The Swedish government would like to impose restrictions, not stop issuing visas to Russians. Migration Minister Anders Igeman stated this in an interview with Swedish Radio, TASS reports .
“I think that a full stop would be difficult to implement, it would be wrong. On the other hand, to strictly restrict, for example, abolishing the simplified procedure for obtaining a visa is what we, Estonia, Finland and others have been striving for in the EU,” he said.
Since August 18, Estonia has stopped issuing Schengen visas to Russian citizens. You can enter the republic only with a visa issued by another EU country. On August 9, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that visiting Europe is not a right, but a privilege, and called for an end to the issuance of tourist visas to Russians. On July 28, Estonia stopped issuing temporary residence permits and study visas to Russian citizens.
Prior to this, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania stopped issuing Schengen visas to Russians. Denmark and the Netherlands have stopped issuing short-stay visas. Finland announced that it will reduce the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens from September 1 by ten times. At the same time, Germany opposed the ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens. After the decisions and calls of some countries, the representative of the European Commission, Anitta Hipper, once again stated that the European Union will not completely stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians. They will continue to be issued for humanitarian reasons.