The EU is preparing to tighten restrictions on issuing visas to citizens of Russia and other "hostile" countries after years of pressure from member states located on its eastern border by the end of the year. This is reported by Politico, writes UNN.
Details
A European Commission official, on condition of anonymity, told Politico that new recommendations for EU countries, to be published at the end of the year, will include advice on stricter restrictions on issuing visas to Russians and citizens of other "hostile" countries.
Two European diplomats from countries bordering Russia said their governments had been lobbying Brussels for years to adopt similar recommendations, with one diplomat calling them long overdue.
The EU has previously canceled the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. However, visa issuance remains within the competence of individual member states, which means that the Commission's executive cannot impose a total ban on Russians entering the bloc's countries.
National policies of member states differ significantly: some countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, block or seriously restrict the issuance of visas to Russian citizens, except in special cases; while others, including Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy, continue to issue visas more liberally.
According to the European Commission official, the upcoming bloc-wide strategy, to be unveiled in December, will not set mandatory rules but will instead outline general recommendations, including stricter criteria for Russians to enter.
According to the call to Brussels, the plan will partly "focus on addressing new challenges, especially those related to security risks."
The guidelines, which are still under discussion, are separate from any potential visa ban being considered as part of the EU's next package of sanctions against Russia.
Recall
The European Union will present a new package of sanctions against Russia on September 15. This 19th package has been agreed directly with US President Donald Trump.