The largest group in the European Parliament, the European Peopleʼs Party, has called to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians because of Russiaʼs war against Ukraine.
This is reported by "European Truth".
The corresponding statement was made public on the day of the informal meeting of foreign ministers in Prague. It emphasizes that Russians should not be relaxing on European beaches and restaurants while their compatriots are killing Ukrainians.
Some MEPs insist on a complete ban on Russians entering EU countries. This also applies to the security of the European Union since Russian spies can visit under the guise of tourists. As a first step, the parliamentarians propose to suspend the visa agreement with the Russian Federation from 2007.
- A number of EU countries are discussing the possibility of banning the issuance of visas to citizens of Russia. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, and the Czech Republic took this initiative. Some of these countries have already suspended the issuance of visas to Russians or reduced their number.
- Germany, Hungary, and France oppose the idea of banning the issuance of visas to Russians. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also spoke against it.
- Denmark has already stated that it is ready to limit the issuance of visas to Russians regardless of the EUʼs decision. Poland is separately developing a concept that will allow Russians to be denied visas. The Czech Republic offers a compromise — to cancel the simplified visa regime with the Russian Federation.
- The mass media write that the EU will most likely agree to cancel the simplified visa regime with Russia. The restrictions will affect all Russians. More documents will be required from them, and the process of obtaining a visa will become longer and more expensive.