For weeks, Eastern European EU countries have been demanding a freeze on visas for Russian tourists. EU foreign ministers could soon come out in favor of a compromise that would make visa applications for Russians more expensive and complicated.
At their meeting in Prague this week, the foreign ministers of the European Union want to speak out in favor of suspending the agreement on visa facilitation with Russia. This is reported by the “Financial Times”. The aim is to reduce the number of travel permits issued.
Portions of the 2007 agreement relating to government officials and businessmen were suspended shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A complete freeze on the award of visas is apparently not planned at the moment, but the application for visas is to be made more complicated, expensive and lengthy.
“It is inappropriate for Russian tourists to stroll around our cities and marinas,” the Financial Times quoted a senior EU official involved in the talks as saying. “We have to signal to the Russian people that this war is not okay, that it is not acceptable.” That’s how Ukraine sees it. “The Russians massively support the war and applaud the rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities and the murder of Ukrainians,” criticized Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
While Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected a general visa freeze just a few days ago, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signaled a willingness to compromise. The Chancellery and the Federal Foreign Office agree “that we can find a solution together in Europe that brings everyone’s legitimate concerns and concerns together,” said the Green politician on Friday at a joint press conference with her Danish counterpart Jeppe Kofod in Copenhagen.
The EU countries Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia bordering Russia, as well as the Czech Republic, have already restricted the entry of Russian tourists. Finland wants to follow in September. Other countries such as Poland are also in favor of restricting the issuing of visas. The foreign ministers of the EU meet on Tuesday and Wednesday for an informal summit in Prague.
“We are in an extraordinary situation and this requires extraordinary steps,” the EU representative continued. Further measures could follow by the end of the year.
It is mainly about Schengen visas, which are issued by 22 of the 27 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the common area without border controls. This allows visa holders to stay in the territory of all member states for up to 90 days. In addition, the individual EU states can also issue national visas for longer stays.
The Estonian broadcaster ERR, citing the EU border protection agency Frontex, reported that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, almost a million Russian citizens have entered the EU legally. Around 60 percent of them came via Estonia and Finland.
The “Financial Times” also reports that the EU defense ministers, who are also meeting in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, will discuss the possibility of a European training mission for Ukrainian soldiers.
