The European Commission is preparing new visa rules to be introduced this autumn, aimed at tightening security and adding grounds for visa refusal.
Restrictions will primarily apply to citizens of Russia, Belarus, and Iran, but the list could expand in the future.
Previously, EC representative Markus Lammert stated that the number of visas issued to Russians dropped sharply from 4 million to about 500,000.
In early June, 11 European countries—including the Baltic states, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Iceland, and Norway—called for further tightening of entry rules for Russian citizens.
