The EU is considering the possibility of excluding Hungary from the Schengen zone due to the issuance of visas to Russians

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban. Photo by Getty Images

The European Union may exclude Hungary from the Schengen area due to the country's decision to relax visa restrictions for citizens of Russia and Belarus. This sparked a major outcry among lawmakers in the European Parliament, who called for immediate action against Budapest, including the possibility of expelling the country from the Schengen zone.

This was reported by Politico.

In the letter, which was initiated by the Czech MP Danushe Nerudova and the Lithuanian parliamentarian Piatras Auštrevičius, a demand was expressed to the European Commission for an urgent investigation of Hungary's decision. Lawmakers say the move could create a loophole that would threaten the functioning of the Schengen area as a safe space for citizens.

«If the Hungarian government refuses to change its policy, the European Commission and all EU representatives should question Hungary's presence in the Schengen area by introducing new measures to protect European citizens, including, if necessary, new control measures at Hungarian borders,» the letter reads.

The document also states that other EU countries may not recognize Hungarian visas and introduce controls at Hungary's borders. By the evening of Sunday, August 4, the letter had collected about 70 signatures, including the signatures of the former prime ministers of Belgium and Ireland.

It will be recalled that earlier the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Teofil Bartoszewski, offered Hungary to leave the European Union and form a new alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

we should also note that Prime Minister Viktor Orban considers the desire of the North Atlantic Alliance countries to defeat Russia in the war against Ukraine to be mistaken.