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Obviously, if every Russian who crossed the EU border were to have all their belongings from the “banned” list confiscated, it would turn into a massive robbery. Over the past 10 years, Russia has been among the leading countries when it comes to Schengen visa applications: in 2019, over 4.1 million applications were submitted and 82% of the visas received were multi-entry visas. This statistic was one of the highest in the world, while the rejection rate for Russians was among the lowest, at only 1.5%.
Despite the recent difficulties in obtaining visas, and all the sanctions and threats, the huge tourist flow has not stopped. In fact, the demand for fall vacations in Italy and France has increased by 30% among Russians this year. And that’s not counting people who visit relatives in Europe, travel on business or come for medical treatment.
The new rules have confused not only lawyers but also politicians, including those inside the bloc. In a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky called the new rules not just useless, but harmful.
As a result, shampoos and jackets previously considered a threat to European security won’t be seized from Russians – or most likely won’t be.
Four days after the publication of the strange FAQ document, the European Commission hurried to publish yet another explanation. This time, officials said that goods which do not raise significant concern of circumventing sanctions – for example, personal hygiene items or clothing worn by visitors or contained in their luggage – should be evaluated by customs officers in a “proportionate and reasonable manner.” Attention should only be paid to cars with Russian registration or license plates.
Moreover, the European Commission refused to take responsibility for the matter, stressing that the measures are advisory in nature and EU members can regulate their customs policies independently.
This means that personal items and vehicles may or may not be seized at the border – all decisions will be made on an individual basis.
War against convenience
Most likely, Russians who carry luggage across the EU border will need to rely on good luck and hope the customs officers are in a good mood, since a lot will depend on chance. But Russians can definitely count on an unpleasant turn of events when entering the Baltic states. The authorities of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania unanimously stated that they would not allow cars with Russian license plates to cross the border. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said, “We cannot allow citizens of an aggressor state to enjoy the benefits offered by freedom and democracy while Russia continues its ‘genocide’ in Ukraine.”
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Incidentally, Tsahkna’s colleague – Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas – is facing career trouble precisely because of business with the aforementioned “aggressor state.” As it turns out, her husband’s company continues to conduct business in Russia despite the sanctions – moreover, according to some reports, the firm indirectly supplied the Russian police. Many outraged Estonians have called on Kallas to resign, but she has refused to do so, saying that she did not know anything about her husband’s business.
Meanwhile, it is known that Kallas owns a share in the company, has visited its factory and even provided a loan for it. However, she still claims that the whole story is a simple misunderstanding and there’s no reason for her to step down. Apparently, there is a big difference between a profitable business in the “aggressor state ” and tourism from the “aggressor state ,” which holds no personal profit for politicians.
The restrictions on the import of personal belongings will surely ruin some trips to the EU, but most likely will not have a major impact and will be quickly forgotten. What this story reminds us of is that many of the bloc’s members are not ready to give up business relations with Russia. However, they are ready to make life for Russians more difficult by any means, merely to demonstrate symbolic discontent with the “aggressor” – even if their decisive measures come down to stealing cars and toilet paper.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
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