Orbán's new move angered everyone; "There will be appropriate consequences"

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson then added that the EU will take appropriate measures if the problem is not resolved.

Hungary, Index reminds, last month expanded the "national card" immigration program to include, among others, Russians and Belarusians.

The holder of such a document is allowed to work in Hungary without a security check, and the same person can also bring his/her family to the country.

The move raised concerns among EU officials, who said Russia and its ally Belarus could use the scheme to send saboteurs and spies into the EU's border-free Schengen zone as the union tries to isolate Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

"Russia is a security threat. We need more, not less, vigilance," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said in a post on Platform X on Thursday evening.

"In a letter today, I am asking the Hungarian government to explain. If their eased access scheme poses a risk, we will act."

In her letter, Johansson asked Hungary to answer questions about visa liberalization by August 19, "given the potential threat of these unilateral measures to the Schengen area."

She also said that there would be "appropriate consequences" if the move violated EU law or threatened the functioning of the Schengen zone.

Johansson, however, did not specify what she might do.

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, can initiate legal proceedings against a member state if it believes that EU law has been broken.