/ world today news/ A number of European countries continue to insist on a complete ban on Russian citizens entering the Schengen area. Which EU countries are resisting this pressure, which doubt the necessity of this decision and why are European businesses already afraid of the possibility of its final adoption?
The European countries, unable to come to terms with their defeat in the battle for Ukraine, continue their anti-Russian policy. That is, to put it simply, they are trying to invent new and new sanctions against Russia, introducing them, as Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov rightly noted, “to the point of unconsciousness.” And now one of the main points on the agenda is the ban on Russians visiting EU countries – that is, in other words, the ban on issuing Schengen visas. Which is being discussed as one of the measures under the eighth package of sanctions.
To date, there is no unified position in Europe on this issue.
All of Southern Europe is against the restrictions (which is aware that tourists from Russia will bring the money the countries need to overcome the effects of the coronavirus on the economy, and at the same time does not share the Russophobic ideas of their Eastern European colleagues in the EU), as well as Austria and Hungary.
In France, Belgium and Germany they have not yet decided. If the French traditionally hesitate (French President Emmanuel Macron has gone several times from a potential mediator to the most ardent Western European hawk 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 could happen), while his partners in the ruling coalition are much more anti-Russian.
The Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, the Baltic countries, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark and the Netherlands are in favor of a visa ban (or at least severe visa restrictions). Somewhere people support this initiative – in Romania, for example, they are not very attached to the Russians because of the Transnistrian issue. However, in most countries the initiative for visa restrictions still comes from the top.
“Czech Prime Minister Fiala is a staunch Russophobe. And most of his ministers too. In the name of the break with Russia, they are ready for any losses. Under the current government, nothing will change,” explains Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Russian State Humanities University. Similar are the opinions of the authorities in Poland and the Baltic states. And some countries, such as the Netherlands, support sanctions because of Russia’s refusal to live by European values.
“The foreign policy of the European Union has always been based on a set of values, the observance of which has been demanded from the other side. In other words, the transformation of the interlocutor in the process of interaction is understood by itself. This is possible if the said interlocutor really perceives access to Europe as a privilege, more precisely as something that should 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, have formally stalled due to a number of technical reasons. But in fact, everything was based on the fact that at some point Moscow set a limit to possible internal changes, and without that, Brussels did not want further liberalization of the movement,” he adds.
However, Europe has not given up hope of forcing Moscow to “come to terms.” If not through interstate relations, then at least through work with Russian civil society. That is why Brussels does not prevent the visits of Russians to the EU, and also invests heavily in working with Russian society through the media (including working with journalists themselves). And according to some European politicians, the visa issue could become a tool to put pressure on the Kremlin. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas is convinced that if Russian tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg are banned from entering Europe, they will “feel it first hand” and can “put pressure on the Kremlin”.
However, after the start of a special military operation, the situation changed. The massive support for the CSTO (multiplied by the West’s openly one-sided line bordering on discrimination against Russia) finally divided the Russian society on a patriotic principle. In the same state trench, both conditional “Eurasians” and pro-European, but at the same time patriotic citizens turned out to be. The same pro-European Russians who were ready to implement the Western agenda in Russia have either left in droves, or gone deep into the abyss, or (the craziest of them) are under threat of imprisonment under the article “Discrediting the Armed Forces”.
Therefore, apparently, there are no longer any political restrictions on the isolation of the Russians. Well, at least for those who do not understand that after the end of the World War II, victorious for Moscow, we will have to somehow build relations again – and build them as with a winner.
However, this is still a matter of the foreseeable future. Now, economic constraints come first. In most countries whose authorities support visa bans, the population is very skeptical of them. And the local business as a whole makes a helpless gesture.
“Russian citizens were not the largest group of tourists in the Czech Republic. Apparently there are more Germans, Italians and Poles. But traditionally they leave the most money. Therefore, for the Czech owners of hotels, restaurants and shops, this would, of course, be a blow, says Vadim Truhachov. “Prague, Brno and Pilsen will survive our absence. But for the city-museum Český Krumlov, it will be much more difficult. And for Karlovy Vary, the lack of our tourists is fatal – they cannot be completely replaced,” he adds.
So, a letter from Czech hoteliers appeared on the web, saying that since February, due to the absence of Russian tourists, millions of euros in profit have not been received. It is said that tourists from other countries cannot replace Russian ones (obviously due to lower solvency), and hotels are saved with Russian tourists who arrive in the Czech Republic in transit from other countries. Obviously, if visas are suspended, then there will be no visits.
The situation in the Baltic countries is even worse. In particular Latvia, whose capital and resorts were supplied by the Russians. “Different festivals were held here – “New Wave”, “Comedy Club”, KVN and others. Jurmala was largely inhabited by Russian tourists. In general, their share in the total tourist flow reaches 80%, but the main thing is not even that. A Russian tourist was spending money. If Germans came to restaurants to eat modestly, then Muscovites usually left the biggest bills. And this is without taking into account Russian public figures who were controlled in Russia – here there was no supervision and they could spend large sums of money. Then covid started and tourist flow stopped. They waited two years for the Russian tourist to return – and then the events in Ukraine began. Yes, the hotels are still full – Germans, Lithuanians, Estonians rest here, some tours are organized for them. But still, in terms of profitability, they do not reach Russian tourists, “commented the owner of grill bar “Jurmala 39K” Vitaly Tretyak.
It seems that Czech and Latvian restaurateurs should take a breather – given the difference in opinion, the EU is unlikely to vote for a ban on issuing visas to Russians. “The fate of the venture is pretty much clear. At the EU level, it will not work because there is no unity, moreover, the ban violates the rules of the European Union, which do not provide for complete discrimination on a national basis,” says Fyodor Lukyanov. “However, no one can prevent certain member countries from stopping the issuance of visas or making the process as difficult and long as possible for applicants,” he adds.
In fact, the Baltics have already gone down this road. “First of all, we strive for a European solution, because it is the most sustainable, the most legally correct. If there is no such solution, we do not rule out the possibility of finding a regional solution that would include the Baltic States, Poland and possibly Finland,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister 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 updated.
And now, everyone is wondering at what point in the sanctions effort the infamous “no memory” will come. And also how European businessmen can survive until now – with the current gas prices, the rupture of trade chains, as well as the rejection of Russian tourists.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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