The European Union intends to continue tightening visa policy for russian citizens.
As stated at a briefing by the official representative of the European Commission, Markus Lammert, Brussels is considering additional restrictions within the framework of the revision of the Visa Code, scheduled for early 2027.
This is reported by reporters of The Moscow Times.
"We will continue targeted measures to address security challenges posed by third countries," he said, noting that the EU shares the assessment that the participants in the invasion of Ukraine may pose a security threat, and they intend to respond to these risks.
Lammert recalled that since 2022 the European Union has taken "unprecedented measures": the visa facilitation agreement with russia was terminated, border controls were strengthened, and a ban on issuing multiple-entry visas to russians was introduced in 2025. As a result, he said, the annual volume of visas issued has decreased from 4 million in 2022 to approximately 500,000 at the moment.
On the eve, June 4, eleven Schengen countries - including the Baltic states, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, as well as non-EU countries Iceland and Norway - sent a letter to the European Commission calling for stricter entry rules for russian tourists.
The ministers pointed out that russians continue to travel to European resorts while Ukraine is under attack. They proposed enshrining mandatory measures in the Visa Code that would allow the bloc to "respond more effectively to hostile actions by third countries."
In particular, they are talking about extending the ban on multiple-entry visas to all russian citizens regardless of their place of residence, as well as creating mechanisms to identify combatants in order to restrict their entry.
According to Der Spiegel, back in March, the leaders of eight European countries, including Germany, Poland and Finland, advocated a ban on entry into the Schengen area for russians who participated in the war against Ukraine. They pointed to a "serious threat to internal security" and noted that more than 180,000 convicts had been sent to the front. Estonia has already introduced similar restrictions, including more than a thousand people on a stop list.
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