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Guest selection: EU countries simplify the issuance of "Schengen" to tourists from Russia
Belgium is ready to resume issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens in the event of an increase in the embassy staff, Izvestia found out. Earlier, Slovak visa centers resumed accepting documents from Russians. Currently, only 11 European countries do not issue a tourist "Schengen" to Russian citizens. Norway and the Netherlands do not intend to abandon the restrictions yet. At the same time, the Czech Republic may be the next to resume issuing visas if the opposition wins the October elections, experts say. The demand for trips to Europe among Russians has increased by 30% this year. Is it possible to say that the easing of visa restrictions means progress in relations between the Russian Federation and the EU — in the Izvestia article.
Which EU countries will resume issuing tourist visas to Russians
Belgium is ready to resume issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, but for this it is necessary to increase the embassy staff, the diplomatic mission of the kingdom in Moscow told Izvestia.
— The Belgian Embassy is currently unable to process all categories of visa applications. For example, a tourist visa is not included in this list. This lack of opportunities was caused by the decision of the Russian government to declare a significant part of the staff of the Belgian Embassy persona non grata. In this regard, the embassy had to suspend the processing of certain categories of visa applications. These are not sanctions against Russian citizens, but rather the result of a lack of opportunities caused by the decisions of the Russian authorities. We hope that one day we will be able to resume processing documents for all categories of visas," the Belgian diplomats told Izvestia.
We are talking about the mutual expulsion of diplomats in 2022, after the start of the conflict. In May of that year, a group of 12 employees declared persona non grata by the Russian Foreign Ministry left Russia. Such measures were taken in response to the expulsion of 21 employees of the Russian embassy in Belgium, whom Brussels considered to be involved in espionage activities.
Slovakia recently resumed issuing tourist visas to Russians. Of course, the country's leadership, represented by Prime Minister Robert Fico, is considered very loyal to the Russian Federation and even conducts a direct dialogue with Moscow, unlike many of his colleagues. Nevertheless, Bratislava formally supports sanctions against the Russian Federation, having adopted the last, 18th package of restrictions. Currently, Slovak visa centers accept documents in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Both Belgium and Slovakia are on the list of EU countries that have stopped issuing tourist "Schengen" to Russian citizens in 2022. These also include Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, the Czech Republic and Estonia. Restrictions against Russians were supported in Iceland and Norway, which are part of the Schengen area and coordinate their foreign policy with Brussels. At the same time, the European Commission has not completely banned the issuance of tourist visas, but has tightened the application review process.
Norway has no plans yet to reconsider the decision to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians, State Secretary of the kingdom's Foreign Ministry Eyvind Vad Petersson told Izvestia. He noted that Oslo coordinates its policy in this area with the EU.
— There are currently no plans to ease restrictions on the issuance of visas for tourist and other non-essential trips. These measures will remain in effect until further notice," a Norwegian official told Izvestia.
The Netherlands also does not intend to reconsider its decision to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians, the country's embassy in Moscow told Izvestia.
The simplified visa regime between the Russian Federation and the EU was launched in 2007. According to the European Commission, Russians received 3.6 million Schengen visas in 2018, more than citizens of any other country. After the start of the CBR in 2022, the conditions for obtaining a document have become tougher.: The service fee increased from €35 to €80, and the delivery time increased from 10 to 15 and even 45 days.
At that time, the share of refusals to Russian citizens for a Schengen visa increased sharply, from 1.5% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2022. But Russia is still among the top five countries in terms of the number of applications for Schengen: according to the EC, in 2024, the total number of applications from Russians amounted to about 606 thousand.
At the same time, the demand for trips to Europe is only growing — by a third this year. This is facilitated by the strengthening of the ruble and an increase in the number of connecting flights, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, told Izvestia.
— More than 50% of visas are issued only for the duration of the trip. Only 40% are multivisa, but if they used to be five—year, now they are mostly for three to six months. The demand for tourist trips to Europe has increased by 30% this year," Gorin said.
Against this background, the EU has increased the number of visas issued to Russians: in 2024, they received 25% more "shengens" than a year earlier — only about 540-560 thousand. At the same time, the bounce rate decreased to 7.5%.
It is worth noting that EU countries that have not stopped issuing travel visas to Russians are restoring the work of their visa centers. For example, in July, after several years of interruption, the Portuguese visa application center in Rostov-on-Don began accepting documents again.
Will relations between Russia and the EU improve
However, the increase in the number of trips and the resumption of issuing tourist visas by individual countries do not mean the restoration of relations between Russia and the EU. Now they are objectively at the lowest level: Moscow did not even appoint a new head of the diplomatic mission in Brussels after the end of the work of permanent representative Vladimir Chizhov in 2022.
Brussels, on the other hand, shows no signs of readiness for dialogue. The 19th package of sanctions against Russia is currently being discussed in the EU, and for the first time it may include secondary restrictions against buyers of Russian energy resources. The EU is also considering the possibility of confiscating frozen gold and foreign exchange reserves of the Russian Federation. Kaya Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, who holds one of the most radical positions towards the Russian Federation, is currently at the head of European diplomacy.
Visa restrictions are also part of the policy of pressure on Russia. The EU hoped that the discontent of Russian citizens would result in anti-government actions, Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia.
"These restrictions did not play a significant role for the citizens of our country, but only strengthened the understanding of hostility from the EU countries not just towards Russia as a state, but towards specific Russian citizens," the political scientist noted.
Some politicians propose to strengthen restrictions against Russians. For example, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called for a ban on the free movement of diplomats from Russia in the Schengen area. He proposed to include this measure in the 19th package of sanctions. If this initiative is implemented, Russia will take appropriate measures, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The building of the Consular department of the Russian Embassy in Prague
The EU will not soften restrictions against Russia until the Ukrainian conflict is fully resolved, Stanislav Tkachenko, Doctor of Economics and expert at the Valdai Club, said in an interview with Izvestia. The actions of the EU countries will depend on the governments that are in power. For example, in October, in the elections in the Czech Republic, there is a possibility of victory for forces led by Andrei Babis, who advocate normalization of relations with the Russian Federation.
— Sooner or later, there will be a sobering up of European countries and the abolition of these measures. But in the short term, this is only possible in the Czech Republic," Shapovalov said.
Therefore, a full-fledged easing of visa restrictions on Russian citizens is unlikely in the long term. And even the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis in this matter may not help. There are extremely anti-Russian politicians in the leadership, therefore, after a peaceful settlement, they probably will not immediately go to ease or lift sanctions, experts warn.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
