The European Commission commented on the ban on issuing visas to Russians

The European Union cannot completely ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russians, said European Commissioner for Security and Migration Magnus Brunner, speaking at a joint conference with Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.

"We have seen a fairly significant decrease in the issuance of visas in recent years, which is good. We went down from four million to... 500 thousand. ...As you know, visas are in the competence of the member states, so the European Union has no way to completely ban their issuance ... We see that in some member states the number (of visas issued to Russians) is growing slightly, and this worries us. We are in dialogue with these states about whether it is necessary or not," he said.

Brunner said that the European Commission will present a new visa strategy by the end of the year, but noted that this is more about the "migration part." According to him, the proposal is aimed at a "pan-European approach" towards illegal migrants.

Earlier, DPA and Politico reported that the European Union plans to tighten its visa policy towards Russians. According to the newspaper, the authorities are going to present "general recommendations", including stricter criteria for the entry of Russian citizens into the countries of the association.

In addition, visa restrictions may be included in the 19th package of EU sanctions, ANSA reported. We can talk about tightening the rules for issuing visas and banning Russian diplomats from moving freely in the Schengen area. Euractiv wrote that the option of a complete ban on the entry of Russian tourists is also being considered.

The EU suspended the simplified visa regime with Russia in 2022. Because of this, the visa fee has risen in price (from € 35 to € 80), the period of consideration of a visa application has increased (from ten to 15 days, in some cases it can be extended to 45 days). In 2024, Brussels as a whole increased the Schengen fee, so now it is € 90 for Russians, RBC reminds.