Finland to consider restricting tourist visas for Russians – YLE

The Finnish government is going to meet on 16 August in order to discuss placing restrictions on tourist visas for Russian nationals, YLE reports.

The country's Prime Minister Sanna Marin called for an EU-wide decision to limit entry into the Schengen area for Russian tourists, expecting that this "issue will be raised at EU meetings, the first of which is scheduled for October."

Such a decision would require a unanimous decision by EU countries. However, currently, there is no unanimous support among EU members for visa restrictions for Russian citizens.

"The idea of extending EU sanctions to cover tourist visas — which has been pushed in particular by Finland and the Baltic countries — coincides with the holiday season in Central Europe, which makes it impossible to predict how much support it will receive," YLE wrote.

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