The European Commission has adopted stricter rules for issuing visas to Russian nationals due to heightened security risks linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war, the weaponisation of migration, acts of sabotage and potential abuse of the visa regime.

Source: European Pravda, quoting Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, and Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Quote from Henna Virkkunen : "Russia's illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine continues to pose a serious threat to European security, with heightened risks related to sabotage, disinformation and drone incursions in the Union."

Details: The Commission called the decision a necessary step to protect the security of the European Union and its citizens.

Quote from Kaja Kallas: "We have a duty to protect our citizens. Stricter rules will now apply to Russian nationals requesting a visa to travel to the EU. Travelling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege not a given."

More details: From now on, Russian citizens will no longer be able to obtain multi-entry visas. They will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU. This will allow applicants to be screened more thoroughly and more frequently, reducing any potential security risks.

The measure aims to reduce threats to public policy and internal security while allowing narrowly defined exceptions, such as for independent journalists and human rights defenders, ensuring consistent application across all EU member states and preventing circumvention.

The decision is based on a joint assessment by member states within local Schengen cooperation in Russia and must be endorsed by all member states in the Visa Committee.

Background:

• Some reports have suggested that the EU wants to tighten visa rules for Russians by the end of the week.
• The EU has already made it harder for Russians to obtain visas by suspending the visa facilitation agreement with Russia at the end of 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Several member states, including the Baltic states and Poland, have gone further by banning or severely restricting the entry of Russians.

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