On Wednesday, August 31, EU foreign ministers decided to suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, but stopped short of a broader visa ban, as some member states had called for.
Josep Borel said that the ministerial meeting in Prague agreed that relations with Moscow.could not remain unchanged” and that the agreement, which was signed in 2007, should have been “is completely suspended“. After an informal meeting in Prague, he said the suspension would lead to visas for Russian citizens.more difficult“and”longer“. “This will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by EU member states“, he added.
Condescending to eastern EU members who had called for tougher measures, Josep Borrell said countries bordering Russia “can take measures at the national level to restrict access to the European Union“. However, he clarified that these measures must comply with the rules of the Schengen zone and emphasized the importance that members of Russian civil society can continue to travel to the European Union.
Ahead of the meeting, Poland and three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) said they were considering banning Russian travelers if the EU did not as a whole. In a joint statement obtained by AFP, the four countries said the suspension of the deal “a necessary first step“. “But we must sharply limit the number of visas issued, especially tourist visas, in order to reduce the flow of Russian citizens to the European Union and the Schengen area.“, they added. They emphasized that this measure should have exceptions.for dissidents as well as other humanitarian cases“.
“Until such measures are taken at EU level, we will (…) consider temporary visa bans or border crossing restrictions at national level for citizens holding European visas.“We read in the statement written in English.
Source: Le Figaro
