The EU has already imposed seven sets of sanctions against Russia over the attack on Ukraine. Now there is a new punitive measure in the room, which is directed against the population. The EU could largely refuse entry to Russians. There is a lot of encouragement for this in the international community.
Was that it for Russians with vacations in Berlin, Paris or Madrid? There is a heated debate in the EU about a far-reaching freeze on issuing visas to Russian citizens. Some countries have long since pushed ahead – but Chancellor Olaf Scholz is on the brakes, again. Is it now Putin’s war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, as Scholz says? Or does the Russian population also play a not inconsiderable part in this? So should Russians no longer be allowed to travel to the EU?
So far, the European Union’s stance has been clear: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his minions are responsible for the war. Many of them have been sanctioned. What people in Brussels have so far shied away from are penalties against the population – but the tide is turning, at least a little. Several governments are now of the opinion that the Russian war of aggression should also have consequences for the people. The debate was fueled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj at the beginning of August with a call for a global travel ban for Russians. Within the EU, countries like Estonia, Latvia and Finland are putting the pressure on.
“I don’t think it’s right that Russian citizens can enter the EU, the Schengen area and go sightseeing as tourists while Russia is killing people in Ukraine,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said earlier this week. Her Estonian colleague Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter: “Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right.” Both also argue out of their own dismay. Because air traffic between Russia and the EU has been suspended as a result of the war, the countries bordering Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Finland are currently something of a gateway to the EU for Russians.
However, more and more countries are now setting limits on their freedom to travel and restricting the issuing of Schengen visas to Russians. These include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Finland wants to follow from September, Poland is considering a similar arrangement. Denmark is pushing for an EU solution and otherwise also wants to act itself. As of today, Estonia is going one step further: the country will no longer even let the majority of those Russians into the country who already have an Estonian visa. However, going it alone does not bring much in the Schengen area, since a country’s visa is valid for the entire Schengen area from 26 European countries.
So far, the proponents of a so-called visa ban have spoken out. There are few critical voices from the EU capitals – with the exception of Chancellor Scholz. “It’s not the war of the Russian people, it’s Putin’s war,” he emphasizes. He also refers to Russian citizens who are fleeing. You shouldn’t make your way into the EU more difficult. Scholz receives support from the prominent Kremlin opponent Vladimir Milow, who warned of a “visa war against Russians”.
A general ban for all Russian citizens is not a legal option anyway. Rather, each application must be examined individually, according to the EU Commission. After an individual examination, applications could then be rejected – for example because someone is a threat to public order or international relations. Certain people always have to be issued a visa, such as journalists or dissidents.
In Russia itself, a possible visa ban has been one of the most discussed topics for days. The Kremlin warned of a further deterioration in relations with the West, which were already strained to the breaking point. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “irrationality” of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s proposal could hardly be surpassed. Attempts to isolate Russia are pointless. However, if the issuing of visas is actually restricted, like the previous sanctions, this is likely to be publicly smiled at.
Other and, above all, visa-free destinations, such as Turkey and Egypt, are already booming with direct flights. In any case, Russians spend their holidays almost exclusively at home. The Russian state opinion research institute FOM published a survey in response to the discussion in the EU, according to which almost 70 percent of those surveyed have never relaxed abroad. Holiday resorts in Russia on the Black Sea coast or in the Krasnodar region, on the Volga or in the Altai Mountains have been enjoying growing visitor numbers for years.
Nevertheless, Russia is always the country from which most applications for a short-term visa in the Schengen area come. According to data from the EU Commission, there were only 536,241 applications in 2021 due to corona, but this was still almost every fifth application. Before the 2019 pandemic, more than four million requests were made, which was almost a quarter of all requests.
So what next? The Czech Republic, which currently holds the presidency of the EU states, intends to raise the issue at a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky puts forward another argument in favor of visa restrictions: the politician recently emphasized that it is also a question of security. The aim is to push back the influence and activities of the Russian secret services on EU territory in the long term.
