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Six months on from the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, should Russians be barred from vacationing in the EU? Lawmakers from Germany's conservative opposition certainly think so. In an interview with German tabloid Bild on Monday, Andrea Lindholz, of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), called for Russians to stop receiving holiday visas.However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and members of his governing three-party coalitionhave so far rejected a universal ban on Russians tourists.

Some other EU governments have also been hesitant to back such a measure. The European Commission expects a visa ban would raise legal and humanitarian issues, especially for Russian dissidents.

Yet EU member states, primarily in the east, have nevertheless moved ahead and restricted visa access for Russians,and in some cases suspended short-term tourist visas. They are now urging other member states to follow suit and implement an EU-wide travel ban for Russian holidaymakers a request also made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian vacationers already face hurdles when visiting the bloc, as Russian aircraft are banned from entering EU airspaceand vice versa. Over the past six months, many have therefore traveled to nearby EU states like Finland, the Baltic states and Poland. Some EU states have already taken, or are currently contemplating, moves to end theseinflows of Russians.

Speaking to Estonian radio on Monday, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu reiterated that "we must dramatically raise the cost for these aggressions before winter." The Estonian lawmaker called for a total boycott of Russian energy imports, further sanctions against certain Russian individualsand an EU-wide travel ban for ordinary Russians.

Estonia has already ceased issuing visas and residency permits to Russian nationals. As of last week, Russians may only enter the country if they possess a valid visa and currently reside in the country, or have relatives living there.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu met in Kiyv earlier this month

Latvian authorities also favor an EU-wide ban on Russian tourists. Presently, Russians may only enter the country to attend the funeral of aclose relative.

Lithuania has largely stopped issuing visas to Russian nationals. Authorities support extending these restrictions to all EU states. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said this step is necessary because Russians can currently obtain a visa from any EU consulate and enter the bloc through member states bordering Russia.

Finland shares the longest land border with Russia out of all EU states. Russians arrive at it daily to get short-term EU visas. Finish authorities now want to limit the number of visas issued to tourists, even though Finnish law does not technically permit such a restriction, as Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto recently said.

Instead, Finland plans to shorten the opening hours of visa offices starting in September,to substantially reduce the number of travel permits issued. Conversely, Finland aims to make it easier for Russians to enter the country for important reasons, such as work or family gatherings.

Shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Czech authorities stopped issuing visas to Russian and then Belarusian nationals. The country also supportslooking into an EU-wide decision on the matter. As it currently holds the rotating presidencyofthe Council of the European Union,the Czech Republic has the prerogative to put the topic at the top of the agenda at the upcoming EU summit later this month.

Will Russians, seen here near St. Petersburg, still be able to enjoy the EU's beaches in the near future?

The Polish government also wants the entire bloc to suspend tourist visas for Russian visitors. Authorities are expected to move ahead with national regulations in the coming weeks.

Denmark intends to limit visas for Russian at thenational level, yet also favors a coordinatedEU-wide approach. Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek recently praised Estonia's suggestion for universal restrictions as "sensible." Presently, if just one EU state grants a Schengen visa to Russian visitors, theycan travel freely through the rest of bloc.

Dutch authorities stopped issuing short-term visas to Russians in April after Russia expelled several Dutch embassy workers. It nevertheless grants exceptions in urgent cases. Short-term visas can be obtained in case of "pressing humanitariangrounds." Long-term visas are excluded from the ban.

This article was originally published in German.

Correction, August 24, 2022: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name ofKaare Dybvad Bek. DW apologizes for the error.

Originally posted here:
Will the EU pull the plug on tourist visas for Russians? - DW (English)

There has been a recent rise of populism across the EU. What can the United States learn and how does this effect the future of Europe?Populism has been rising across Europe from Poland to France becoming more and more common. Elections and politics in general have begun to lose center right/left parties as populism continues increase.What does this mean for the future of the European Union that has had strong center parties since World War II? How is the United States effected by this shift? Join Professor Crombez as he explains how Europe has changed politically, what caused these changes, and what comes next.Are you a current student? Email the word caffeine and the title of this event to angelina@welcometomannys.com for a complementary ticketMannys never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word grapefruit and the title of this event to darian@welcometomannys.com.About Christophe Crombez, Ph.D.:Christophe Crombez is a political economist who specializes in European Union (EU) politics and business-government relations in Europe. His research focuses on EU institutions and their impact on policies, EU institutional reform, lobbying, party politics, and parliamentary government.Crombez is Senior Research Scholar at The Europe Center at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University (since 1999). He teaches Introduction to European Studies and The Future of the EU in Stanfords International Relations Program, and is responsible for the Minor in European Studies and the Undergraduate Internship Program in Europe.Furthermore, Crombez is Professor of Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics and Business at KU Leuven in Belgium (since 1994). His teaching responsibilities in Leuven include Political Business Strategy and Applied Game Theory. He is Vice-Chair for Research at the Department for Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation.Crombez has also held visiting positions at the following universities and research institutes: the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane, in Florence, Italy, in Spring 2008; the Department of Political Science at the University of Florence, Italy, in Spring 2004; the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan, in Winter 2003; the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Illinois, in Spring 1998; the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Summer 1998; the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, in Spring 1997; the University of Antwerp, Belgium, in Spring 1996; and Leti University in St. Petersburg, Russia, in Fall 1995.Crombez obtained a B.A. in Applied Economics, Finance, from KU Leuven in 1989, and a Ph.D. in Business, Political Economics, from Stanford University in 1994.

