Hungary exempts US film crews from EU travel ban

The most popular Hungarian news site warns that Hungarian citizens may pay the price of the government’s decision to let American film crews back into Hungary, although the US doesn’t figure on the list of 15 non-EU countries whose citizens are allowed to visit the European Union.

Index’s Dávid Klág reports that although the European Council decided not to let US citizens visit Europe without strictly quarantining themselves for the first two weeks of their stay, Hungary has authorised the crews and cast of two American TV series to resume shooting at the MAFILM studios outside Budapest. Hungary is among the two or three most favoured destinations for Hollywood shoots in Europe and foreign film production rose by 50 percent last year. Production was stopped in March as borders were shut because of the coronavirus pandemic, but now the government is easing those restrictions. Klág warns that if Hungary transgresses the limits set by the EU summit last week, other European countries might react by banning Hungarian citizens from entering their territories.

Tags: coronavirus, film