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Several EU countries blocked visa restrictions for Russian citizens

16 September 2025 12:55 (UTC +04:00)

Several European Union countries have blocked a proposal to impose new restrictions on visas for Russian citizens, APA's Moscow bureau reports.

Greece, Spain, Italy, France, and Hungary have blocked the EU's proposal to impose new restrictions on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens.

The Greek pronews portal writes that these countries have made such a decision for the first time since 2022.

As the publication notes, Greece refused to impose visa restrictions for Russian citizens because this would lead to disastrous consequences for tourism in regions where Russian tourists still come, for example, the Ionian Islands. According to statistics, Russian tourists spend an average of 1,300 euros per day, and the average tourist spends 567 euros.

According to the publication, another reason is that the Russian community in Greece may be destroyed, since its members will not be issued long-term visas. After all, Russia will also take similar measures against the Greeks, which will lead to an even sharper decline in exports.