EU Warns: New Hungary's Visa Policy Opens Doors to Russian Spies

The European People's Party (EPP), the EU's largest party, has expressed security concerns over Hungary's decision to ease visa restrictions for Russian and Belarusian nationals, fearing it could fuel espionage in the EU, according to a letter cited by the Financial Times.

Manfred Weber, chairman of the centre-right EPP, wrote a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, saying that Hungary's new rules could ‘create serious loopholes for espionage activities... which poses a serious risk to EU national security’.

‘This policy could also make it easier for Russians to move across the (borderless) Schengen area, bypassing the restrictions required by EU law,’ Weber said in his letter.

The Hungarian government did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Charles Michel's office did not comment on the letter, which highlights tensions between EU institutions and Hungary, which currently holds the bloc's presidency as it seeks to maintain warm relations with Russia despite the war in Ukraine.

A European Commission spokesperson said it would be contacting Hungary about the new rules and that Budapest is obliged to check whether they are complying with Schengen rules.

This month, Hungary expanded its ‘national card’ immigration programme to include Russians and Belarusians. The holder of such a card has the right to work in Hungary without security checks and can bring their family to the country. It is valid for two years but can be extended.  Officially, the cardholder is not a guest worker, so he or she is not included in statistics and various national quotas.

Hungary's decision on the visa came a year after the United States imposed sanctions on three senior officials of the International Investment Bank, a Russian-controlled bank in Budapest: two Russians and one Hungarian. The bank's employees enjoyed full diplomatic immunity and could travel freely in the EU. Under pressure from the US, Hungary withdrew from the IIB, but expressed disappointment at having to do so.

This month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sharply criticised Western military aid to Ukraine and who began his six-month EU presidency on 1 July, angered his EU partners by visiting Moscow and China to discuss a possible peace deal with Ukraine without any consent from the EU or Ukraine.