Representatives of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union bloc (CDU/CSU) have called for a complete halt to the issuance of tourist Schengen visas to Russian citizens. They stated that vacations in European Union countries are a privilege, not a right.
The CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament made the statement in a post published on social media platform X.
Representatives of the CDU/CSU expressed outrage that more than 500,000 Russian citizens spent their vacations in Europe last year.
“It is long past time to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian holidaymakers. A vacation in the EU is a privilege, not a right,” the statement said.
The CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament is part of the European People’s Party faction and holds 29 seats.
The initiative comes amid proposals by several European Union countries to reduce the number of visas issued to Russian citizens. In early June, ministers from 11 European countries sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner calling for stricter entry rules for Russians.
The letter was signed by representatives of Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, as well as Norway and Iceland. They called on the European Commission to ban tourist travel by Russian citizens to EU countries.
In 2025, Schengen Area countries issued about 630,600 visas of all types to Russian citizens, compared to 552,600 a year earlier. At the same time, the number of multiple-entry visas continued to decline: 175,900 compared to 221,100 in the previous year.
Italy, France, Spain and Greece issued the largest number of visas to Russians in 2025. About 77% of all visas issued were for tourist travel.
At the same time, disagreements remain within the European Union regarding visa policy toward Russian citizens. The Baltic states and Northern European countries support further tightening of restrictions, while Southern European countries continue issuing visas.
Some European officials believe that a complete ban on tourist travel could have the opposite effect, as visits to Europe allow Russians to become familiar with life outside the Russian information space.
