EU toughens travel rules for Russia; agree to suspend visa travel deal amid Ukraine war

In the wake of Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has decided to suspend the visa travel agreement with Moscow to reduce the number of Russian citizens travelling to Europe. Prague organised an informal gathering of EU Foreign Ministers on August 30 and 31 where the ministers addressed and discussed two topics; the relationship between the EU and Africa and Russian aggression toward Ukraine. The principal result of the meeting was an agreement among the Foreign Ministers of the Member States to suspend the visa facilitation accord. 

The decision now makes it simpler for Russian people to get Schengen visas. Jan Lipavský, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, said, “In terms of our relations with Russia, we cannot continue as before. We have made progress at the meeting of foreign ministers and want to fully suspend the agreement that allows the simplified issuing of visas to citizens of the Russian Federation.” 

Furthermore, Minister Lipavsk stressed that there must also be a mutual understanding among the Member States. He even emphasised that northern countries are facing issues that directly border Russia and that they are witnessing an increasing influx of Russian citizens. On the other hand, the opinions of the various Member States on the matter differ. According to him, it is crucial that the European Commission and other EU institutions develop a proposal that takes these many factors into account.

According to The Guardian report, in Prague, the 27 Foreign Ministers of the EU made the commitment to halt the '2007 visa facilitation' deal with Russia.  

Further, it is pertinent to mention that after Russian troops attacked Ukraine in the month of February, the bloc immediately stopped the visa facilitation deal for Russia's officials and businesspeople, however, regular Russian citizens were still permitted to visit the EU for vacation or other purposes. 

EU has a high degree of autonomy when it comes to granting visas: Borrell

At the news conference, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, underlined that the EU Member States already have a high degree of autonomy when it comes to granting visas for entrance into their own territory. "Member States have wide discretion in regulating their visa policies. Every Member State can thus also adopt and implement national measures in connection with the issuing of visas,” he added.

In addition to this, the informal deal was reached on August 31, Wednesday, which still requires to be formalised within EU legislation. Furthermore, as per The Guardian report, it has been unclear when the suspension would take effect. Borrell even highlighted that obtaining a visa from an EU member state would become more challenging and take longer for Russians. He asserted that the number of new travel papers would decline "substantially". 

Following the invasion, tens of thousands of Russians fled their country; however, some of them later came back as a result of strained family relationships and the practicality of migration during a period of financial restrictions, The Guardian reported. 

According to the border agency Frontex, since Russia invaded Ukraine, up to 1 million Russians have crossed into the EU through land border crossing points. Most Russians had dual nationality, residence permits, or visas when they arrived from Finland and Estonia. After the European skies were closed to almost all Russian aircraft as a result of EU sanctions, it is believed that they were adopting other travel routes. 

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, advocated for a travel restriction in an August 8 interview with the Washington Post, saying that Russians should "live in their own world until they change their philosophy." However, t his demand has been considered "irrational" by the Kremlin. 

(Image: AP)