France and Italy have reacted skeptically to a European Commission proposal to ban former Russian servicemen from entering EU countries, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.
According to the agency’s sources, both countries do not reject the idea of restrictions on former Russian military personnel itself. However, they believe that in its current form the initiative could be interpreted too broadly and effectively turn into a “blanket ban” on Russians entering the EU.
Bloomberg’s interlocutors said that Paris and Rome would prefer such restrictions to be introduced through visa policy rather than through the sanctions mechanism. They did not explain what such an approach would mean in practice.
Another concern is that the proposed system would leave it to individual EU member states to decide who actually took part in the war against Ukraine and who merely served in the military. France and Italy считают, что сделать это на практике будет непросто.
On June 9, the European Union unveiled its 21st package of sanctions against Russia. At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed adding an entry ban for all Russians who took part in the war or served in the military after February 24, 2022.
It remains unclear how these restrictions would work if approved. Details of a possible enforcement mechanism, including verification criteria and the categories of people affected, have not yet been disclosed.