European People’s Party leader Manred Weber has criticised a new Hungarian visa liberalisation measure for workers from Russia and Belarus. The German conservative is worried that the move endangers EU security and provides a loophole for espionage.
A number of countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia have announced new controls along their borders. They are trying to prevent people smugglers from using routes through the Balkans to bring migrants to Central and Western Europe. This puts pressure on the Schengen area of free movement and visa-free arrangements with third countries.
Fears of high energy bills for households have led EU energy ministers to agree on windfall levies on energy companies. Later this week two strategic summits will take place in Prague: the first will be held together with 17 non-EU nations, followed by an informal summit to discuss the war in Ukraine.