The European Commissioner announced strict restrictions on visas for Russians
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The European Union will introduce strict visa restrictions for Russian citizens. It is planned to issue visas only for journalists and for family travel, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said during her visit to the Nuijamaa border crossing on the Finnish-Russian border.
“There is no longer any reason to trust the Russians. Russians cannot be tourists in the EU, this is a privilege. And we no longer want to give this privilege to the Russians, ”Johansson emphasized (quote according to RIA Novosti).
She clarified that the restrictions will come into force on September 12. According to her, from now on, visas will be issued only to journalists, as well as to Russians who travel to Europe for family reasons or for humanitarian reasons.
Earlier today, the EU Council finally He has made a decision to completely suspend the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia. The restrictive measure will come into force on September 12. The visa fee will be increased from €35 to €80 and additional documents will be required to apply for a visa. In addition, the period for making a decision on issuing a visa will increase to 15 days, in some cases it will be 45 days.
The decision to abandon the simplified visa regime with Russia in the EU was made following an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers, which took place on August 31 in Prague. At the same time, the Baltic countries, as well as Poland and Finland, insisted on a complete halt in the issuance of visas for Russians. However, a number of countries, including Germany, Greece and France, opposed this initiative.
Later, the foreign ministers of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia said they intended to take additional measures on their own. So, on the eve of the government of Poland and the Baltic countries agreed restrictions on the entry of Russians into the Schengen area through their land borders. The restrictions will come into effect after September 19.
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