The European Union is preparing to tighten visa rules for Russian citizens entering bloc countries as tourists, to bolster Europe’s security amid the threat of sabotage and other hybrid attacks.
Politico reports, citing EU officials.
According to the outlet, the European Commission plans to present the relevant proposals in January next year. Poland, Sweden and Estonia have pushed for tougher restrictions, including for former participants in the war against Ukraine.
Last year, Russians received about 478,000 tourist visas to the Schengen Area. A significant share of them were multiple-entry documents, allowing border crossings without having to apply for a visa again.
Sweden’s Minister for Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, said the current system has vulnerabilities that Europe’s adversaries could exploit. He said the European Commission is preparing a proposal that is likely to be presented in January, although Sweden would like to speed up the process.
In addition, a number of EU countries plan to raise the issue of visa restrictions for Russians at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, 12 October.
They also intend to propose additional restrictions for Russian diplomats in the European Union.
- In September, Germany said that EU countries are issuing too many tourist visas to Russians. Such a practice does not align with the logic of sanctions against Russia and makes it harder to monitor people entering the European Union.