Estonia's Interior Minister called on the EU to close its doors to Russian tourists
Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro called on European Union countries to tighten visa restrictions on Russian citizens. In his view, allowing Russian tourists into Europe during wartime is unacceptable.
The official stressed that the EU must review its visa policy toward Russians and introduce stricter entry rules for tourist travel.
Taro stressed that this issue concerns not only security but also values.
"I agree with European Commissioner Magnus Brunner that increasing the number of tourist visas issued to Russian citizens in the current situation is absolutely unacceptable. While ordinary Ukrainians are dying under rocket attacks, we cannot allow citizens of the aggressor state to vacation and go shopping in Europe as if nothing had happened,” he said.
According to the Estonian Minister of the Interior, restrictive measures must apply uniformly throughout the European Union and the Schengen Area, rather than remaining mere recommendations for individual countries.
Taro emphasized that the current system should allow for more flexible implementation of restrictions. Specifically, this refers to the ability to restrict the issuance of visas to certain categories of Russian citizens, including diplomats, holders of service passports, former and active participants in the war against Ukraine, as well as religious figures who support Russian aggression.
In addition, restrictions may be applied depending on the purpose of the trip.
ERR reports on the Estonian minister’s statement.
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