European Union countries agreed this Wednesday suspend all visa facilitation agreements with Russia, This will mean a significant reduction in the number of EU entry permits for Russian citizens and more barriers to obtaining these permits.
“Member States think they can’t go on as if nothing had happened. We agreed politically that something had to be done.”EU Foreign Policy High Representative Josep Borrell announced in his statements after the informal meeting in Prague, where the 27 gave the green light for visa restriction to Russian tourists.
As the head of European diplomacy explained, with this step getting a visa will be “harder and longer”. Noting that there is a common approach in the EU that will prevent Russian citizens from taking advantage of the lack of coordination between countries to obtain travel permits, he said, “The number of visas will be reduced.”
In addition, for previously issued visas, Member States decided to commission the European Commission to examine the situation and propose a set of guidelines to accept possible restrictions.. “There is a common understanding that they also need to be addressed, and this situation needs a joint approach,” Borrell said.