The Czech Parliament proposed to suspend the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens at the EU level. The country now holds the presidency of the EU Council, and its representatives are going to propose such a measure at a meeting of foreign ministers on August 31.
The heads of the foreign affairs committees of the upper and lower houses of parliament, Marek Zhenishek, and Pavel Fischer, said that the European Union needs to introduce a complete ban on issuing entry permits for Russians.
A week ago, a similar proposal was put forward by the head of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipovsky. “The people of Russia should understand that such a militant policy has consequences,” he said. The official explained that the Czech Republic, as a presiding country in the Council of the European Union, will propose to introduce this sanction at an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU member states, which will be held on August 31 in Prague.
So far, representatives of Finland, Estonia, and Denmark have expressed unequivocal support for restricting the issuance of tourist visas. The Greek and Cypriot governments have spoken out against sanctions on entry permits.
The Czech Republic became the first EU country to suspend the issuance of visas to Russian citizens. The ban is valid in the country from February 2022 to April 2023.