BRUSSELS —
The European Commission laid out Tuesday the new hurdles facing Russian
travelers seeking EU entry visas, in the latest punitive measures taken in
response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
اضافة اعلان
Ministers from EU
member states agreed last week to suspend the 2007 EU-Russia visa facilitation
deal, stopping short of an outright travel ban but asking Brussels to draw up
new rules.
On Tuesday, EU
home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson revealed the proposed new regime,
which is expected to win quick approval from member state capitals in the days
ahead.
Russians applying
for visas to enter the Schengen travel zone — 22
EU member states plus Norway,
Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein — will now pay a fee of 85 rather than
35 euros.
The standard
processing time for such a request will be extended from 10 to 15 days and in
some cases scrutiny will continue up until 45 days. Multiple-entry visas will
be restricted.
And applicants
will henceforth have to provide a longer list of documentary evidence to
support their bids.
The European
Commission will also propose that EU countries refuse to recognize Russian
passports issued in the occupied regions of Ukraine which Moscow is attempting
to annex.
“Russians should
not have easy access to the EU and travelling to the EU as a tourist is not a
human right,” Johansson said, promising greater security screening.
“Russia continues
to violate international law with its illegal military actions, committing
atrocities against
Ukrainians and undermining European and global security and
stability,” she said.
“Today’s proposal
shows a strong and united EU response. We will soon follow up with additional
guidelines to ensure enhanced scrutiny on visa applications and border crossings
by Russian citizens.”
Last week, Kremlin
spokesman
Dmitry Peskov admitted that the EU decision would make life more
difficult for Russian travelers and denounced: “Another ridiculous decision in
a series of ongoing absurdities.”
Some EU countries
bordering Russia — Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — have begun
to tighten border controls and had been calling for an outright visa ban.
But France and
Germany argued that continuing contacts between private Russian citizens and
democratic societies would remain valuable, and EU ministers settled on
suspending visa facilitation as a compromise.
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