The EU’s prime official in migration has mentioned she is anxious concerning the bloc’s visa coverage that allowed almost 450,000 Russians to go to Europe final yr.
Ylva Johansson, who’s standing down because the EU’s migration and residential affairs commissioner on the finish of the month, advised journalists the EU’s Russian visa pointers may have to turn into “a bit sharper”.
In 2023, states in Europe’s border-free Schengen zone issued 448,890 visas to Russian nationals, a drastic discount after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however, Johansson mentioned, nonetheless “a big quantity, in order that considerations me”.
She is apprehensive about potential safety threats within the context of mounting circumstances of sabotage and espionage, together with arson assaults, the posting of incendiary units, and an assassination plot focusing on the pinnacle of a German defence firm.
Chatting with MEPs in September, Johansson mentioned the EU member states have been confronted each day by the Russian risk: “This isn’t the time to be smooth on safety, probably undermining the safety of the complete Schengen space,” she advised the parliament.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU froze a visa-facilitation take care of Moscow, resulting in an 89% fall within the variety of Schengen visas issued to Russians compared with 2019, earlier than Covid disrupted worldwide journey.
Russians was the most important group of profitable candidates for Schengen visas, however they’ve fallen behind the residents of China, Turkey, India, and Morocco.
However journey has but to dry up. In 2023, Italy, France, Spain and Greece, nations with giant tourism industries, processed greater than 80% of visa purposes from Russia.
The figures are more likely to anger central and jap European governments that pushed for a ban on Russian vacationer visas in 2022, which France and Germany resisted.
Johansson mentioned she had initiated a overview of the Russian visa pointers, though it could fall to her successor, Magnus Brunner, to resolve.
She mentioned there have been “large variations” within the issuance of Russian visas, and the overview would want to seek out out whether or not member states carried out the rules in the identical manner. She urged adjustments to pointers have been possible: “Does this name for, you already know, some revision? That’s my guess. But it surely’s for my successor to resolve, after all, after we’ve finalised this evaluation.”
The Swedish commissioner has additionally been investigating complaints from EU member states that Hungary is undermining European safety, following Budapest’s choice to make it simpler for Russians and Belarusians to acquire work permits, giving them entry to the complete 29-country Schengen zone.
after e-newsletter promotion
She mentioned Hungary had “clarified” a lot of the fee’s questions, and it appeared “very, only a few folks” have been utilizing its nationwide card scheme. However she added: “I nonetheless assume, for political causes, it’s the improper sign to ship.”
In July, Hungary introduced that its nationwide card scheme, a employee residence allow, can be prolonged to 6 nations, together with Russia and Belarus. The choice got here quickly after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán infuriated European leaders with a self-styled “peace mission” to Moscow, shortly after his nation assumed the EU’s rotating presidency.
Orbán’s allies have accused different EU states of hypocrisy over Russian visa and residency rights.
Talking within the European parliament in September, András László, a member of Orbán’s Fidesz celebration, pointed to the tens of hundreds of visas issued to Russians by France, Spain and Greece. “Are you aware what number of debates the European parliament held over that,” he requested rhetorically. “Zero.”
Supply hyperlink
