Ten countries say Europe should stop ''holiday travel as usual'' while the war continues, warning current visa rules are too uneven and too soft.
By Alexandra Voudouri
Ten European Union member states are calling for a tougher visa regime for Russian citizens, urging the European Commission to consider new legislative measures to restrict tourist travel from Russia into the Schengen area.
In a joint letter addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Poland, supported by Iceland and Norway as Schengen-associated countries, express concern over the continued rise in Russian tourist travel to Europe despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The countries argue that it is politically and morally troubling for Russian tourists to enjoy holidays in European resorts while Russian missiles and drones continue to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The letter also highlights the thousands of Ukrainian children reportedly taken from occupied territories and transferred to Russia, who have still not been reunited with their families.
The issue was also raised at a recent EU Interior Ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, where officials warned that differences between member states in visa issuance could create security risks across the Schengen zone. A visa issued by one EU country allows free movement across all member states.
Concerns were also raised about the potential entry of individuals who may have participated in the war against Ukraine, gaining access to the EU through tourist visas.
Data cited by the coalition shows a steady increase in visa issuance in recent years. According to European Commission figures, EU countries issued around 679,000 visas to Russian passport holders in 2025, up from 606,594 in 2024 and 520,387 in 2023.
At the same time, rejection rates have fallen significantly, from 10.6% in 2023 to just 6.4% in 2025. Most of these visas are for tourism purposes, with around 478,000 tourist visas issued in 2025 alone.
While the letter does not name specific countries, EU data shows that France issued more than 170,000 visas to Russian citizens in 2025, followed by Italy with over 160,000, Spain with nearly 100,000, and Greece in fourth place with more than 40,000 visas issued.
“I don’t want any more shopping weekends and luxury trips in Europe while Ukrainians are dying on the battlefield,” Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said ahead of the Luxembourg meeting, urging the Commission to move toward a more unified and stricter EU visa policy for Russian citizens.
