Lithuania turns to EC over Hungary's decision to ease entry conditions for Russians

  • 2024-07-30
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Lithuania has turned to the European Commission over Hungary's decision to ease the entry regime for Russian and Belarusian citizens, saying the move threatens the security of the European Union.

"We are unpleasantly surprised by media reports that Hungary has included Russian and Belarusian citizens in its national immigration program, which will allow them to enter and move freely within the Schengen area," Lithuania's top diplomat told BNS on Tuesday.

"In Lithuania's view, Hungary's decision poses very serious security threats to the security of the Schengen area and many European countries, and must therefore be responded to at the EU level," the Lithuanian foreign minister said.

Earlier this month, Hungary announced a new facilitated visa scheme under which citizens of eight countries, including Russia and Belarus, can enter Hungary without security checks or other restrictions. Budapest claims that many of those entering under this scheme will be building a nuclear power plant.

According to Landsbergis, Lithuania has asked the European Commission to carry out an analysis of Hungary's decision "in terms of the integrity of the Schengen area and the prevention of threats to it".

The minister believes that Hungary's decision requires a separate assessment at a time when European countries are facing an increasing number of acts of sabotage, which are believed to be the work of Russian security and intelligence structures.

"As many European countries are looking for ways to effectively defend themselves against these attacks, Hungary is not only hindering such efforts, but by its actions it is also enabling, or at least facilitating, hostile actions against the security of European countries," Landsbergis said.

This situation, he added, makes even more urgent the discussions that have started in the EU about Hungary's failure to refrain from taking steps that would undermine the EU's common policies and interests.

In Landsbergis' view, this reinforces the urgency of finding an adequate response to such a stance by one member state.

Under EU rules, national governments have the right to decide on legal migration and work permits. Non-EU nationals with EU visas can generally move freely within the Schengen area, which covers 29 countries, including Norway and Switzerland.

In 2022, the EU imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus after Russia launched a full-scale war in Ukraine. While they do not ban Russians from traveling to the EU, Russian-based airlines are no longer allowed to fly into the bloc and hundreds of individuals with links to the Kremlin have been blacklisted.