Individual European countries have already imposed an entry ban for Russian citizens. Other countries continue to discuss similar measures. However, opponents warn of collective liability in the Ukraine war.
Because of the Ukraine war, the EU is arguing about a possible entry ban for Russian vacationers. While Estonia and Finland have submitted, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Austrian government warn against holding Russians collectively liable. The EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue in Prague on Tuesday.
Why is?
Ukraine has called on the EU to close its borders to Russians. “The Russians massively support the war and applaud the rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities and the murder of Ukrainians,” criticized Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Who supports the initiative?
The EU countries Estonia, Latvia and Finland have announced or already implemented extensive entry bans for Russians. “Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin called it “unfair” that Russians can vacation in Europe “while Russia is killing people in Ukraine.”
Visa stop for Russians: Some countries have already implemented it
Individual German politicians are also in favor of the visa freeze – according to CSU European politician and head of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber. He called it “hard to imagine that we have refugees from Ukraine and Russians enjoying life here at the same time”.
What are the critics saying?
Chancellor Scholz warned that a general visa ban for Russians would also affect “completely innocent people” and not just supporters of the war. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called it “not a good idea” to indiscriminately deny entry to Russians.
When asked by AFP, the Austrian Foreign Ministry said that with a general visa freeze, “existing contacts with Russian civil society would hardly be possible.” In addition, the advance in the efforts against Russian disinformation is “counterproductive”. Because in the EU, Russians could find out what their military is really doing in Ukraine.
How many Russians are we talking about anyway?
The Estonian radio station ERR, citing the EU border protection agency Frontex, reports that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 there have been almost a million legal entries by Russian citizens into the EU. Around 60 percent of them were made via the neighboring EU countries Estonia and Finland.
Which visas are under review?
It’s all about Schengen visas, which 22 of the 27 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein issue for the common area without border controls. This allows visa holders to stay in the territory of all member states for up to 90 days. In addition, the individual EU states can also issue national visas for longer stays. Last year, 536,000 Russians applied for Schengen visas, only three percent were rejected.
How can the rejection be justified?
A visa application can be rejected, for example, if forged documents are presented or if travelers “pose a threat to public order, internal security (…) or the international relations of one or more member states”, as stated on a foreign website official means.
Would the visa freeze also hit Kremlin critics?
According to the proponents, this is not the intention. Exceptions are planned for Russian dissidents and workers and students who want to come to the EU. The Russians mainly responsible for the Ukraine war are considered undesirables in the EU anyway: the member countries have imposed entry bans on more than 1,200 people. One of them is President Vladimir Putin.
Source: Stern
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