This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) . Read the original article.
The European Commission opted against including a Russian tourist visa ban when it sent its latest sanctions proposal to EU member states earlier this month.
Too many countries in the bloc, notably those with major tourist destinations, indicated that they would be against such a move in unofficial discussions with the EU executive branch before the fine-tuned draft was sent out to national governments.
But now, the European Commission has instead proposed another measure that would at least theoretically limit the movement of Russian diplomats inside the EU if it were adopted.
The two-page document, seen by RFE/RL, was dispatched to ambassadors of the bloc on September 26.
And it doesn’t just concern Russian diplomats. Family members and members of the administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts are also included.
The rationale for this move is stated from the outset -- these individuals “are often involved in activities that contribute to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, notably by spreading Russian rhetoric on the causes of the war, its unfolding or the role of the Union and its member states in supporting Ukraine.”
While not stated in the document, there have also been several instances where Russian agents have been posted to the bloc under diplomatic cover to carry out various acts of sabotage, which has led most European countries to drastically reduce the Russian diplomatic presence on their territory in recent years.
The Czech Republic, which has seen its fair share of alleged Russian hybrid activities, has been pushing for more than two years to limit the movement of Russian diplomats.
While most member states dismissed this idea when it was first floated by Prague, it has gained traction in recent weeks as Moscow is believed to be behind several drone incursions and other incidents on EU territory.
On September 30, Czech authorities announced that they were unilaterally prohibiting Russian diplomats stationed elsewhere from entering the Central European country.
"Sabotage operations are on the rise and we will not risk agents operating under diplomatic cover," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on X. "We are setting an example for other countries and I will continue to push for the most rigorous measures at the Schengen level."
However, when the idea discussed among EU diplomats in Brussels last week, there was still some skepticism about the proposal to introduce a similar measure throughout the European Union -- particularly with respect to its effectiveness and the political signals it could send.
Given that this is a sanctions measure, all 27 member states need to agree on it -- and that will be a tall order.
The big question is how it would actually work.
Most EU member states are in the passport-free Schengen zone, where border controls are mostly nonexistent.
A Russian diplomat stationed in the Czech Republic, for example, can easily take either public transport or a private vehicle to any neighboring EU state with little chance of having to show any form of official documentation when crossing the border.
The idea behind the Czech proposal -- at least in theory -- is to oblige diplomats, their family members, and other diplomatic staff to give advance notification that they will be traveling to an EU member state other than the one they are stationed in.
Member states would then be allowed to deny entry into their territory even though this decision must be communicated to other capitals five days in advance.
Only passage through an EU member state on a diplomat’s way to or from a posting should be allowed without prior authorization.
Individuals should “notify the member states concerned at least 24 hours before the intended date of entry into their territory” and such a notification should include the means of transport, the make, type, and license numbers of private vehicles used and the name of the carrier and route code if public transport is being used. The point of entry as well as the date of entry and exit must also be provided.
But why would any Russian official do this if they risk not getting permission to travel to another EU state?
After all, there’s a slim chance that they will get caught.
If they are, they risk being declared persona non grata and expelled by their host country. The question is whether that is stringent enough to put anyone off trying to travel without prior authorization.
Countries skeptical of the Czech proposal have pointed out that it is pretty much impossible to keep track of individuals in this way and that it requires too much effort from police and border control officers to constantly monitor people’s movements.
Many are also wary of measures that target foreign diplomats, as the idea of keeping some channels of communication open is still strong in some capitals.
They are also worried that Moscow might retaliate by completely closing their countries’ consulates or embassies in Russia.
The argument is very much that this is largely a symbolic move and could potentially hurt member states more than the Kremlin’s war efforts in Ukraine.
Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
(NS)
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