'Morally Wrong': Criticism Erupts as Finland Considers Restricting Tourist Visas for Russians

Critics called the idea of limiting Russians' visas to the EU or banning them altogether “counterproductive”, “one-sided” and “politically short-sighted” as it is rested in the concept of collective guilt. The move was mooted as a result of Moscow's special operation in Ukraine, which has been condemned by the West.

The decision by Finland's government to meet this Tuesday to discuss restrictions on tourist visas for Russian citizens has sparked criticism.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sanna Marin of the ruling Social Democratic Party called for an EU-wide decision to limit entry into the Schengen area for Russian tourists. She added that she expects the issue to be raised at EU level in the autumn.

The Finnish government doesn't yet have a clear position on how exactly to restrict Russian tourism. The Foreign Ministry has been exploring various options, including tightening the criteria for a tourist visa.

However, the idea of liming Russians' travel across the EU, pushed actively by Finland and the Baltic countries, such as Estonia and Latvia, would require unanimous support by all 27 member states. Given the fact that many European nations are crying out for tourist income and willing to accept visitors from all over the Earth, this proposal was not enthusiastically received.

Timo Miettinen, an academic research fellow at Helsinki University, stressed Russian tourists are crucial to the economies of many EU countries, so that the required unanimity will be difficult to achieve.

“If you think about travel restrictions for ordinary Russians, I believe that at the moment there is not full support for it in Europe among the 27 member states,” Miettinen told Finland's national broadcaster, Yle.

Last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced reservations about imposing comprehensive travel bans against Russians. Despite the fact that the West portrays Russia's special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine and protect the inhabitants of Donbass as an “invasion”, and has introduced several rounds of crippling sanctions, Scholz said that the entire Russian people must not be blamed.

Jussi Lassila, a senior research fellow at the Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs, told Yle that he hopes any decision to restrict Russian tourists from entering the EU will be made after calm deliberation, and not in a “fit of emotion”. He called a comprehensive visa ban “counterproductive”, adding that the idea of collective guilt does not apply.

“This rhetoric is so one-sided: throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I think it is morally wrong, and also politically short-sighted,” he told Yle. Furthermore, he suggested, the decision to deny Russians visas could easily be turned into an example of the West's hostility, thus handing Russians a propaganda victory.

Last, restricting travel visas would probably serve Russia's long-term goal of separation from the West, and would provide a boost for the domestic tourism market, which would also be to Russia's advantage, he concluded.

Individual nations have already started restricting Russians' entry. The Baltic countries, Poland and the Czech Republic stopped granting visas to Russian citizens in late July.

Among others, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky advocated the ban on tourist visas as an effective sanction against Russia. Prague at present holds the rotating EU Presidency, and Lipavský said he planned to raise the issue among his colleagues at an informal meeting at the end of August. Finland will also seek the support of EU countries at the same meeting, although no formal decisions will be made.