Hungary has tightened restrictions for Ukrainian refugees seeking free housing. Those coming from areas of Ukraine the Hungarian government deems unaffected by the conflict are no longer entitled to free accommodation under new rules that took effect on Wednesday.
Hungary has offered shelter and government subsidies to Ukrainians who have fled to the West during the conflict with Russia. However, public discontent about refugees perceived as freeloaders who don’t actually need support is growing in a number of EU nations where housing is often at crisis levels.
The list of Ukrainian regions that the Hungarian government considers directly affected by the conflict will be updated on a monthly basis and currently excludes only regions of Western Ukraine.
Starting this week, those arriving from parts of Ukraine seen as unaffected will be offered temporary accommodation paid for by the Budapest government. Exemptions are in place for vulnerable individuals, including pregnant women, minors and one legal guardian, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a pro-refugee NGO funded amongst others by the George Soros-founded Open Society Foundations, has decried the new rules as “draconian.” It claims that hundreds of people, including ethnic Hungarians with dual citizenship, may end up in the streets.
Ukraine has a sizable Hungarian minority living in the west of the country. Before the conflict, Budapest had accused Kiev of violating the rights of ethnic Hungarians with discriminatory laws that imposed Ukrainian culture by restricting the use of other languages in schools and in the media. Kiev, meanwhile, has complained about what it perceived as creeping encroachment on its sovereignty via Hungarian dual citizenship.
Earlier this year, Ukraine carried out a military service reform meant to bolster conscription rates. As part of the campaign, it asked EU nations to help it repatriate eligible men by applying pressure on refugees.
Some nations, such as Poland, have indicated that they were willing to assist in returning military-age men. But Hungary, an outspoken critic of the EU’s approach to the conflict with Russia, has rejected the call.