EU may drop entry ban on Russian combatants from 21st sanctions package

A proposed EU-wide entry ban on people who fought against Ukraine on Russia's side, included in the European Commission's draft 21st Russia sanctions package, may be replaced with non-binding recommendations because of opposition from France and Italy.

Source: European officials and diplomats in Brussels, speaking to European Pravda on condition of anonymity

Details: A full travel ban on Russian combatants in the 21st sanctions package could be replaced, under pressure from Italy and France, with more neutral guidance for EU member states on issuing visas.

"In the final version of the 21st sanctions package, the wording on banning Russian combatants from entering the EU will be significantly watered down – it is unclear how much substance will remain," one European official said.

A diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told European Pravda that objections to the entry ban stem from the fact that some member states strongly oppose regulating the issuance of Schengen visas through a sanctions package.

European Pravda has learnеd that France and Italy have been the most active opponents of the measure, arguing in favour of preserving tourist flows from Russia, which have already declined because of the war.

The reference to Russian combatants is expected to remain in the package, but in a more flexible form – as recommendations rather than a binding rule.

"I think the paragraph on Russian combatants will remain in the sanctions package; it will not be removed entirely. But it will become more symbolic rather than creating a directly enforceable mechanism," another diplomat said.

The EU's 21st Russia sanctions package is currently being discussed by the Council of the European Union and is in the final stages before adoption.

The next discussion is scheduled for Wednesday 8 July, at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper).

The Irish Presidency aims to secure approval of the sanctions package on Monday 14 July, at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

Background:

• The 21st sanctions package must be adopted by 15 July, the deadline for renewing the price cap on Russian oil.
• In early June, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the EU's 21st Russia sanctions package.
• Among other measures, it proposed banning former Russian combatants who fought against Ukraine from entering the EU.
• Bulgaria opposed the 21st sanctions package because of the inclusion of Patriarch Kirill. Italy later joined Bulgaria in expressing similar concerns.

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