Read more here:
Manny's: The Rise of Populism and the Future of the European Union - Mission Local

According to the foreign ministry, Iran received a response from the United States on Wednesday to its suggestions on the final European Union draftfor the renewal of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The declaration comes a day after Washington claimed that Iran had agreed to relax important conditions that had prevented the resumption of the 2015 agreement that former president Donald Trump had slammed.

One day before, Tehran had blasted the US for being reluctant to respond to its offers.

Tehran "received this evening via the (EU) coordinator, the response from the US government over the Islamic Republic of Iran's opinions on the outstanding issues in the negotiations to lift sanctions," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, as reported by AFP.

"The process of carefully reviewing the US opinions has begun, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will announce its opinion in this context to the coordinator after it completes its review," Kanani added, without providing further details.

Iran provided its suggestions last week over the final text that the EU, which has coordinated discussions in Vienna on renewing the treaty, sent on August 8.

Washington acknowledged that it had responded to Iran's offers following Tehran's statement.

In 2015, Iran and six major world powersBritain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Statesagreed to a deal that lifted sanctions in return for limits on the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the agreement is officially known, was created to stop Iran from creating a nuclear weapon, something it has always denied wanting to do.

The news from Iran comes as Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, has urged Western nations to put an end to negotiations to revive the pact and warned against the repercussions of doing so.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Iran received US response on final European Union draft for revival of 2015 nuclear deal - WION

MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) A heavy crisis awaits the West. It will result in the destruction of the European Union and changes of Eastern Europe borders. The public figure, economist, and publicist Mikhail Khazin shared his opinion in BelTA's YouTube channel.

Mikhail Khazin said: The economic model that has existed, the West as a whole and the European Union in particular are nearing an end. It will no longer be possible to ensure economic growth and the growth of living standards through monetary emissions. This is why they are in for a heavy crisis, as a result of which the European Union will definitely no longer be around and borders of Eastern Europe may substantially change.

Mikhail Khazin mentioned several examples: Hungarian Prime Minister Orban seriously says that Hungary should reassert control over Transylvania and expresses slight dissatisfaction with the fact that Hungary had access to the sea for a thousand years but no longer has it. There is another absolutely similar story: Polish officials say that Germans dream of regaining Silesia and Danzig. We have to recall one circumstance: Lithuania, which has added Russia to the list of countries that support terrorism, has clearly failed to justify the trust it received in 1941, 1945, and 1939. Lithuania was given Vilnius Province in 1939, part of the territories adjacent to the Suwalki corridor in 1941, and the city of Memel in 1945 (now known as Klaipeda).

Mikhail Khazin went on saying: It was started by Orban, by Polish officials, who represent the European Union by the way. We don't have to dig into geopolitical logic because it is no secret that the Baltic republics, Poland, and Ukraine are controlled by London at present. And London pursues a policy aimed at destruction of not only the European Union but Germany on the basis of its own personal interests.

A totally different configuration of Eastern Europe and even possibly Western Europe may exist in 3-5 years. And it turns out that Putin's policy of decent and predictable behavior instead of indiscriminate strikes may turn out to be much more adequate than current actions of the Estonian government or the Latvian one, which destroy Soviet monuments, the expert said.

Link:
Opinion: The West is about to face a heavy crisis that will destroy the European Union - Belarus News (BelTA)

23/08/2022

Today, the Commission has approved the largest cross-border cooperation programme in the European Union, also called the Interreg programme POCTEP for cooperation between cross-borders regions in Spain and Portugal.

This programme will receive an EU contribution of more than 320 million in the period 2021-2027.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said: I am happy to see that the largest cross-border cooperation programme in Europe has been approved. Many of the challenges Europes regions are facing today can only be tackled with more regional cooperation. The POCTEP programme is tapping into the full cooperation potential between border regions in Spain and Portugal. The programme will create jobs, boost the climate and energy transition, and ensure a better healthcare for people living in the regions.

Amongst others, the programme will support cross-border cooperation via networks between small- and medium-sized enterprises for better research and knowledge transfers. It will also finance projects improving the energy efficiency of public buildings. The programme will also support sustainable tourism, the preservation of cultural heritage, a better healthcare infrastructure and vocational training for people living in the cross-border region.

European Territorial Cooperation (ETC), better known as Interreg, is one of the two goals of Cohesion policy and provides a framework for the implementation of joint actions and policy exchanges between national, regional, and local actors from different Member States.

This adoption is the 30th Interreg programme adopted for the period 2021-2027, amounting to a total of more than 4 billion of funding approved for Interreg under the European Regional Development Fund.

For more information on this, please consult the press release on the first adopted Interreg programmes from 2021-2027 and this Q&A.

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EU Cohesion Policy: more than 320 million for cross-border cooperation between Spain and Portugal - European Commission