Four European nations that border Russia will take regional steps this month to restrict people from Russia from getting into Europe’s visa-free zone by land because they “are increasingly concerned about the substantial and developing inflow of Russian residents.”
“We believe this is turning into a severe hazard to our public safety and the general Schengen area,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated Thursday. “People are coming intending to undermine the safety of our countries.”
Poland and the three other Baltic nations — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have agreed on a common regional approach with the “political will and corporation aim to introduce temporary national measures for Russian residents holding EU visas.”
Such measures have to impact each of the four nations by Sept. 19.
“We emphasize that this isn’t an outright access ban and generally agreed valid exceptions will remain,” Kallas stated, including exceptions that consist of dissidents, humanitarian cases, family members and holders of residence permits, amongst others.
Travel to the European Union is a privilege, not a human right,” Kallas stated. It was “unacceptable that residents of the aggressor state can travel within the EU, even as at the same time people in Ukraine are being tortured and murdered.”
In Poland, one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, the authorities stated the aim was to “prevent direct threats to the general public order and safety.”
Kallas added that most visas issued to Russians had been given before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Estonia and Latvia border the Russian mainland, even as Lithuania and Poland share borders with Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad at the Baltic Sea.
At a European Union summit last month, the bloc’s 27 members were divided over whether to give a broad visa ban on Russian residents, torn between a desire to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and issues about punishing average Russians who won’t even assist his battle on Ukraine.
The EU already tightened visa regulations on Russian officials and businesspeople in May. However, Poland and the Baltic nations have called for a broader tourist ban. Germany and France are leading a push to tighten visa regulations on Russians instead of imposing an outright ban.
The four nations are EU members and a part of Europe’s tour zone referred to as the “Schengen area”, where people and items move freely among those nations without border checks.
