The EU member states agreed days ago to suspend the visa facilitation agreement that was signed with Russia in 2007, a step that serves to complicate the granting of documents. Now these ‘transfers’ have become known to complicate the process: the visas will cost 80 euros, with an increase of around 56% in the price (they cost 35 euros) and the concession would take two weeks -compared to 10 days until now – and even 45 days in some specific cases. Brussels has presented these details this Tuesday, and also includes an increase in the documents that must be presented, in addition to closing certain doors of the Schengen zone. “The facilitation of visas is a sign of trust, which Russia’s war of aggression has completely destroyed,” wrote the president of the Community Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, on social networks. In practice, this step taken by the States Member States does not entail a total ban on visas, but rather makes it difficult and lengthens the procedures that Russian citizens have to complete in order to obtain a permit for stays of 90 days. The measure finds a middle ground between those who were more reluctant to a total ban, as was the case in Germany or France, and the Baltics, in favor of turning off the tap completely. Spain, for its part, wanted the door of the EU to be left open “to those who do not agree with the war”. The minister, José Manuel Albares, celebrated the decision at the time. “We Europeans have once again agreed that the best tool we have to face the challenge from Vladimir Putin is unity and that is what we have reaffirmed,” he said. The agreement itself, in one of its final clauses, states that “each party may totally or partially suspend this agreement for reasons of public order, protection of national security or protection of public health”, as the 27 have now decided. In addition, the EU needs to inform Moscow now of the entry into force of this decision, when it becomes effective. And it concludes that when circumstances change – right now they are those derived from the war – that suspension must be revoked. Regarding the border controls already applied by some Member States, such as Estonia, to stop the arrival of Russian citizens on European soil, the High Representative, Josep Borrell, explained that the Twenty-seven can adopt a wide range of measures within the framework of the Schengen code. In this way, the head of community diplomacy has given Member States a wide berth to take measures at the national level on visas and border controls, depending on the situation they face, to regulate the border. Currently, almost one million Russian citizens , 963,000 according to Brussels calculations, have valid visas for the Schengen area. The visa facilitation agreement with Russia had been in force since 2007 and allowed its citizens to enter the EU for a period of up to 90 days.