Pressures to prevent Russian tourists from entering the EU are growing – Germany is suspicious of a broad visa ban

In recent days, representatives of more and more countries have demanded that the EU stop issuing tourist visas to Russians because of the war in Ukraine.

Foreign minister of the current EU presidency in the Czech Republic Jan Lipavsky said (you switch to another service) on Wednesday to a local news agency that ending the issuance of visas to Russians would be an effective sanction against Russia.

Lipavský plans to raise the matter at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague at the end of August.

The Czech Republic does not currently issue visas to Russians for non-humanitarian reasons.

On Thursday, the Latvian parliament approved a statement declaring Russia a terrorist-supporting state and demanding that the EU stop issuing tourist visas to Russians and Belarusians.

Latvia currently does not grant visas to Russians except in exceptional cases, as do the other Baltic countries, i.e. Estonia and Lithuania.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia gave a statement to that “the EU should prevent Russian and Belarusian citizens from traveling to Europe” because Russia is attacking Ukraine and Belarus is supporting the attack.

Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkevičs has repeatedly demanded that the issuance of tourist visas be restricted throughout the EU.

– Traveling to Europe or any civilized country is not an inherited and divine right for Russians, but a privilege. Russians should not be allowed to enjoy it as Russia continues its offensive, Rinkēvičs said Thursday On Twitter (you will switch to another service).

Germany, the EU’s most populous country, is clearly less enthusiastic about the introduction of a broad visa ban than many other member states.

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that the EU has approved and plans to maintain very far-reaching sanctions that affect, among other things, Russian oligarchs and power supporters.

– The effectiveness of these measures would be weakened if they were aimed at everyone, including completely innocent people, Scholz said at the press conference.

The German government emphasizes that the most important thing for Germany is to find common rules of the game at the EU level and that the meeting of foreign ministers in Prague is a guide in this regard.

Spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry Andrea Sasse says that the visa ban would differ from previous sanctions targeted at individuals.

– It would not only include tourists, but also, for example, pupils, students, family members of EU citizens and Russian citizens living in the EU. At the moment, the visa ban is very hypothetical, says Sasse in an email reply to .

At the beginning of the week, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi demanded Western countries to completely ban Russians from traveling.

The president said of the Washington Post (you will switch to another service) in an interview that Russians should be banned from traveling for a year. Zelenskyi added that Russians could live in their own world until they change their philosophy.

Russia has criticized plans to limit the issuance of visas to Russians.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Zelensky’s comments absurd. Peskov said that the attempt to isolate Russia or the Russians will not succeed.

Prime minister Sanna Marin (sd.) would limit the travel of Russians in Finland and other EU countries by expanding the common sanctions of the Union.

– It is not right that at the same time as Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists, Marin said in an interview with on Monday.

In Finland, the discussion about Russian tourists intensified after Russia relaxed the corona restrictions on travel in July. More tourists from Russia started coming to Finland than before.

In the last week of July, approximately 21,500 Russians arrived in Finland through the border crossing points in Southeastern Finland. The number is small when compared to the time before the pandemic.

Many Russians continue their journey from Finland to other places. Russians must apply for a Schengen visa from the country that is the main destination of the trip.

About a third of the Russians who came to Finland at the end of July had visas issued by Finland.

Government of Estonia decided (you switch to another service) on Thursday will further limit the issuance of visas to Russians. Estonia suspends issuing visas to Russians for work, study and business.

In addition, Estonia prevents Russians whose Schengen visa Estonia has issued from entering the country.

Russians can still enter Estonia with visas issued by other Schengen countries, such as Finland.

The Schengen area includes all EU countries except Cyprus, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Ireland. Non-EU countries in Schengen include Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Estonia plans to propose a common EU visa and entry ban for Russian tourists later this month.

Foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu justifies the visa ban with Russian aggression.

– Allowing hundreds of thousands of Russians to admire the Louvre, the Brandenburg Gate or Tallinn’s Old Town is morally unsustainable in a situation where their tax funds are used to pay for the bombs that maim Ukrainian children, Reinsalu says in an interview with .

Denmark’s position is somewhat milder: the country is ready to discuss the issue. Denmark hopes for a common European solution to the possible visa ban.

– The Danish government naturally listens to all proposals for sanctions that can be imposed on Russia attacking Ukraine. However, Denmark should not act alone, says the Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration Arch Dybvad Bek in his statement.

Although Russians visit Denmark, most tourists come from Germany, Norway, Holland and Sweden. Therefore, the topic is not quite as acute as in Russia’s border neighbors.

In some European countries, citizens are even less concerned about a possible visa ban for Russians than in Denmark.

In France, the National Assembly is on vacation and political life is quiet, so there is no talk of tightening the entry regulations in the country. When it comes to visas and limiting tourism, even in France there has been talk of Finland and Estonia.

The subject is hardly talked about in the Spanish media either. The visa situation in Finland and Estonia has been reported, but Spain’s position has not been mentioned.

In many countries, the number of Russian tourists has already collapsed, because after Russia attacked Ukraine, the EU closed its airspace to Russian air traffic.

Russian tourists currently have to fly to destinations in Southern Europe, for example, via Turkey or Serbia.

One of the most popular holiday destinations for Russians in Europe has been Cyprus. Also, only a handful of Russian tourists have visited there this summer.

In the past, hundreds of thousands of Russians visited Cyprus every year. Before the corona pandemic, in 2019, 782,000 Russians visited Cyprus, and in 2021, despite the corona restrictions, 520,000.

Another favorite destination for Russians in Europe is Italy. A drop in Russian tourists has also been noticed there this summer. This particularly affects, for example, Sardinia and Sicily, where the importance of Russian tourists has been relatively large, but at the same time to the rest of Italy (you switch to another service).