Suspending Hungary's Schengen membership should be considered, MEP says

On Wednesday, the European Parliament (EP) debated the expansion of the Hungarian National Card to include Russians and Belarussians, and although a member of the Hungarian government was present, he did not speak on behalf of the Hungarian government: EU Affairs Minister János Bóka stressed that he was speaking on behalf of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. He said that the body doesn't have a position on the matter, as it had not been discussed.

He acknowledged that EU countries should comply with common standards, but added that granting procedural relaxations or other advantages to nationals of certain third countries does not constitute a breach or circumvention of EU legislation. He said that they will continue to carry out all the checks required by the rules of the Schengen area. Speaking on behalf of the Council Presidency, in his concluding remarks, he stressed that the Hungarian government was ready to answer any questions, but had not received an invitation from the European Parliament to do so.

Representing the European Commission, Stella Kiriakidis said: "The programme was extended to include two countries which are hostile towards the EU, which raises questions at a time when Russian sabotage in Europe is increasing. The member of the EU quasi-government stressed:

since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, EU measures have made entry for Russians more difficult, not easier,

for example, visa relaxations have been suspended and stricter controls have been introduced, with further tightening currently being considered.

She recalled that the body had written to the Hungarian authorities twice, asking about the Hungarian measure, because they still did not understand why it was necessary. While the Interior Minister had already informed the Commission orally last week, they are still awaiting a written reply.

Fidesz MEP András László claimed that in 2022 there were one and a half times as many visas issued to Russians in the EU as in 2021 (the last year of peace), but this was not discussed by the EP, nor was the fact that some member states issued tens or hundreds of thousands of visas to Russians within a year after the war started. As the speaker of the Patriots for Europe group (one of the founders of which is Fidesz), he pointed out that:

Hungarian authorities issued only five work permits in July and five in August under the National Card program,

and less than one percent of Russians residing in the EU are in Hungary. And yet, following the EP's Justice Committee, the National Card is the subject of debate once again, "I'll let you draw your own conclusions".

The Hungarian government has opened the door to spies, sleeper agents and war criminals among others, Csaba Molnár said. The DK MEP said the card was the second step after residency bonds and before the golden visas, for which one will only need money, so he believes that the "serving of Putin with corruption" will continue. In response to a question, he also referred to the case of the "spy bank" (now gone from Hungary) and the Russian hacking of the Hungarian foreign ministry’s systems. He said that if there is a security breach anywhere in Europe, it is called "Viktor Orbán".

Zsuzsanna Borvendég, the chief speaker of the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group accused the European Commission of hypocrisy, "because for years they have been allowing millions of illegal migrants into Europe without any controls". The Mi Hazánk MEP said it was a double standard that the EU's Blue Card "offers many more opportunities to workers from outside the EU than the Hungarian National Card".

"As a researcher of the operation of intelligence services, I can assure you that the Hungarian National Card is not what Russian spies will use to enter Europe."

She said that ever since Hungary has had a right-wing government, the EU leadership "has been constantly attacking us instead of protecting European citizens".

From the centre-right European People's Party through the Socialists to the Greens, speakers criticised the Hungarian measures. Fabienne Keller, the Liberals' keynote speaker recommended the strictest action. She said the European Commission had failed to respond adequately and therefore

the Council – currently under the Hungarian presidency – and the member states should consider suspending Hungary's Schengen membership,

saying that there should be firm action against the “security threat”. (The EP has no authority when it comes to suspension.)

Maciej Wąsik, the Eurosceptic ECR's chief speaker, (ECR is the group Fidesz originally wanted to join) also stressed that there should be no easing of sanctions against Russia, including the visa ban, but he also criticised the EP for spending time on the Hungarian government, while in his view the European Commission is not strict enough either. He was "stunned" by the actions of both Hungary and the Commission, and said that "Putin's Russia must be isolated".

We have previously written more about the National Card in this article, and Russia expert András Rácz later told Telex that expanding the card to include Russians and Belarussians is not creating a new security risk, as the system already contains that, and the card has not opened the door to potential Russian spies as wide as the EU statements on the matter suggest. According to Zsolt Szekeres, a lawyer at the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, national security is not solely dependent on the National Card.

Cover photo: Alexis Haulot / European Parliament / European Union