The formal adoption by the Council, an institution in which all 27 member states are represented, follows the proposal presented by the European Commission last Tuesday, following the political agreement reached in Prague on 31 August by EU foreign ministers.


The suspension of the agreement, which had been in place since 2007, means that Russian citizens will no longer have facilities when applying for a short-stay visa for the Schengen area of free movement, and the general rules of the visa code will apply.


In practice, Russian applicants will face a higher visa fee. The price increases from 35 EUR to 80 EUR for all applicants and an increase in processing time, with the normal period of time for consulates to take a decision on visa applications being extended from 10 to 15 days, which can be extended to a maximum of 45 days in individual cases where further examination of the application is needed.


More restrictive rules on multiple-entry visas will also apply, with Russian applicants no longer having easy access to visas valid for multiple entries into the Schengen area, and they will also be required to provide a longer list of supporting documents.


"A visa facilitation agreement allows privileged access to the EU for citizens of trusted partners with whom we share common values. With its unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression, including its indiscriminate attacks on civilians, Russia has broken this trust and trampled on the fundamental values of our international community," commented today the Interior Minister of the Czech Republic, the country chairing the EU Council for the current semester.


Vít Rakusan added that "today's decision is a direct consequence of Russia's actions" and further proof of the European bloc's "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine and its people.


The decision to suspend the visa agreement with Russia was taken by the heads of diplomacy of the 27 at their political meeting in Prague in late August, roughly six months after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February, with Portugal considering the measure "balanced".


"There is no reason for us to have a visa facilitation mechanism in relation to Russia that we don't have with so many other countries in the world, and therefore we are going to end the visa facilitation agreement," Minister João Gomes Cravinho said on the occasion, adding that "this will lead to a much higher degree of demand, therefore a tighter sieve in the verification of the documentation of those who travel to the EU."


According to Commission data, as of 1st September of this year, around 963,000 Russians held valid visas for the Schengen area.


The decision should be published in the official journal today, whereby the decision will apply from Monday, 12 September.


In a statement, the Council said the European Commission should soon present "additional guidelines to ensure that this suspension does not have a negative impact on certain persons travelling to the EU for essential purposes, such as journalists and representatives of a civil society".