July 30, Pozirk. The Hungarian government has included Belarusians and Russians in the National Card program that allows people to work in Hungary for up to two years, several media outlets reported.
Since July, the National Card is also available to nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine.
The program is open to persons interested in working or doing business in Hungary, offering more advantages compared to work and business visas, including permanent residence after three years and citizenship after eight years.
This spring, the Hungarian government reportedly expected 65,000 foreign workers.
Hungary’s neighbors are concerned that National Card holders’ identities cannot be verified at the European Union level, according to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
Allowing Russians enter the EU without checks when their country is actively working to undermine Europe through hybrid attacks is a wrong approach, a MEP who wished to remain anonymous told RND.
Hungary is the only European Union member to maintain official contacts with the Belarusian government, accused of human rights abuse.
Budapest has aligned itself with the EU sanctions against Minsk, but Hungarian officials have repeatedly stated their opposition to that policy.
Last September, Alaksandar Łukašenka accepted credentials from Hungary’s Zita Bencsik, the only EU ambassador to present credentials to the Belarusian ruler after the disputed presidential election on 2020.
