Finland. Sveaborg. Photo credit: Grigorius m / ru.wikipedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Finland will halve the number of applications from Russians for a Schengen visa. The corresponding measure proposed by the Finnish Foreign Ministry was approved by the Finnish government, it will be in effect from the beginning of autumn, RIA Novosti reports.
Helsinki approved restrictions on Russian tourists on August 16, allowing the Finnish diplomatic mission to halve the acceptance of applications for entry into the EU zone from Russian citizens. Currently, every day Russians submit about 1,000 applications for a visa; starting from September, the number of applications will not exceed 500.
The Finnish MFA has also set a deadline for filing applications. 80% of the time will be devoted to accepting applications from people whose trips are not related to tourism, but are due to family circumstances or work needs. Only 20% of applications from the total will be accepted from tourists.
Helsinki also calls on other EU countries to restrict enterance for Russians, and also supports the termination of the visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which will, in particular, more than double the visa fee.
Russkiy Mir
