According to the Schengen Borders Code, third-country nationals are denied entry on grounds of internal security, but such issues are decided on a case-by-case basis. This was announced by the European Commission (EC) on September 23.
“In accordance with the Schengen Borders Code, refusal of entry is legally possible on an individual basis, based on internal security and public order reasons,” said “RIA News” EC source.
However, according to him, access to the European Union should be provided for humanitarian reasons, as well as for human rights activists and journalists.
Since September 19, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland have introduced a ban on the entry of Russians with Schengen visas issued in other EU states. It was noted that Russian citizens visiting family members and for other reasons – humanitarian reasons and for dissidents – will be able to cross the borders. In addition, on September 22, the Delfi portal reported that Latvia would introduce a ban on the issuance of new long-term work visas for Russian citizens.
Earlier, on September 12, the visa facilitation agreement between Russia and the European Union was terminated. The document was signed 15 years ago. As a result, the cost of a visa has increased to €80 and the maximum processing time for applications has increased.
On September 19, UN Secretary General António Guterres called the decision of European countries on visa restrictions for Russians not a good idea.
On September 15, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on such actions by Western countries, stressed that the Europeans continue the destructive anti-Russian line.
The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, in an interview with Izvestia on September 6, expressed the opinion that the change in the EU visa regime with the Russian Federation was an imposed decision by “transatlantic brothers and sisters.”
A number of countries are imposing anti-Russian sanctions against the backdrop of a special operation carried out by Moscow since February 24 to protect the Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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