Russians and Belarusians flooding the EU with Hungary’s help? – here’s the minister’s answer
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Concerning a decision to expand the National Card programme to include Russians and Belarusians wishing to work in Hungary, Gergely Gulyás, the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office said on a yesterday press conference that the matter did not concern the European Commission, but it would still be briefed on it.
No work permit needed for Russians, Belarusians in Hungary
He said there are 6,000 Russians working in Hungary and 300,000 in Germany, adding that “talking about national security risks is reminiscent of bad times.” He said objections to the programme were of a political nature, arguing that there were no differences in national security screenings when it came to the National Card programme, and all it meant was that those who qualified for the programme did not have to apply for a work permit.
As regards a lawsuit launched by Hungarian universities against the European Commission over the decision to exclude them from the Erasmus programme, Gulyás said Hungary has been waiting for a reply from the EU in the matter for nine months, insisting that it “could be settled in 10 minutes”.
Asked how much money the EU was withholding from Hungary citing concerns over the state of the rule of law and corruption, Gulyás said Hungary now had access to 13 billion euros from the 21 billion euro budget, and the government was hopeful that the entire sum would become accessible.
Health restrictions?
Asked about the mpox outbreak, he said Hungary has a representation at the World Health Organisation, and the health authority is monitoring the situation to see if it is necessary to take any steps in the matter in Hungary, but so far there was no need to introduce any restrictions.
Asked about reducing the difference between the minimum and the average wage, Gulyás said it was up to the government to make that decision, but “it would be best if employers and employees reached an agreement.” He said the government wanted a longer-term, three-year agreement running until 2027, as this would open the door to a “significant and radical minimum wage increase”, or possibly merging or narrowing the gap between the basic minimum wage and the minimum wage for skilled workers.
Crude oil deal
Asked about MOL taking over the transit of crude oil at the border between Russia and Ukraine, he said the solution would add about “a dollar and a half” per barrel to the price, but the government did not want consumer prices to rise.