Berlin proposed to cancel the simplified issuance of visas to Russians

Germany advocates the abolition of the simplified procedure for issuing Schengen visas to Russians. This statement was made by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock before an informal summit of EU foreign ministers in Prague, according to the German newspaper Taglicher Anzeiger. “My proposal would be… to suspend the agreement [ЕС и России] on a simplified visa regime to no longer issue multi-year visas, to enable States that are particularly affected by this issue to check exactly for what purposes this visa will be issued,” Burbock explained.

According to the minister, the abolition of multi-year visas and the simplified procedure for issuing them could be a compromise solution for EU countries that have different points of view on this problem. For example, the Baltic countries propose to ban the issuance of all visas, except for humanitarian, the Netherlands – tourist. “I am sure that in Prague we will be able to find a good solution,” she assured. Separately, the minister mentioned that the German government is very attentive to the position of opponents of the special military operation in Russia and does not want to deprive them of the opportunity to move to Europe.

In addition to the Burbock proposal, a variety of ideas regarding visas for Russians are being discussed in the EU.

As EUOberserver reported on August 30, citing sources in the structures of the European Union, the meeting in Prague will not make a final decision on visas, only a “green light” will be given to develop it. “There are many ideas. It may be that in the end only certain categories of Russians will be affected. Or that in the future the number of tourist visas issued by the EU per year may be limited,” an unnamed European diplomat told the publication. Another interlocutor said that the leadership of the union is putting pressure on the member states, demanding that Russian youth be removed from the restrictions. “There is a kind of obsession in EU decision-making circles with Russian youth – people under 25,” he stressed.

Earlier, the idea of ​​a total ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians was criticized by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. “I don’t think that breaking off relations with the civilian population of Russia will help, and I don’t think that this idea will have the necessary unanimous support,” he said on August 29.

If the European Union implements Burbock’s proposal, then Russian citizens will face new difficulties in obtaining Schengen visas, Germanist Alexander Kamkin explains. Those wishing to enter the EU will be examined more closely.

The number of visas issued per month may be limited, some visa centers will be closed, and their working days will be reduced. In addition, the visa fee will increase from 30-25 euros to 70-80 euros, adds Kamkin. The issuance time will also increase – if earlier a visa was made in 3-4 days, now you have to wait 2-3 weeks.

The expert also suggests that Russians will be required to provide additional paperwork during registration, for example, a bank statement on financial solvency. At the same time, one can hope that countries like Germany will not force Russians to condemn the NWO in writing in order to obtain a visa. Kamkin recalls that this practice has already appeared in the Baltic states.

Burbock’s initiative may calm the EU countries arguing about the visa problem for a while, says Artem Sokolov, a researcher at the Center for European Studies at MGIMO. Those who opposed tough measures against Russia – mainly the Eastern European and Baltic states – can be satisfied with such a decision. As a result of such a policy, the number of Russian tourists in Europe will indeed decrease, as visas will become more expensive and take longer to produce, and additional paperwork will be needed to obtain them.

At the same time, adds Sokolov, the position of Berlin and Brussels in relation to Russian youth is curious. Even in the coalition agreement of the German government, a clause on the simplified issuance of visas for young people from Russia was stipulated. Now Germany is trying to promote it, but in a different wrapper, and is offering to exempt young people from new visa restrictions. Thus, the expert says, with one hand the EU countries are trying to punish the population of Russia for supporting the government and the NWO, and with the other – to tear the youth away from this very government.