Could Hungary be suspended from Schengen? - ‘National Cards’ for Russian and Belarussian Nationals as a Geopolitical Threat

Abstract

In early July, the Orbán government announced that it would extend a program that grants third country nationals simplified access and stay to work in Hungary to Russian and Belarussian nationals. This blog maps the ways in which Hungary’s policy might undermine the security of the Schengen area and surveys the tools Member States and EU institutions have at their disposal to counter it. Should the Hungarian government fail to dispel the concerns raised by its extension of the national card system, these mechanisms should be activated to safeguard the security of the Schengen area.

Keywords

• Hungary
• Internal Border Control
• National Security
• Russian War against Ukraine
• Schengen
• Schengen Borders Code