The EU’s migration chief, Ylva Johansson, has expressed concerns about how ‘generous’ the EU countries were with Russian nationals in 2023 while there are increasingly growing security threats in the Schengen Area.
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Russians were granted 448,890 visas in 2023, despite there being a significant drop in the number of applications they filed for Schengen visas during the same period, which was the following year after the war in Ukraine, Schengen.News reports.
The EU chief, who will be substituted by Magnus Brunner next month, has criticised the EU countries, saying the EU’s Russian visa guidelines have to be tighter, and it is no time to be ‘soft’, as several potential security threats have occurred in the recent years.
Since 2022, several potential national security threats have been identified, including sabotage, espionage, arson attacks and assassination plots. In order to avoid any security threat, the Chief revealed she had initiated a review of the Russian visa guidelines, but there will not be enough time to finalise it unless her successor decides to implement it.
Several Countries Are Pushing for Joint EU Travel Ban on Russian Diplomats, but Germany & France Oppose
During its EU presidency in 2022, Czechia proposed that the EU stop granting visas to Russian diplomats and their family members, especially due to security concerns. Currently, Russian envoys and their family members enjoy the benefits of travelling to the Schengen Area, while Russian nationals have faced tighter restrictions.
Nine countries have supported the proposal, including the Netherlands and Baltic countries, but two very influential countries are standing in the way of the plan to be implemented.
Germany and France oppose the plan to ban Russian envoys in the Schengen Area, citing concerns that they could put to danger hundreds of their citizens who are on a diplomatic mission in Russia.
In addition, Germany believes it is better to maintain dialogue and diplomatic relations with Russia, even amid tensions, than to have no communication bridges.
On the other hand, Russian authorities have been granting a record-low number of diplomatic visas to EU representatives, with this number reaching 447 in 2023. Austrian and Romanian diplomats were granted visas more frequently compared to other envoys.
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-needs-to-tighten-visa-policies-for-russians-amid-growing-security-fears-eu-migration-chief-says/
