The head of the European Union's migration service, Ylva Johansson, said that the European Union is likely to tighten restrictions on issuing visas to russian citizens. According to her, russians traveling through the Schengen zone pose a serious threat to European security.
"According to data for 2023, about 450,000 Schengen visas were issued to russian citizens. Although this figure is significantly lower than before the war in Ukraine, it is still quite high, which is worrying," Johansson explained.
She recalled the frequent cases of sabotage and espionage on European territory, as well as the recent attempt by russian special services to assassinate the head of the German arms concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger.
"Now is not the time to be soft. It could undermine the security of the entire Schengen area," she said (quoted by The Guardian).
Johansson, who is leaving her post this month, also expressed concern that not all EU member states apply the unified standards when considering russian visa applications. She said she had initiated a process to review the regulations, but the final decision would be made by her successor, Magnus Brunner.
After vladimir putin's decision to start a full-scale war in Ukraine, a number of European countries effectively closed entry to russians. In particular, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, as well as the Czech Republic, which borders russia, did this. Some stopped issuing short-term tourist visas, while others not allowed russians to enter their territory even with already issued Schengen visas.
European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in September that the European Union intends to tighten control over the issuance of visas to russians, emphasizing that russia's actions pose a threat to the security of the union.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.