Rinkēvičs: Hungary's Schengen membership could be limited if current policies continue

The Hungarian government has decided to ease the entry rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals by including them in the "National Card" program, which allows foreigners to work in Hungary for two years, with the possibility of extending their stay. National Card holders can enter Hungary freely and are not subject to prior checks by the country's security authorities.

As Hungary is in the Schengen area, where there are no border controls, citizens of the aggressor countries can then move freely between most EU countries, including Latvia, after entering Hungary.

President Rinkēvičs said: "We know that there have been attempts to create and carry out provocations on the territory of the European Union - arson attacks of various kinds. (...) Yes, this is serious."

He said that Latvia's foreign and interior ministers were already taking action in European Union (EU) institutions to get the issue raised in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on compliance with Schengen rules.

"I would not be so naive and emotional as to say that Hungary can be excluded from the European Union or NATO. There is no such mechanism. But limiting Hungary's membership of the Schengen area as one of the essential means, if Hungary's policy does not change, is something that Latvia and like-minded countries will have to work on. This work has begun," the President said.