Some European countries recently called for making it harder for Russian tourists to enter the European Union, but the European Commission decided to take a different approach. Since sanctions are intended to target Russian revenues, Brussels may include a ban on providing tourism services in Russia in the 19th sanctions package.
This could create difficulties for Europeans who want to visit Russia and spend money there.
“The provision of services directly related to tourist activities in Russia must be prohibited,” states the draft proposal from the European Commission, reviewed by EUobserver.
The aim is “to reduce the revenue Russia receives from such services and to limit the promotion of trips and leisure activities in Russia that are not essential,” the document adds.
Moreover, in Russia, EU citizens “face an increased risk of arbitrary arrest and detention, and consular protection for dual citizens is limited,” the Commission notes. During the large-scale exchange of political prisoners on August 1, 2024, involving Russian intelligence officers, among the 16 people released from Russian prisons were two Germans and three individuals holding both Russian and German citizenship.
However, the proposal might not pass due to disagreements “between those opposing cultural bans and those who consider them too weak,” an EU diplomat told EUobserver.
As for Russian tourists traveling to the EU, no restrictions are currently planned. The Baltic states, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, and Poland had advocated for limits, citing security concerns among other reasons. The number of Russian tourists increased last year to 541,000, up from 517,000 the year before. However, before the war, over 4 million Russians visited Europe annually.
