Lipavský: EU foreign ministers will look for visa ban compromise

EU foreign ministers, who are currently attending an informal meeting in Prague, will look for a compromise solution to the question of whether to enact a visa ban for Russian tourists, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský said on Tuesday. The Czech head of diplomacy stressed that maintaining EU unity was key.

The Czech News Agency reported that agreement seemed to be closest on suspending a measure easing visa acquisition for Russians. If approved, the ban could be put in place sometime around October, the news agency reports. The EU has already halted the part of the agreement from 2007 which deals with government officials and businessmen.

Czechia, which is hosting the informal meeting, is in favour of a ban on Russian visas. However, Reuters reports that Germany and France are not.

The first day of the informal summit is taking place at Prague’s Congress Centre this Tuesday. Discussion is expected to focus on Russia’s war on Ukraine as well as the EU’s relations with Africa. On Wednesday the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia will have an informal lunch with their EU counterparts.