Russian asylum seekers’ flight opens another crack in EU

“The decision to hold such a meeting quickly demonstrates how seriously we take current events in Russia and Ukraine and our determination to coordinate an effective response,” the EU presidency said in a brief statement, without specifying the agenda or possible match results. Said. According to diplomatic sources, all issues will be on the table: new sanctions prepared by the European Commission until repeated Putin’s nuclear threat and possible Arrival of Russian refugees to the EU.

Five EU countries – baltic republics, Poland or Czech Republic– they already predicted that they would not open their doors to Russians fleeing military mobilization. “I understand that Russians are fleeing from Putin’s increasingly desperate decisions, but those who have fled their country because their own state does not want to fulfill the task entrusted to them do not meet the criteria for obtaining a humanitarian visa,” he said. The Czech Republic’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, on Thursday became the first country after the invasion to ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russians.

Finland, on the other hand, continues to keep its gates open – it shares a 1,300-kilometer border and eleven border crossings with Russia – and daily arrivals of Russian citizens have doubled since the announcement of the mobilization of reservists. “Fighters may have a well-founded fear of persecution or a risk of serious harm and may qualify for international protection. Applications should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. european asylum agency It is currently preparing “special guidelines” for Member States.

harsher penalties

And next week at Twenty-Seven’s table new sanctions It was declared against Russia by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The Community Executive has already started discussions with Member States – which will continue over the weekend – to design a new proposal that he can present next week, which will include: restrictions on exports of civilian technology. Five countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ireland – demand a strong hand from Brussels and propose a long list of bans, not just the export of products such as smartphones, computers, radios, lasers or cybersecurity systems.

These five countries are proposing to expand to include banking assets issued from the Swift payment communication system. Gazprombank (intermediary in gas payments), Alfa Bank, Tinkoff Bank and Rosbank. They also propose to ban it. diamond imports Coming from or committed in Russia – something countries like Belgium have so far resisted – and real estate sale To Russian citizens and companies, unless they have a residence or establishment permit in the EU.

In addition, they propose extending the ban on entry into European ports. boats chartered, chartered or operated by any Russian person or company; prevent European companies from providing any insurance services to the Russian government; Ban the use of antivirus technology developed by Kaspersky Lab, as well as new limitations on nuclear cooperation and energy-related details.