The Czech government will come up with a proposal to suspend visa facilitation agreements with Russia and Belarus at a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Prague next week. This was announced on Thursday, August 25, by the agency Bloomberg with reference to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky.
It is clarified that this step is not a ban on tourists, which was called for by EU members, including Estonia. This will still allow Russians and Belarusians to apply for short-term entry, but visa processing times will be increased, more documents will be required and costs will increase from €35 to €80. The Czech proposal could be a compromise solution for the EU countries, which are divided on the issue of visa restrictions for Russians.
According to agency sources, a tough debate is expected in Prague over the scope of the restrictions. Germany, Austria and southern EU countries that rely on tourism are likely to move away from them. One official said that the complete abolition of the visa facilitation agreement was a first step, but Estonia would like to demand more at the EU level.
The proposal to ban the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens was submitted for discussion in the EU on 10 August. The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western countries to close entry for Russians. He added that Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”
On August 11, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that he could hardly imagine a ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens.
On August 19, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry opposed the ban on issuing visas to Russians to enter the EU countries. At the same time, Portugal intends to take part in the discussion of visa restrictions against Russia at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague, which is to be held on August 30-31.
On August 22, the head of the European Union’s foreign service, Josep Borrell, did not support a complete ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians. He called the decision “not a very good idea”.
On August 23, it was reported that the Baltic countries, as well as Poland and Finland, could introduce a regional ban on the entry of citizens from Russia into their territories, even despite the general decision of the European Union on this issue.
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