Hungary should be temporarily suspended from the Schengen open border area to head off the risk of Russian threats, Dutch Christian Democrat and D66 MPs say.

The parties are concerned that too many Russians are being allowed into Hungary without adequate checks, from where they are free to travel to other EU countries where they can take part in espionage or other under the radar activities.

As long as Hungary does not improve its border checks on Russians, the country should be suspended, the MPs say, and they have called on prime minister Dick Schoof to take up the call at the next meeting of the European Council this week.

“This sort of measure will be necessary as long as Hungary rolls out the red carpet for Russian workers, with no checks,” D66 parliamentarian Jan Paternotte said on social media.

Some 400 Russian nationals have been expelled from Europe over the past few years because they were involved in espionage, he said. “The Russian threat is at the border, Hungary is welcoming them and we have to put restrictions in place.”

Last year, the Netherlands ordered Russia to shut down its trade office in Amsterdam and ordered around 10 Russian diplomats, suspected of spying, to leave the country.

Paternotte also said it is “bizarre” that an anti-immigration party like the far right PVV has not criticised the potential arrival of Russian immigrants who may pose a threat. “Wilders’ friendship with [Hungarian prime minister Viktor] Orbán should not influence our policy or impact on our security,” he said.

CDA leader Henri Bontenbal said the Netherlands should not be naïve. “Many, many member states are fed up with Hungary’s behavior,” he said. “We should not underestimate the dangers and we should act against countries which are helping Russia.”

Bontenbal said he expected that the VVD and NSC, two members of the current coalition, would support the D66 and CDA positions. “If a majority of MPs support our plan, Schoof will have to take our message to Europe at the end of this week,” he said.

The Dutch security services have warned repeatedly about the threat of Russian infiltration. Last month, a number of security services, including the Dutch military security service MIVD, issued a joint warning about cyber attacks on vital government infrastructure in the West by Russian military secret service GROe unit 29155.

The aim of the attacks is to gain an insight in and disrupt arms deliveries to Ukraine, the MIVD said, and to support physical sabotage attempts.

Warning

In April, the MIVD said the Netherlands is an important target for Russian espionage thanks to its defence industry, the high-tech sector and the international organisations based here.

“The threat from Russia is major,” director Peter Reesink said. “The Netherlands is an attractive target, partly because it is an important military hub. There are also many data hubs in the North Sea, which are of interest for possible sabotage.”

The Netherlands is also home to the International Criminal Court and the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons, both of which are investigating possible war crimes by Russia in Ukraine.