Latvian MEP Inese Vaidere (PPE) has submitted a parliamentary question to the European Commission expressing concern over the increase in Schengen visas issued to Russian nationals in 2025, including tourist visas, despite the EU's policy of restricting non-essential travel from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. The question, filed on 27 May 2026, targets the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and highlights that France, Italy, and Spain accounted for the majority of visas issued, raising moral, political, and security issues.
Vaidere argues that tourist visas predominantly benefit wealthier Russians who support or are connected to the regime, and that restricting such visas could reduce domestic support for the war in Russia. She notes that in 2022 the EU suspended the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia and recommended limiting non-essential travel, but the 2025 data shows a reversal of this trend.
The question contains three concrete asks: first, how the Commission assesses the increase in tourist visas; second, what monitoring mechanisms exist for the 2022 recommendations; and third, whether the Commission supports introducing further EU-wide restrictions on tourist visas while the war continues. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal whether the EU intends to tighten or maintain its current visa policy towards Russia.
Stakeholders impacted include EU member states' consular authorities, Russian citizens seeking travel to the EU, the travel and tourism industry in countries like France, Italy, and Spain, and Ukrainian officials who have pressed for stricter measures. The question reflects a cleavage between security and solidarity with Ukraine on one hand, and economic interests of EU tourism sectors on the other.