“The EU plans to effectively stop issuing multiple-entry Schengen visas in most cases”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
As the newspaper writes, this move will mean that Russians will generally only receive single-entry visas, with some exceptions for humanitarian reasons or for individuals who also hold EU citizenship. Why visas to the European Union are not explained to EU citizens with multiple citizenships.
However, issuing visas remains a national competence, which means that while the European Commission can complicate the process, it cannot impose a complete ban on the entry of Russian visitors.
The new, tougher rules, part of a package of measures aimed at reducing the number of Russians entering the bloc, are expected to be formally adopted and implemented this week.
More than half a million Russians received Schengen visas in 2024, according to European Commission data, a marked increase from 2023, though still well below pre-war levels, as more than 4 million visas were issued in 2019. Hungary, France, Spain and Italy continue to generously issue tourist visas to citizens of Russia.