The Council adopted a decision that fully suspends the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia. Consequently, the general rules of the visa code will apply to Russian citizens. This will result in an increase in the visa application fee from €35 to €80, the need to present additional documentary evidence, increased visa processing […]
Commission proposes full suspension of Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia
The Commission is proposing to fully suspend the EU’s Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia. A country like Russia, waging a war of aggression, should not qualify for visa facilitations as long as it continues conducting its destructive foreign policy and military aggression towards Ukraine, demonstrating a complete disregard to the international rules-based order. The suspension […]
Key Narratives in Pro-Kremlin Disinformation: ‘The Hahaganda’
A defining feature of pro-Kremlin disinformation is its repetitiveness. For all the outrageous claims they make, pro-Kremlin outlets often sound like a broken record sticking to just a handful of basic messages for domestic and international audiences. This is not by accident or oversight, it is by design: repetition makes lies sound more believable. Pro-Kremlin […]
EU foreign ministers agree to suspend visa facilitation agreement
On 30 and 31 August 2022, Prague hosted an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers known as a Gymnich. The ministers primarily discussed two topics, namely the EU’s relations with Africa and the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The main outcome of the meeting was agreement among the Member States to suspend the visa facilitation agreement. […]
66 Russian students have received EU scholarships to continue their studies in the EU
This year, 66 Russian students have received the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) scholarships under the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. The number of scholarship-winners from Russia continues to be high, confirming Russia’s position as one of the top EMJM scholarship recipients worldwide. Under the EMJM scheme, students get an opportunity to pursue Master degree in leading […]
EU foreign ministers meet in Prague on 30-31 August
On 30 and 31 August, Prague will host a Gymnich meeting of EU foreign ministers, so named after the place where the first such meeting took place in 1974. European ministers will be discussing two main topics: the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the EU’s relations with Africa. During these meetings, always organised by the […]
EU renews economic sanctions over Russia for further six months
The Council decided to prolong by six months, until 31 January 2023, the restrictive measures targeting specific sectors of the economy of the Russian Federation. These sanctions, first introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, were significantly expanded since February 2022, in light of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military […]
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine: the EU targets additional 54 individuals and 10 entities
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 54 individuals and 10 entities in response to the ongoing unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine. This decision comes in addition to the “maintenance and alignment” package of sanctions adopted by the Council on 21 July 2022. The listed individuals include senior members of the […]
EU support to Ukraine increased to €2.5 billion
The Council has adopted two assistance measures under the European Peace Facility (EPF) aimed to step up the EU’s support for the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, and protect the civilian population against the ongoing Russian military aggression. Thanks to the 5th […]