Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, wrote on social media, “Starting a war and expecting to move freely in Europe is hard to justify.” She linked the new, stricter rules to “continued drone disruptions and sabotage on European soil.”
“Travelling to the EU is a privilege, not a given,” she added.
Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said in a statement the EU will also introduce “enhanced verification procedures and elevated levels of scrutiny” for Russians applying for visas.
The EU has dramatically reduced the number of visas it has granted to Russians since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, suspending a key visa facilitation agreement and bringing the figure down from 4 million a year to about 500,000.
But the number of Russians entering the bloc actually increased by around 10 percent in 2024 from 2023, with Hungary, France, Spain and Italy continuing to approve visas in large numbers. Visa issuance is a national competence, meaning the Commission cannot unilaterally ban Russians from the bloc, and the new rules will be left up to member countries to enforce.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Commission Spokesperson Markus Lammert said the rules would not affect Russians already in the EU on multiple-entry visas, and added “limited exceptions” existed for Russians with close family members in the EU, who can still receive a multiple-entry permit valid for up to one year, along with Russians “whose reliability and integrity are without doubt,” such as dissidents and independent journalists.