The European Union’s Baltic members reached a deal to restrict Russian citizens from entering the bloc at land crossings and will aim to pass national measures by mid-September.
(Bloomberg) — The European Union’s Baltic members reached a deal to restrict Russian citizens from entering the bloc at land crossings and will aim to pass national measures by mid-September.
The move would further complicate entry for Russian holders of Schengen visas for travel throughout the EU’s visa-free travel zone. Latvia and Estonia — both of which share a border with Russia — are finalizing the details of the restrictions for government approval as early as this week, foreign ministers for both nations said on Wednesday in Kaunas.
EU foreign ministers last week agreed to suspend a 2007 deal that facilitated the issuance of visas to Russians, which will make it more expensive and more difficult for Russian tourists to travel to the EU.
About a million Russian citizens have legally entered the EU since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, with roughly two-thirds entering through the borders of Estonia or Finland, according to data from the EU’s border agency Frontex.
Once in Europe on a Schengen visa, Russians are free to travel around the border-free zone, which includes 26 nations, including non-EU members.
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