All deadlines have passed: Hungary refused to explain to the EU the decision to issue visas to Russians

Hungary had until August 19 to provide an explanation.

Hungary has still not provided the EU with an explanation for its decision to simplify visa requirements for citizens of Russia and Belarus , despite the deadline for Budapest’s response having expired on Monday, August 19, Euractiv writes .

Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson reportedly wrote to her Hungarian counterpart Sandor Pintér in early August asking for an explanation of changes made to the country’s immigration scheme.

While the issuance of long-term visas and residence permits is a matter for each individual Member State, Johannsson stressed that “such schemes must be carefully balanced so as not to jeopardise the integrity of our common area without internal border controls and take due account of the potential security implications.”

Johansson asked Budapest to respond to the application with questions “no later than 19 August”. However, a European Commission spokesperson told Euractiv that no response had been received as of Monday afternoon.

Hungary Allows Russians to Enter EU Without Checks

At the end of July, Hungary allowed Russians and Belarusians to enter the European Union without security checks. However, the EU was unhappy with this decision, since among the foreigners arriving in the European Union there could be Russian spies and terrorists.

In particular, Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius stated that the actions of Hungary, which resumed issuing visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus, is a slap in the face to the European Union, to which Brussels must respond.

(C)UNIAN 2024

5 comments

“The deadlines have passed.”
That’s exactly what Hungarian Immigration told me when denying my residence permit, when it was they who slow-walked my application.