EU To Tighten Visa Regime For Russian Citizens By The End Of The Year

Politico has learned the details.

The European Union is preparing to tighten the rules for issuing Schengen visas to citizens of Russia and other "hostile" countries by the end of the year.

This is reported by Politico.

A spokesman for the European Commission, on condition of anonymity, told the publication that new recommendations for EU countries, due to be published at the end of the year, will contain recommendations for tougher visa restrictions for 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 such recommendations, with one diplomat calling them long overdue.

The EU has previously canceled a visa facilitation agreement with Russia. However, visa issuance remains the responsibility of individual member states, meaning that the Commission's executive cannot impose a total ban on Russians entering the bloc.

The national policies of member states differ significantly: some countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, block or severely 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.

A European Commission spokesman said the future bloc-wide strategy, due to be unveiled in December, will not set binding rules but will instead set out general recommendations, including stricter criteria for entry by Russians.

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