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.
“We are unpleasantly surprised by media reports that Hungary has included Russian and Belarusian citizens in its national immigration programme, which will allow them to enter and move freely within the Schengen area,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a written statement.
“In Lithuania’s view, Hungary’s decision poses very serious 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.
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 this reinforces the urgency of finding an adequate response to such a stance by one member state.
I think the awkward moves of the commission to ostracise Hungary by not attending its meetings and trying to subvert its council presidency did cause some consternation in other states of the EU as well. Accusing him of pretending to visit Russia and China on behalf of the EU was pretty laughable, too, because everybody knew he wasn‘t. I am really not a fan of Orban, but this doesn‘t make the EU look good or strong.
Would you consider Orban isolated in Europe concerning his position towards Russia, compared to other EU governments?
Would you say Orban is trying hard to cooperate with the rest of the EU?