The European Commission is preparing new visa measures for Russians 0 8

The European Commission is considering the introduction of new visa issuance rules for Russian citizens. This was confirmed at a briefing in Brussels on Thursday, November 6, by the official representative of the agency, Markus Lammert.

"We never comment on leaks of information. But I can confirm that we are considering the introduction of additional measures and doing so in close cooperation with EU member states. As for additional information, I ask you to follow future decisions," Lammert stated.

An EU-wide visa ban would be impossible

In response to a question from a DW correspondent, he clarified that a general ban on visa issuance is not within the competence of the European Commission and would be impossible at the level of the entire bloc.

"Visa issuance and the consideration of each visa application fall under the competence of member states. But the European Commission can, if necessary, adopt more lenient or stricter visa issuance rules, for example, for multiple-entry visas, which must be adhered to by all Schengen zone consulates, always taking into account the migration and security risks of a specific country," Markus Lammert added.

Earlier, Politico reported on the EU's plans to ban the issuance of multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russian citizens in most cases. If such a decision is made, Russians will only be able to obtain single-entry visas, Politico indicated, citing three European officials. Exceptions will be made for those planning to come to Europe for humanitarian reasons, as well as for those who also hold citizenship of one of the EU countries, it was further stated. Such measures are being considered as a "punishment" for the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Previous tightening of visa regulations

In September 2022, a few months after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the European Union suspended the simplified visa regime with Russia, resulting in the visa fee increasing from 35 to 90 euros, and applications taking longer to process. Some European countries, including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, completely stopped issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens.

These restrictions and other sanctions have drastically reduced the number of Russians visiting the EU. In 2024, around 541,000 Russians visited EU countries, in 2023 - 517,000, and in 2021, a year before the war, over 4 million. In 2024, the majority of Schengen visas issued to Russians were granted by southern EU countries: Italy (over 152,000 visas), France (124,000), Spain (111,000), and Greece (almost 60,000). Among the leaders, as Politico reports, Hungary is also listed.