The European Union is considering various mechanisms for restricting or banning entry into its territory for certain categories of Russian citizens.
This was stated by European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert during a briefing in Brussels on Thursday.
The comment came in response to a recent statement by Ursula von der Leyen, who announced that the European Commission is proposing, as part of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, to ban former Russian combatants from entering the EU. Journalists asked how such a ban would be implemented in practice.
“As regards combatants, that is one aspect that falls within the sanctions framework. But there is another track we are working on and intend to pursue. This also concerns a proposal to introduce targeted restrictive visa measures as part of a broader response to security risks stemming from hostile actions by third countries,” the spokesperson said.
He explained that this work is being carried out within the framework of the ongoing revision of the EU Visa Code, which is expected to be completed early next year.
“So this is another complementary measure,” Lammert added.
At the same time, the European Commission’s press service declined to comment on the technical details of how the personal data of Russian military personnel subject to a potential entry ban would be identified, citing the confidentiality of ongoing discussions within the Council of the European Union.
