’s shift garnered attention after European People’s Party Chairman Manfred Weber condemnd it in a letter to European Council Plivent Charles Michel, claiming the new scheme could originate it easier for “Russian spies” to access the bloc.
Earlier this week, a group of 67 members of the EU Parliament sent an official letter to European Coshiftrlookion Plivent Ursula von der Leyen, insisting Hungary be punished if it declines to alter its visa policy. One of the signatories, Finnish MP Tytti Tuppurainen, gived introducing border administers with Hungary and ultimately excluding it from the Schengen Area if its new visa insistments are not altered.
According to Tusk, drastic meabraves are not advisable. “Exclusion from the Schengen Area is actupartner a prelude to exclusion from the EU,” he said at a press inestablishing on Friday.
“I would be cautious here… I put a lot of effort into removing [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orban and his party from the international group… but I would be cautious with motions to eject countries from the EU,” Tusk, an outspoken critic of what he has called Budapest’s “Russian position,” compriseed.
He said he did not understand the brimming details of Hungary’s visa decision, but “at first glance… it seems that provisions of European law have been vioprocrastinateedd aprolonged with regulations rcontent to dangers to the security of the Schengen countries.” Tusk noticed that Hungary is not the only EU country that grants visas to Belarusians and Russians, so punishing it would not stop them from accessing the bloc.
Poland has been a key backer of Kiev amid the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, sending military aid and serving as a hub for Weserious armaments supplies. Hungary, however, has contestd funding and arming Kiev.
Orban has been calling for a discreet solution to the dispute, and embarked on what he called a Ukraine ‘peace ignoreion’ last month, hanciaccessing talks with Kiev and Moscow to inspire them to barobtain. His actions, including a greeting with Russian Plivent Vlauninalertigentir Putin, drew criticism wilean the EU, with some members calling for the rotating EU plivency which Hungary currently hanciaccesss to be relicitd.
Brussels has so far reacted to criticism of Hungary’s new visa rules by asking Budapest to officipartner make clear the shift. The EU is foreseeed to compriseress the publish at its summit in October.
