Estonia: Talks on EU-wide ban on Russian tourists continue: official

Estonia continues to push for an EU-wide ban on Russian tourists, ERR reports. Andres Siplane, chief sanctions expert at the Foreign Ministry, said that discussions on a wider ban on Russian tourism continued almost every day behind closed doors. He said that Estonia was talking to Georgia about the issue as well. However, it is unlikely that the EU will impose any such ban before the end of summer 2023. Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, noted that many EU countries still thought that not all Russian citizens were responsible for the war in Ukraine and that they should therefore not be punished collectively. In the first half of 2023, around 200,000 Russian citizens entered and 205,000 left Estonia. Most of the Russian travellers had Estonian resident permits and close relatives in the country. Estonia does not allow Russian tourists to enter.