The right of EU countries to issue residence and work permits that offer advantages to nationals of several countries does not pose a violation of EU law, according to János Bóka, EU Affairs Minister.
Bóka said Hungary is fulfilling its commitments to the EU’s legal system while implementing its National Card procedure, Schengen.News reports.
According to the EU Affairs Minister, Hungary also conducts all the controls in line with Schengen Regulations, in particular those related to security, on the third-country nationals applying for residence through the scheme.
Bóka said that, like other EU countries, Hungary offered several residence permits to third-country nationals. One of those permit types is Hungary’s National Card Program, as reported by About Hungary.
Emphasising that the facilitation of procedural burdens for nationals of specific countries in itself is no violation of EU law, the EU Affairs Minister said that Budapest continues to implement all security controls protecting the Schengen Zone and is bound by EU law.
European Countries Issued Over 687,200 Visas to Russians Since Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Hungary’s easing of entry rules for nationals of Russia and Belarus through its National Card Program sparked controversies among EU countries. It even led to calls for Hungary’s exclusion from the Schengen Zone.
However, Member of European Parliament Andras Laszlo said that European countries had issued a total of 687,239 visas to nationals of Russia since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023, dozens of weeks after the war started, France issued 99,517 visas to Russians, Spain gave out 92,414, and Greece 54,289. Do you know how many debates the European Parliament held over that? Zero.
He said that of the Russian citizens legally in the European Union on January 1, 2023, Hungary issued fewer than one per cent. Laszlo said that in July and August, Budapest issued ten permits to Russians through the National Card.
At the same time, Mi Hazank MEP Zsuzsanna Borvendeg said that her country expected others to respect Hungary’s laws and customs.
Citing security risks when criticising Hungary was hypocritical as the EU had been allowing millions of illegal migrants in without any control for years.
Borvendeg urged the European Union to pay a total of €2 billion, which, according to her, is the cost for the protection of the EU and Hungary’s border.
