Germany and France refused to impose a ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians

As Kommersant notes with reference to these statements, a complete ban on visas for Russians is unacceptable, but in each case a thorough check of the applicants' documents is required.

The authorities of both states believe that it is necessary to preserve the possibility of entry into the EU for scientists, professionals, representatives of the art world and other spheres, regardless of whether they have been subjected to political persecution in Russia.

The authorities of Germany and France fear that the introduction of a complete ban on visas for citizens of the Russian Federation could provoke an increase in nationalist sentiments.

“Our visa policy should… continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian citizens not affiliated with the Russian government,” the German-French joint statement quoted the publication as saying.

After the start of the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Europe imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation, which affected, among other things, the right of Russian citizens to travel within the EU. Thus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Estonia no longer issue visas to Russians. From September 1, Finland will significantly reduce the issuance of visas, while Denmark and the Netherlands have refused to issue short-term visas to Russians.

The European Commission said that the EU countries have the right to independently restrict the issuance of visas to Russian citizens, without waiting for a single ban at the EU level.