This agreement, concluded in 2007, made it easier for Russian nationals to obtain their visas for the European Union.
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Posted on 08/31/2022 4:18 PM Updated on 08/31/2022 4:56 PM
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An agreement was reached. European Union foreign ministers decided on Wednesday (31 August) to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which will make it more difficult and time-consuming for Russian citizens to obtain visas, the head of European diplomacy said.
Josep Borrell said the ministerial meeting in Prague had agreed that relations with Moscow “cannot remain unchanged” due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the deal should be “completely suspended”. After the outbreak of the conflict, this agreement was partially suspended by the EU for certain Russian citizens associated with the regime (official delegations, holders of diplomatic passports, business leaders, etc.), but the others continued to benefit from it.
Josep Borrell made a concession to eastern EU members who had called for tougher measures, saying that countries bordering Russia “can take measures at the national level to restrict entry into the European Union”. However, he clarified that these measures should be in line with the rules of the Schengen area and stressed the importance of allowing members of Russian civil society to continue to travel to the European Union.
Earlier in the day, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had considered that the suspension would be “a necessary first step” but that it was necessary “to drastically limit the number of visas issued, especially tourist visas, in order to keep the river flowing.” to reduce Russian citizens to the EU and the Schengen area”.