A number of European Union member states are pushing the European Commission to put forward legislation that makes it easier to deny tourist visas to Russian citizens over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden will put the issue on the table -- supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands as well as non-EU Schengen members Iceland and Norway -- when the bloc's interior ministers meet in Luxembourg for their regular monthly meeting on June 4.
Ahead of the meeting, these countries also wrote a letter to the European Commission expressing concerns.
Seen by RFE/RL, the text notes that it has been "deeply troubling to witness increasing numbers of Russian tourists enjoying leisure travel on European beaches and in European resorts while missiles and drones continue to strike civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
SEE ALSO:
Wider Europe Briefing: Why The EU Won't Name A Russia Envoy
"This is even more distressing given that thousands of unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children cannot return to their families."
The issue comes as EU statistics, seen by RFE/RL, show an increase in the issuance of Schengen zone tourist visas to Russians in 2025 to nearly 480,000, the most since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
No legislation is expected immediately, meaning no changes are likely ahead of the summer season, when most tourist visas are issued. Instead, the hope is that a proposal will come later this year to be adopted in 2027.
But this will be far from straightforward.
The three EU member states that issue the most tourist visas to Russians are France, Italy, and Spain -- countries where tourism contributes considerably to the national economies.
While a potential EU law only needs a qualified majority, meaning 55 percent of EU member states representing 65 percent of the bloc's total population, the sheer size of this trio put together means they only need one more member state to block any proposed measure.
What could happen instead is that general legislation would be put forward making it possible for member states -- have broad autonomy on national issues -- to deny tourist visas to citizens of any country that violates human rights. This move would, in other words, not specifically mention or single out Russia.
SEE ALSO:
Wider Europe Briefing: Stopping Former Russian Soldiers From Entering The EU
So far, the European Commission has only issued guidelines to member states on limiting nonessential travel into the EU by Russian citizens.
Countries neighboring Russia such as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania have already used these guidelines to almost completely stop issuing visas to Russians with the exemption of humanitarian visas for opposition journalists and politicians, civil society activists, and people with specific medical needs.
It is these guidelines that the countries authoring the letter now hope to turn into something more coherent, such as EU-wide legislation.
"The uneven implementation of these guidelines across Member States leaves much to be desired, as it lacks both solidarity and consistency. It also risks placing Member States in unequal economic positions," they wrote in the paper.
SEE ALSO:
EU To Sanction More Russians Over Deportation Of Ukrainian Children
It also adds that "a situation in which Member States apply fundamentally different approaches to the issuance of visas for non-essential travel not only leads to visa shopping but also constitutes a security risk for the entire Schengen area."
In the autumn of 2022, the EU also made it harder for Russians to enter the bloc by indefinitely suspending the visa facilitation agreement between Brussels and Moscow that had been regulating travel rules since 2007.
The suspension meant that multiple entry visas should no longer be issued, that the visa fee was increased from around 35 euros up to 90 euros and that more documentation and longer processing times were introduced.
In a separate but related move, Estonia is alsopushingother EU member states to try to ban Russian veterans of the Ukraine war from entering the Schengen zone by drawing up extensive blacklists that should be subject to Europe-wide entry bans.
EU States Push For Tougher Rules To Deny Russians Tourist Visas
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
Follow usFacebook
X (Twitter)
Youtube
Instagram
Follow us
