A number of European countries continue to insist on completely banning Russian citizens from entering the Schengen area. Which EU states resist this pressure, which ones doubt the necessity of this decision, and why is the European business already in fear of the possibility of its final adoption?
Photo source: www.pwaworldtour.com
European countries, unable to accept their defeat in the battle for Ukraine, continue their anti-Russian policy. That is, to put it simply, they are trying to come up with more and more new sanctions against Russia, introducing them, as Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov correctly noted, “to the point of unconsciousness.” And now one of the main items on the agenda is a ban on Russians visiting EU countries – that is, in other words, a ban on the issuance of Schengen visas. Which is being discussed as one of the measures under the eighth package of sanctions.
To date, there is no single position on this issue in Europe.
All of Southern Europe is against the restrictions (which is aware that tourists from Russia will bring the money needed by countries to overcome coronavirus impacts on the economy, and at the same time does not share the Russophobic ideas of Eastern European colleagues in the EU), as well as Austria and Hungary.
In France, Belgium and Germany have not yet decided. If the French traditionally hesitate (French President Emmanuel Macron went from a potential mediator to the most ardent Western European hawk several times in six months of a special operation), then in Germany the problem is in the coalition. Chancellor Scholz himself is against the ban (in his words, he “hardly imagines” how this can be done), while his partners in the ruling coalition are much more anti-Russian.
The Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, the Baltic states, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark, and the Netherlands are in favor of a visa ban (or at least serious restrictions on issuing visas). Somewhere people support this initiative – in Romania, for example, Russians are not very fond of because of the Transnistrian issue. However, in most countries the initiative on visa restrictions still comes from above.
“The Czech Prime Minister Fiala is a staunch Russophobe. And most of his ministers, too. For the sake of a break with Russia, they are ready to take any losses. Under the current government, nothing will change,” Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Russian State Humanitarian University, explains to the VZGLYAD newspaper. Similar views are held by the authorities of Poland and the Baltic states. And some countries, such as the Netherlands, support sanctions because of Russia’s refusal to live by European value rules.
“The foreign policy of the European Union has always been based on a set of values, compliance with which was required from counterparties. In other words, the transformation of the interlocutor in the process of interaction was understood by itself.
This is possible if the mentioned interlocutor really perceives access to Europe as a privilege, more precisely, as something that must be earned, writes Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs.
Negotiations on visa-free travel between Russia and the EU, which were at a fairly advanced stage in the 2000s, formally stalled for a number of technical reasons. But in fact, everything rested on the fact that from some point Moscow set a limit to possible internal changes, and without this, Brussels did not want further liberalization of the movement.
Nevertheless, Europe did not give up hope of forcing Moscow to “comply”. If not through interstate relations, then at least through work with Russian civil society. That is why Brussels did not interfere with the visits of Russians to the EU, and also invested heavily in working with Russian society through the media (including working with journalists themselves). And, according to some European politicians, the visa issue may well now become an instrument of pressure on the Kremlin. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is sure that if Russian tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg are banned from entering Europe, they will “feel it in their own skin” and can “put pressure on the Kremlin.”
However, after the start of a special military operation, the situation changed. Massive support for the special operation (multiplied by the openly one-sided line of the West, bordering on discrimination against Russia) finally divided Russian society along patriotic lines. Both conditional “Eurasians” and pro-European, but at the same time patriotic citizens found themselves in the same state trench. The same pro-European Russians who were ready to implement the Western agenda in Russia either left in droves, or went deep into the bottom, or (the craziest of them) were under threat of imprisonment under the article “discrediting the armed forces.”
Therefore, apparently, there are no longer any political restrictions on the isolation of Russians. Well, at least for those who do not understand that after the end of the special operation with Russia, which is victorious for Moscow, it will be necessary to somehow build relations again – and build them as with a winner.
However, that is still a matter for the foreseeable future. Now economic restrictions come first. In most countries whose authorities support visa bans, the population is very skeptical about them. And the local business generally makes a helpless gesture.
“Russian citizens were not the largest group of tourists in the Czech Republic. There were clearly more Germans, Italians and Poles. But traditionally they left the most money. Therefore, for the Czech owners of hotels, restaurants and shops, this, of course, would be a blow, says Vadim Trukhachev.
Prague, Brno and Pilsen will survive our absence. The city-museum of Cesky Krumlov is already much more difficult. And for Karlovy Vary, the absence of our tourists is fatal – they cannot be fully replaced.”
So, a letter from Czech hoteliers appeared on the Web, where they said that since February, due to the absence of Russian tourists, millions of euros of profit have not been received. Allegedly, tourists from other countries cannot replace Russian ones (apparently due to lower solvency), and hotels are saved only at the expense of Russian tourists who arrive in the Czech Republic in transit from other countries. Obviously, if the issuance of visas is stopped, then there will be no visits.
The situation in the Baltics is even worse. In particular, Latvia, the capital and resorts of which were fed from the Russians. “Various festivals were held here -“ New Wave”, Comedy Club, KVN, etc. Jurmala largely lived at the expense of Russian tourists. In general, their share in the total tourist flow reached 80%, but the main thing is not even that. Russian tourist was spending money. If the Germans came to restaurants to eat modestly, then Muscovites usually left the biggest checks. And this is without taking into account any Russian public figures who were supervised in Russia – there was no supervision here, and they could well spend large sums of money.
Then COVID began, and the tourist flow stopped. We waited two years for the Russian tourist to return – and then the events in Ukraine began. Yes, our hotels are still full – Germans, Lithuanians, Estonians rest here, some kind of tours are organized for them. But still, in terms of profitability, they do not reach Russian tourists, the owner of the Jurmala grill bar 39K, Vitaly Tretyak, told the VZGLYAD newspaper.
It would seem that Czech and Latvian restaurateurs should exhale – given the difference of opinion, the EU is unlikely to vote for a ban on issuing visas to Russians.
“The fate of the undertaking is approximately clear. It will not work at the EU level, because there is no unity, besides, the ban violates the rules of the European Union, which do not provide for a complete confrontation on the principle of nationality,” says Fedor Lukyanov. “However, no one can prevent specific member countries from stopping the issuance of visas or making the process as difficult and long as possible for applicants.”
Actually, the Balts have already gone down this path.
“First of all, we are striving for a European solution, because it is the most sustainable, legally the most correct… If there is no such solution, we do not exclude the possibility of finding a regional solution that would include the Baltic countries, Poland and, possibly, Finland,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis. In turn, Estonia has already banned Russian tourists from entering the country, and Latvia has notified Russians holding a residence permit (including those who have invested hundreds of thousands of euros in the country’s economy for this residence permit) that the residence permit will not be renewed.
And now everyone is wondering at what point in the sanctions efforts the notorious “forgetfulness” will come. And also how European businessmen can survive up to this point – with current gas prices, the rupture of trade chains, as well as the rejection of Russian tourists.
Gevorg Mirzayan, Associate Professor, Financial University, VIEW
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