(Prague) The foreign ministers of eight EU countries sent a letter to the head of European diplomacy asking him to limit the travel of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area, according to a copy of the text obtained by AFP THURSDAY.
The free movement of Russian diplomatic passport holders within the Schengen area without visas facilitates their “malicious activities”, as Moscow redoubles its efforts to sow discord within the EU, the eight ministers said.
“We believe that the EU should limit the travel of members of Russian diplomatic missions and their family members only to the territory of the state where they are accredited,” they said.
The letter, dated June 11, was signed by the Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian ministers.
The proposed measure “will significantly reduce the operational space of Russian agents,” the signatories said.
EU countries have already significantly reduced the number of Russian diplomats on their territory since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The ministers said that “intelligence, propaganda or even the preparation of acts of sabotage constitute the main workload of a large number of Russian ‘diplomats’ in the EU.”
The Czech Republic and Poland recently arrested people suspected of arson, saying their crimes were incited by Russia.
“Russia has been conducting large-scale operations in Europe for years, which have caused many casualties and significant material damage,” the letter reads.
The ministers ask Josep Borrell to “urgently present a proposal for a concrete text of restrictive measures.”
To allay concerns about possible retaliation from Moscow, ministers say it would have “a cost far less than the potential damage Russian diplomatic agents can cause across Europe.”