EU countries failed to agree on a ban on issuing Schengen visas to Russians

At the same time, the EU will suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The fee for all applicants will increase from €35 to €80. It can also increase the processing time of a visa application.

Previously, Germany, France, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal opposed the idea of ​​an outright ban on permitting Russians to enter the EU. Germany and France issued a joint statement calling for extraditions of Russian citizens who are not associated with the authorities not to be restricted.

The main supporters of a complete ban on the issuance of visas to Russians in Schengen countries were the representatives of Finland, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and others.

In the European Union, there are “many ideas” about a visa regime with Russia under discussion. For example, it is proposed to exclude Russians under the age of 25 from all visa restrictions that are introduced as part of the sanctions against Russia.

• The draft resolution banning the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians was submitted for discussion to the European Union on August 10. The ban was supposed to affect the issuance of not only tourist visas, but also students, relatives of EU citizens.
• Stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians earlier requested the head of the Estonian government. According to Kai Kallas, visiting Europe is “a privilege, not a human right”.
• Some EU countries have stopped issuing visas to Russians, including the Czech Republic, Belgium, Latvia and Lithuania.