The European Commission has approved a proposal to completely suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia.

This was announced by the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

“Russian citizens should not have easy access to the EU,” Johansson said at a press conference in Brussels.

According to a European official, "there is currently no basis for trust and for a privileged relationship between the EU and Russia."

Ylva Johansson said that the European Commission is waiting for the approval of this decision by the EU Council within a week and that a new visa regime for Russia will be established by September 12.

The European Commissioner added that now the procedure for obtaining visas to the EU will cost more and take longer.

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EU countries will have the right to refuse to issue visas to citizens of the Russian Federation, who, in the opinion of these countries, will pose a threat to their security.

Johansson also said that EU members will be able to review the status of visas already issued to Russians.

“With the suspension of the visa facilitation agreement, as well as taking into account the recommendations that we are about to present, the EU member states have the opportunity to review all existing visas on new grounds,” she said.

Hard Mode


Details of the suspension of the simplified visa regime between the EU and Russia were published on the official website of the European Commission.

The message on the EC website notes that the suspension of the agreement is motivated by the growth of security threats for the union itself and its members individually in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

“This means that Russian citizens will no longer enjoy privileged access to the EU and will face a longer, costly and time-consuming visa application process,” the EC website reports.

In addition, EU countries will now “have broad discretion in the processing of Russian citizens' applications for short-stay visas and will be able to provide more thorough background checks for Russian citizens traveling to the EU.”

At the same time, a message on the EC website notes that access to the union will remain open to certain categories of citizens of the Russian Federation: journalists, "dissidents" and "representatives of civil society", as well as family members of citizens of EU countries.

However, most Russian citizens will now pay €80 instead of €35 for the visa procedure.

The processing time will increase from ten to 15 days, in some cases - up to 45. The list of required documents will be significantly expanded, and the process of obtaining multiple-entry visas will also be more difficult.

The visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia has been in force since 2007.

As of September 1, 2022, according to the EC, 963,000 Russian citizens have valid Schengen visas.

Ideological barrier

Recall that the issue of visa restrictions for Russians has been discussed in the West since the beginning of August.

At the end of the month, an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states was held in Prague, which was devoted to the issue of visa restrictions for Russian citizens.

Following its results, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced that the union would suspend the visa agreement, which has been in force since 2007. 

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At the same time, Borrell himself has previously stated that he opposes a complete visa ban on Russian citizens.

It was lobbied at the EU level by representatives of the Baltic states, as well as individual countries of Eastern and Northern Europe.

Later, Borrell explained that the EU does not want to deprive those Russian citizens who do not support the special operation in Ukraine from visiting the union.

On September 7, it became known that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had reached an agreement in principle to restrict the entry of Russians through the borders of Russia and Belarus.

This was reported in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.

Earlier, a meeting of representatives of the Baltic states took place, where they discussed additional visa restrictions for citizens of the Russian Federation.

According to the EU's Schengen border code, they can currently refuse entry to Russians with a visa for security reasons if they pose a "threat to public order, internal security, public health and international relations," writes the EURACTIV portal.

Closing policy 

The EU leadership decided to abolish the simplified visa regime in order to “make communication and contacts between Russia and Europe as difficult as possible,” said Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, in an interview with RT.

“When the visa facilitation agreement was signed in 2007, both sides were interested in developing bilateral relations, strengthening economic cooperation and contacts in other areas.

Now the European Commission is taking all measures to create obstacles to this and make the process of contacts with Europe for the citizens of the Russian Federation difficult and chaotic, ”the political scientist emphasized.

According to Nikolai Mezhevich, president of the Baltic Studies Association, the decision of the European Commission suggests that the EU wants to close itself off from Russia, just as the Soviet Union once closed off from Europe, to lower a new iron curtain.

“Decisions on the abolition of the simplified visa regime by the EU should have been expected.

In Soviet times, we were closed from Europe, and now it is closed from us.

This is a recognition of her ideological and moral defeat, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

The experts also stressed that the introduction of such a measure is another unsuccessful attempt to put pressure on the citizens of the Russian Federation in order to undermine the domestic political situation. 

Vladimir Olenchenko added that at the same time, the leaders of the union verbally oppose a complete visa ban and the closure of borders for Russian citizens.

Experts note that in this way the EU demonstrates "humanism", but only to certain categories of Russians, and does not formally block all channels of communication between Moscow and Europe.

In addition, such a move would create a precedent for the European Union itself, within which there are countries that are not members of the Schengen zone, Olenchenko explained. 

“The Schengen visa ensures unimpeded movement from one country to another within those EU countries that are parties to this agreement.

This is indeed within the competence of the European Commission.

But when the Schengen zone was created, no one canceled national visas, ”the political scientist said.

While at the level of the EU leadership it is announced that it will not completely close the borders for Russians, a number of the most anti-Russian countries - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland - are going to introduce their own restrictions at the regional level, Vladimir Olenchenko noted.

And the decision of the European Commission actually gives them carte blanche for this.

“Estonia has already banned Russians from entering its territory on any visas.

Balts, Finns, Danes and others can now fill in their visa application questionnaire with the question “How do you feel about Russia’s special operation in Ukraine?”

and based on your response deny or allow you entry.

Is it fair?

Of course not.

And any self-respecting person will simply turn around and will not request such a visa, ”concluded the political scientist.