This week Hungary missed a deadline set by the European Commission (EC) to respond about the decision to ease entry requirements for citizens of Russia and Belarus. Meanwhile, the EC did not react to Ukraine’s decision to shut down the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline, a move that raised concerns in Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria.
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gave Budapest until 19 August to explain changes to its immigration policy. However, the commission confirmed that it had not received a response as of Monday.
Hungary recently relaxed entry rules for Russians and Belarusians, allowing “guest workers” to stay in the country for two years with the possibility of extending the permit for another three years. The move will allow Budapest to increase the country’s workforce. Then, Johansson sent a letter to Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér asking him to explain those changes.
The extension of the facilitated processing of residence and work permit applications for citizens of Russia and Belarus could lead to a de facto circumvention of the restrictions the Union has imposed.
While stressing that the issuance of long-term visas and residence permits is a national issue, the Commissioner nevertheless stressed that such schemes must be balanced to protect the integrity of the EU borderless area and consider potential security risks.
Disputes with Ukraine
Hungary clashes with Ukraine not only over alleged energy blackmail via the Druzhba pipeline, but also over the protection of ethnic Hungarians, as many of them live in Transcarpathia, Ukraine’s western region.
On Wednesday, 21 August, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) voted to forcibly alienate land plots and other immovable property in Transcarpathia “on grounds of public necessity” during martial law.
The law, which cannot be appealed in court, allows land plots in the Transcarpathia (Zakarpattia) region to be seized for the construction of defence industry and infrastructure facilities, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak has said. According to the law, plot owners have no right to go to court if their property is alienated. This jeopardises the possessions of ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine.
The Rada has just voted, 228 votes, in favour of the law No. 9549 on simplifying the procedure for allotting land plots for digital infrastructure development.
Accusations of energy blackmail exacerbate the disagreement between Ukraine, Hungary, and other EU member states. In a recent interview on the Bulgarian state TV channel, international analyst Zornitsa Ilieva accused the administration of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky of deliberate energy blackmail.
Druzhba pipeline
The issue is also of a political nature, as cutting the pipeline jeopardises the well-being of millions of EU residents by directly affecting the cost of electricity. According to Ilieva, EU leaders are exploiting Kyiv to manipulate dissenting countries like Hungary, which has repeatedly vetoed aid to Ukraine.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that Kyiv had violated a pledge not to obstruct energy transit to EU member states outlined in an association agreement with the European Union, according to AP News.
Despite the threat to the energy security of two EU Member States (…) Brussels remains silent. The European Commission, and President Ursula von der Leyen personally, must come clean immediately: did Brussels ask Kyiv to ban oil supplies? And if not, why has the European Commission taken no action in more than a week?
Szijjártó also said on Wednesday that Budapest would soon finalise talks on oil supplies to the country despite Kyiv’s disruptive actions.
Negotiations to ensure a balanced supply of oil to the country in the long term, despite Ukraine’s actions and despite the fact that the European Commission fails to help us, are proceeding intensively and have already reached the goal.
