In a letter dated 11 June to the High Representative of the Union, the Czech, Danish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish and Romanian foreign ministers called for the “urgent” submission of a proposal for a concrete text providing for restrictive measures “to restrict the movement of members of Russian diplomatic missions and members of their families solely to the territory of the State of their accreditation”. The Czech Republic has been calling for such measures for several months.
As hybrid activities attributed to Russia continue to increase in Europe, the eight ministers explain, in the letter seen by Agence Europe, that “the free movement of holders of Russian diplomatic and service passports, accredited in a host State, throughout the Schengen area, facilitates malign activities”. According to them, “intelligence, propaganda or even the preparation of acts of sabotage represent the main workload for a large number of Russian ‘diplomats’ in the EU”.
Limiting the free movement of members of Russian diplomatic missions and their families “will significantly restrict the operational space for Russian agents”. While a “heavy blow” has been dealt to the presence of Russian intelligence services by a wave of expulsions, there is, according to the ministers cited, a continuing need to expel Russian embassy staff from various EU countries. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)