The EU is divided over the ban on Russian tourists

Photo: illustration / Alessandro RAMPAZZO / AFP / Profimedia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly requested the EU to ban the entry of Russian tourists, which has not yet received a concrete answer, mainly due to the division that exists among the EU member states on this issue.

Some countries whose borders are close to those of the EU have already introduced a ban on issuing visas to Russians, but for now the European Union does not have a concrete answer to this problem.

"A greater number of Russians support the aggression, rejoice in the shelling of our cities and the killing of Ukrainians. As soon as that is the case, let the Russians enjoy themselves in Russia," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba.

Dmitry Kuleba
Dmitry Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine / Photo: EPA-EFE / TOMS KALNINS

Zelensky for "Washington PostHe stated that the West should close its borders to the Russians and that they should "live in their own world until they change their philosophy."

The Kremlin reacted sharply to such demands of Zelensky and considered them "provocative".

Support from the Baltics

Eastern EU member states such as Latvia, Lithuania and Poland stopped issuing visas to Russians immediately after the Russian invasion in February, reminds "Euractive".

Estonia even went a step further, banning entry for Russians who already had visas before.

Finland, which has the longest border with Russia, will reduce the number of tourist visas for Russians to only 10% from the first of September. The country has so far issued a thousand visas for Russians per day.

Such measures would have a great impact on Russian tourists. Due to the sanctions introduced by the EU to stop flights from Russia, Russians have to travel to Finland only by car or bus and thus reach the rest of the European countries.

Russian tourists use Schengen visas that are normally valid in 26 EU countries and neighboring countries, including Switzerland and Norway. Visas usually allow a stay of up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

European Union flags / Photo: MIA

Those 26 countries received around three million Schengen visa applications last year.

Russians made up the largest group of applicants for such visas, with 536.000 of them, with only three percent of their applications rejected.

Estonia wants EU rules changed to allow it to stop Russians with Schengen visas regardless of which EU country issued them.

EU sanctions require unanimity among all 27 member states, and at the last meetings where such sanctions were discussed, objections, especially those of Hungary, had to be discussed.

The Czech Republic – which presides over the EU – took a neutral stance. It says "issuing visas to Russian tourists in times of aggression is inappropriate," but says it does not support a total ban.

Prague says it wants to continue allowing Russian journalists and other civilians who fear persecution to enter.

That asylum provision is generally accepted by countries in favor of the tourist visa ban, including Ukraine.

"Punish the Kremlin, not the Russians"

Germany and Portugal consider the EU's total ban on tourist visas harmful when it comes to Russians who disagree with the Kremlin and try to leave their country.

In February, the EU restricted visas in certain categories for Russians with ties to the Kremlin, including civil servants, diplomatic passport holders and company heads. But tourist visas were still allowed.

Greece and Sweden have not taken a public stance on the issue, and Denmark has said it wants to see a European consensus before deciding.

The European Commission has admitted that discussions are underway to see if a "coordinated approach" can be achieved.

From there, they emphasized the need for a humanitarian approach to Russian dissidents and that visa applications should be assessed individually, not according to a blanket rule.

The EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, is scheduled to visit Finland and Latvia in early September to discuss the issue with the authorities there.

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