According to the clarification of the European Commission, consideration applications, as well as the issuance of short-term Schengen visas, are the responsibility of the EU countries, which must decide on each application individually.
Other factors, including whether the applicant poses a threat to public order, national security or international relations, are also must be taken into account. At the same time, the EU visa rules do not allow for the possibility of completely stopping the issuance of visas.
“There is always a group of people who should be granted a visa, for example, in humanitarian cases, family members, journalists”, — The European Commission pointed out in this regard.
Shortly after Russia lifted restrictions related to COVID-19 on July 15, traffic at the border crossing point with Finland increased by a total of 38 percent, according to the Finnish Border Guard .
According to a press release issued by the Finnish authorities, a total of 596 people crossed the border in the first week after the restrictions were lifted.
The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that since 1 By July 22, a total of 10,520 visas had been issued to Russian citizens.