The Finnish government will meet on Tuesday to discuss the restrictions on tourist visas for Russian citizens.
prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) has demanded an EU-wide decision to limit the access of Russian tourists to the Schengen area. He added that he expects the issue to be raised at EU meetings, the first of which will be in October.
However, there is still no unanimous support among EU countries for restricting the travel of Russian citizens. According to researchers, a joint EU decision would be the most effective option, but individual countries are preparing to make their own decisions.
The idea of extending EU sanctions to tourist visas – which Finland and the Baltic countries in particular have pushed for – coincides with the holiday season in Central Europe, which is why it is impossible to predict how much support it will get.
Academician of the University of Helsinki Timo Miettinen told Yle that Russian tourists are so important to the economy of many EU countries that it is difficult to reach the required unanimous decision.
"If you think about the travel restrictions for ordinary Russians, I think there is currently no full support for them in Europe among the 27 member states." Miettinen said and pointed out that many countries have not yet publicly expressed their position on the matter.
Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz said earlier this week that he is wary of imposing broad restrictions on Russian citizens.
Germany has previously emphasized that the entire Russian people cannot be blamed for the president Vladimir Putinwar.
Oppose general prohibition
EU countries have banned Russian aircraft from entering their airspace, but there is still a land connection to the EU via Finland, Estonia and Latvia, as well as from Kaliningrad to Lithuania and Poland.
Estonia’s border will be closed to most Russians next week when the Baltic country stops accepting visas. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu said that allowing tourists to enter the Schengen area through Estonia is against the EU’s mutually agreed sanctions principles. Other Baltic countries and Poland have also tightened their visa policy.
Jussi LassilaA senior researcher at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yle that he hopes that the decisions to limit the access of Russian tourists to the EU will be made after calm consideration, and not "reconciliation of emotions".
Large-scale visa bans would be harmful, he added, because access to the West is an important lifeline for the Russian opposition as well. Many prominent members of the Russian opposition movement have expressed concern about the possibility of visa restrictions.
However, supporters of the visa restriction have argued that such a measure is justified because ordinary Russians tacitly accept their country’s war in Ukraine.
However, the idea of collective guilt does not apply in a situation where the opposition has been crushed and there is no real possibility of protest, Lassila pointed out.
"If this rhetoric is so one-sided that the baby should go out with the bathwater, I think it is morally wrong, but also politically short-sighted." he said.
The majority of Russians do not vacation abroad
Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavsky has advocated abolishing tourist visas as an effective sanction against Russia. His country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
Lipavský said earlier this week that he plans to present the matter to EU foreign ministers at an informal meeting in Prague at the end of August. At the same meeting, Finland also seeks support from EU countries, although no formal decisions are made.
The Finnish government does not yet have a final position on restricting Russian tourism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has explored various options, one of which is to make it more difficult to obtain a tourist visa in practice. The board will consider options at an informal evening meeting on Tuesday.
According to Lassila, the anger over Russia’s war in Ukraine is completely understandable, but he added that restricting the travel of ordinary Russians could turn into a victory for Putin. According to him, the decision to deny Russians visas could easily be seen as yet another example of the hostility of the West.
The idea that closing the border would increase discontent in Russia and turn people against the Putin regime is unlikely, Lassila added, noting that the vast majority of Russians do not vacation abroad and are not affected in any way.
In reality, restricting travel visas would likely serve Russia’s long-term goal of breaking away from the West, and would in turn boost the domestic tourism market, which would also benefit Russia.
Lassila said, however, that he supports the proposal to raise visa fees and redirect revenue to Ukraine. In his opinion, it would also be important to remind people about the war when they arrive at the Finnish border.
"As a concrete measure, I would like the conditions for tourist visas to be tightened. But that is different from not issuing visas," he said.
Source: The Nordic Page