EU finalises tighter visa rules for Russian travellers before January proposal

The European Commission is finalising plans to tighten visa rules for hundreds of thousands of Russians who visit EU countries as tourists each year, EU officials said. The move is designed to strengthen the bloc's defences against hybrid attacks. A proposal is expected to be put forward in January, after a group of countries pushed for tougher rules.pravda.com.ua+1

The plan matters because a large share of the visas issued to Russian citizens are multiple-entry visas, which allow holders to cross the EU border repeatedly without applying for new documents each time. Sweden's Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said that system is a security threat at a moment of heightened concern over Moscow-sponsored sabotage, arson and other hybrid warfare.

What the Commission is planning

Poland, Sweden and Estonia have pushed for tougher visa rules for Russians, including former fighters who served in Ukraine. Other countries plan to raise the issue at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 12 October and propose further restrictions on Russian diplomats in the EU. Estonia has proposed an outright ban on entry for former members of Russia's armed forces.

Last year, about 478,000 Schengen tourist visas were issued to Russian citizens, many of them multiple-entry visas that let holders come and go repeatedly. After an initial fall in the number of Russian nationals receiving travel visas, Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said the numbers are not going down anymore, and urged member states to give fewer visas to Russian citizens.

Strömmer said the Commission is preparing a proposal that should be launched in January next year, and that Sweden would like to see it even earlier. He welcomed the progress and growing support for a tougher visa regime. Brunner said a Commission proposal to restrict visas early next year makes sense, adding that you never know who the tourists actually are.

Where the visa numbers came from

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said there are around 650,000 former combatants from Russia's armed forces, who would be banned person by person. He said a large number of these ex-combatants will come to Europe supported by the Russian secret services, take over organised crime, and be heavily weaponised to commit terror attacks or attacks against societies.

In June, ministers from nine EU countries plus Iceland and Norway wrote to the Commission calling for a more uniform and coordinated approach to Russian visas across all member states. They said a restrictive visa policy towards Russian citizens is essential to safeguard the security and integrity of the Schengen area, and that a divided approach risks undermining the pressure on Russia.

On 12 October, the EU Foreign Affairs Council will discuss additional restrictions on the movements of Russian diplomats between EU member states, potentially including a complete ban on leaving the country in which they are accredited. In September, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was also preparing new measures targeting the Russian economy, including its shadow fleet.