European Commission preparing autumn guidelines on EU entry rules for Russian military personnel
The European Commission will present the EU Council this autumn with recommendations on applying entry restrictions to Russian citizens who have taken part in combat against Ukraine. The measure was included in the 21st EU sanctions package adopted in late July.
The European Commission is preparing recommendations for the EU Council on how to apply entry restrictions to Russian citizens who are or have been involved in combat operations against Ukraine. European Commission spokesperson Sivonie McGarry announced this at a briefing in Brussels on Friday, October 2.
According to McGarry, the recommendations will be presented to the Council this autumn. The Commission has not yet disclosed the content of the future recommendations and has not specified how the restrictions would actually be applied in practice.
Part of the sanctions package
The restriction measure was included in the EU's 21st sanctions package against Russia, adopted at the end of July. While coordinating that package, EU member states concluded that the mechanism for applying the restrictions needed further development. A diplomat said at the time that this work had already begun.
The European Commission will draft the relevant recommendations and submit them to the EU Council for a decision. Sanctions decisions within the EU Council are adopted unanimously, meaning all member states must agree.
