The Hungarian authorities have granted citizens of Russia and Belarus access to its National Card programme, which greatly simplifies the process of entering and working in the country, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on Monday.
Previously only open to citizens of Ukraine and Serbia, the programme has since 9 July been expanded to include Russia, Belarus, Montenegro, Moldova, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.
The scheme allows people to work in Hungary for two years and can be extended, with additional security checks required, DW reported. As well as being able to move their families to the country, card holders are eligible to apply for a Hungarian residence permit after three years.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expanded the list of countries eligible for the scheme after his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month, DW said.
The Financial Times said on Tuesday that the chair of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, had sent a letter to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to raise the programme’s expansion at the next EU leaders summit in October, saying it raised “serious national security concerns”.
In the letter, Weber called for EU leaders to “adopt the most stringent measures to immediately protect the integrity of the Schengen area”, adding the policy could “create grave loopholes for espionage activities … potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision”.