European Commission calls on member states to scrutinize visas issued to Russians: “Putin wants to destroy the EU” | Abroad

“The war against Ukraine is also a threat to our security and we should not be naive, Putin’s goal is to destroy the European Union,” Sweden’s Ylva Johansson said at a press conference she shared with Finland’s interior minister. Krista Mikkonen held in the Finnish Nuijamaa, on the border with Russia.

“We cannot rule out that people come with the aim of causing social uprising or violence, or trying to carry out propaganda. This is something that we need to investigate more deeply,” the Swedish commissioner said.

The EU today formally approved a suspension of a 2007 agreement to facilitate the issuance of visas to Russian nationals, a measure that will take effect Monday in response to the war in Ukraine. According to the Commission, fewer than one million Russians currently hold a valid visa for the Schengen area.

The European circular will today publish guidelines for member states to ensure that they give priority, for example, when issuing visas to dissidents, journalists and applicants for humanitarian or family reasons. “But for those who come for non-essential reasons, it really needs a very, very in-depth investigation and we need to be stricter,” Johansson continued. “We are saying that Member States should review visas already issued to Russians.”

The European Commissioner also indicated that recently “Russian citizens were in a Member State for the sole purpose of provoking Ukrainian refugees”.

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