The proposal for the 19th package of European Union sanctions against Russia is expected to be presented in the coming days. Some diplomats say that member states have sought to further update visa rules for Russians.
They were last changed in September 2022, when the EU canceled a visa facilitation agreement with Russia.
Euroactiv writes about this.
This policy is being considered after a record number of tourists from Russia (over half a million) arrived in the European Union in the summer of 2025.
If agreed, this option would mean harmonizing entry rules across the bloc, as issuing visas remains the responsibility of individual member states.
Most EU countries bordering Russia have already severely restricted visa applications from Russians, with a few exceptions. Poland, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic and Finland have largely closed their doors to Russian citizens.
However, countries that rely on the influx of Russian tourists during the summer or holiday season, such as Italy, Spain, Greece and France, as well as Moscow-friendly Hungary, have been relatively liberal in issuing visas, despite Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The new attempt to review entry rules for Russian citizens comes amid expectations that the Commission will present new EU entry rules, which will come into force at the beginning of the year.
They will contain general, although non-binding, recommendations for member states on the issuance of tourist visas.
There is also a separate, long-standing proposal to restrict the freedom of movement of Russian diplomats who already have Schengen visas and are within the bloc.
A previous proposal, pushed in particular by the Czech Republic, would have banned travel within Europe beyond the country in which the diplomat is accredited, effectively suspending Schengen rules for them.
Prague, backed by states that share a border with Russia, has been pushing for travel restrictions for Russian diplomats. It has cited the risk of sabotage after expelling dozens of Russian spies under diplomatic cover in recent years.
“The arrest [of a Belarusian spy] last week in Romania and the expulsion of a Belarusian ʼdiplomat’ from Prague are further proof that we must restrict this movement,” said a second EU diplomat.
"This case shows that we must not allow the Schengen area to be abused for hostile activities. Agents protected by diplomatic privileges should not have complete freedom of action throughout Europe," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said after the arrests.
However, the idea of restrictions on diplomats has not yet found support among more skeptical EU states. Doubts remain about how effectively compliance with the rules can be monitored in the absence of internal border controls. There are also fears that such measures would provoke Russian retaliation against European diplomats working in Moscow.
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