The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus

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The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus

2024-09-04 22:20 Last Updated At：22:31

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top migration official expressed concern on Wednesday about a Hungarian work visa program open to citizens from Russia and Belarus, just as sabotage attacks and spying allegations raise alarm across Europe.

Hungary extended its National Card program to citizens from Russia and Belarus as it took over the EU’s rotating presidency in July. It happened as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a trip slammed by his EU counterparts.

The card also allows easier entry into Europe’s ID-check free zone for work purposes to citizens from Bosnia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. All six countries are candidates to join the EU. Russia and Belarus are not.

“It’s a bit strange to actually welcome specifically citizens from Russia and Belarus in a situation where we know that these countries are hostile to the European Union,” European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told EU lawmakers.

The Hungarian prime minister, widely seen as having the warmest relations with Putin among EU leaders, has routinely blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to assist Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine.

Belarus is Russia’s main ally and has served as a rear base for Russian troops.

Johansson listed a series of incidents since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including sabotage or hacking attacks in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. She also noted possible threats to military bases in Germany.

“This is a time for more vigilance, not less. This is not a time to be soft on security,” she said, adding that safe travel within the passport-free zone linking 29 countries, most of them EU nations, could be undermined. “We must keep each other safe.”

Early last month, Johansson sent a letter to Hungary seeking clarification about its National Card, notably whether the program imposes stricter security checks on Russian and Belarus nationals. She received a reply two weeks ago but on Tuesday wanted to know more.

Johansson asked: “Why does the Hungarian government consider such a scheme necessary or appropriate in the current political situation? The expected national economic gains seem limited (and) disproportionate to the potential security impact.”

At a news conference in Brussels, Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka played down the commission’s concerns. He said that seven countries, including Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain have issued more visas to Russians.

“In the past two months, 10 permits were issued for Russian citizens and four permits were issued for Belarus from citizens. This is not an increasing trend, and these numbers are statistically irrelevant,” Boka told reporters. Johansson said the number of visas issued to Russians have dropped by almost 90%.

Boka insisted that for Hungary “there is no legal and security issue whatsoever when it comes to the National Card.” Hungarian officials complained that he had not been invited to the European Parliament to address Johansson’s questions in person.

The parliament’s press service said Hungary had not expressed a wish to attend.

'Shogun' and 'Hacks' win top series Emmy Awards

2024-09-16 11:11 Last Updated At：11:21

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Hacks” won the comedy series at Sunday's Emmy Awards, topping “The Bear," which took home several of the night's honors.

“Shogun” won the best drama series win, collecting a whopping 18 Emmys for its first season, just one of several historic wins.

Hiroyuki Sanada won best actor in a drama for “Shogun” on Sunday night at the Emmy Awards, and Anna Sawai won best actress as they became the first two Japanese actors to win Emmys.

Their wins gave the FX series momentum going into one of the night's top awards, where “Shogun” won best drama series.

“The Bear” came back for seconds in a big way at the ceremony four times including best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy, while British upstart “Baby Reindeer” won four of its own, including best limited series.

The star of FX's “The Bear” Jeremy Allen White won best actor in a comedy for the second straight year, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach repeated as best supporting actor.

A surprise came when Liza Colón-Zayas won best supporting actor over major competition.

“How could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett,” Colón-Zayas said as tears welled in her eyes as she accepted the award on the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

She is the first Latina to win in the category.

“To all the Latinas who are looking at me,” she said, “keep believing and vote.”

Netflix’s darkly quirky “Baby Reindeer” won best actor and best writing for the show’s creator and star Richard Gadd and best supporting actress for Jessica Gunning, who plays his tormentor.

Accepting the best limited series award, Gadd urged the makers of television to take chances.

“The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling," he said. "Good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries. Explore the uncomfortable. Dare to fail in order to achieve.”

“Baby Reindeer” is based on a one man-stage show in which Gadd describes being sexually abused along with other emotional struggles.

Accepting that award, he said, “no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better.”

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Gadd has.

Jodie Foster won her first Emmy to go with her two Oscars when she took best actress in a limited series for “True Detective: Night Country.”

The creator of “The Bear” was also a repeat winner. Christopher Storer took his second straight Emmy for directing, an award handed out by reunited “Happy Days” co-stars Ron Howard and Henry Winkler.

White said backstage that he was watching in the wings as Colón-Zayas won and “that was just the greatest.”

He also shouted out two acting wins the show had already scored at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, when Jamie Lee Curtis won best guest actress in a comedy for playing his mother, and Jon Bernthal won best guest actor for playing his big brother.

“The Bear” won six times including most of the top comedy categories at the strike-delayed Emmys in January.

While the third season of FX’s “The Bear” has already dropped, the trio won their second Emmys for its second, in which White’s chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto attempts to turn his family’s grungy Chicago sandwich shop into an elite restaurant. It could still win more Sunday night including best comedy series.

The father-son hosting duo of Eugene and Dan Levy in their monologue at the top of the show mocked the very dramatic “The Bear” being in the comedy category.

“In honor of ‘The Bear’ we will be making no jokes,” Eugene Levy said, to laughs.

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks.” She has won for all three seasons of “Hacks,” and has six Emmys overall.

She beat nominees including Ayo Edebiri, who as co-star of “The Bear” moved from supporting actress, which she won in January, to lead actress.

Coming into the show the big story was “Shogun,” which had already taken the most Emmys for a show in a single season with 14 at the Creative Arts ceremony.

The FX series about lordly politicking in feudal Japan can still win best drama series.

If “Shogun” faces competition for the best drama prize, it could come for the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” the only show among the nominees that has won before in a category recently dominated by the retired “Succession.”

Elizabeth Debicki took best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana at the end of her life in the sixth and final season of the show.

“Playing this part, based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege," Debicki said. "It’s been a gift.”

Billy Crudup won best actor in a drama for “The Morning Show.”

Streep wasn't the only Oscar winner trumped by a little-known name. Robert Downey Jr., the reigning best supporting actor winner for “Oppenheimer,” was considered the favorite to win best supporting actor in a limited series for “The Sympathizer,” but that award went to Lamorne Morris for “Fargo.”

“Robert Downey Jr. I have a poster of you in my house!” Morris said from the stage as he accepted his first Emmy.

Several awards were presented by themed teams from TV history, including sitcom dads George Lopez, Damon Wayans and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and TV moms Meredith Baxter, Connie Britton, and Susan Kelechi Watson.

For more on this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards