European Union prepares to tighten visa rules for Russian tourists
Aiming to enhance security measures, the European Union is calling on member states to implement stricter measures in visa processes for Russian citizens.
In the face of rising security concerns and hybrid attack threats, the European Union is preparing to revise visa rules for Russian citizens visiting as tourists.
New tightening steps in visa rules
In order to strengthen its security against hybrid attacks, the European Union is preparing to tighten visa rules for hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens visiting member states.
EU Commission proposal expected by early 2027
According to Politico, citing EU officials, the EU Commission is planned to submit an official legislative proposal on this matter at the beginning of 2027.
Travel trends and official assessments
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner emphasized that while a decrease was initially observed in the number of Russian citizens receiving visas, this trend is no longer continuing.
Brunner pointed out that the true identities of tourists cannot be fully known and demanded that member states issue fewer visas.
Diplomat restrictions at Luxembourg meeting
Some EU countries are expected to bring up the issue at the upcoming EU Foreign Ministers Meeting in Luxembourg, proposing increased restrictions on Russian diplomats.
Calls for harsher measures by member states
A group of countries including Poland, Sweden, and Estonia want the rules to be made even stricter for all Russian citizens, including former soldiers who have served in the war in Ukraine.
Visa statistics by year
Last year, approximately 478,000 Schengen area tourist visas were issued to Russian citizens, whereas this figure reached approximately 4 million annually prior to 2022.