Translated material
Operation "Special Pass"
A new regime for visiting Poland and Lithuania may be introduced for residents of border areas of the Kaliningrad region
Visas to Poland and Lithuania for residents of border areas of the Kaliningrad region can replace special passes. This idea was first voiced by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry this spring. Official Vilnius announced in May that special passes can be issued instead of visas to residents of border areas on both sides of the state border. This statement was made just before the entry into force of the agreement between the Russian Federation and the EU on simplifying mutual travel of citizens. For all Russians, this document has become a blessing - the consular fee has decreased from 60 to 35 euros. However, for Kaliningrad residents, simplification turned into complication - free, multiple-entry and long-term visas to Lithuania and Poland disappeared. Since the summer, residents of the region, like other Russians, have been paying 35 euros even for a one-time trip to neighboring countries. Is this fair, since the westernmost Russian region is cut off from the “mainland” and surrounded by EU countries?Journalists asked the same question to Presidential Assistant for Development of Relations with the EU Sergei Yastrzhembsky, who held talks in Kaliningrad in October with EU Commissioner for Foreign Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Following their meeting, high-ranking officials said that liberalization of the visa regime for border residents is quite real. To do this, Russia only needs to conclude bilateral agreements with Lithuania and Warsaw. Considering the difficult relations between official Moscow and Warsaw and Vilnius, the adoption of such documents seems to be a long-term matter.
However, as Denis Daniilidis, head of the press and information department of the European Commission in the Russian Federation, told Vremya Novostei, the recent statements of the European Commissioner were followed by some practical actions. “Negotiations on the movement of residents of border areas are a bilateral process between Russia and the EU member countries bordering it. The European Commission is in close contact with all interested parties,” he emphasized.
Light on the somewhat vague statement of Mr. Daniilidis was shed by the words of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Seimas, Justinas Karosas. While in Kaliningrad last Friday, he said that Russia and Lithuania are preparing an intergovernmental agreement on mutual simplification of travel for residents of border areas. “Lithuania will soon join the Schengen visa area, the rules of which, however, allow for a number of exceptions. Now Russia and Lithuania are preparing a bilateral intergovernmental agreement, according to which residents of areas bordering Lithuania will be able to cross the border without visas, using special passes. The fee for them will be lower than for visas,” Mr. Karosas said.
He also emphasized that holders of special passes, who often cross the Russian-Lithuanian border in the Kaliningrad region, will not have to constantly change their passports, which quickly expire due to border service marks. “No stamps will be placed. The fact that a person crosses the border will be marked by a special electronic system. This opens up new opportunities for residents of the border areas of the Kaliningrad region,” added the Lithuanian parliamentarian. However, this opens up similar opportunities for the Lithuanians themselves. The rules for obtaining visas, which have become more complicated since the summer, have hit them hard. So such liberalization of the travel regime is a mutually beneficial matter.
Let us note that Lithuania (as well as Poland, another neighbor of the Kaliningrad region), despite its upcoming entry into the Schengen visa area, is not bound by any legal restrictions in this matter. There is a regulatory framework for establishing a special travel regime for residents of border areas - in January of this year, Regulation No. 1931/2006 of the European Parliament and Council, which supplements the Schengen Convention, came into force. Lithuania and Poland have the right to conduct relevant negotiations with Russia, but before signing the prepared agreements they are required to obtain the approval of the European Commission. As a general rule, the territory of the zone whose residents are allowed to use special passes should not extend beyond 30 kilometers. However, the Russian side insists on expanding to 50 kilometers (so Kaliningrad, which is half the population of the region, could also fall into the zone). Each agreement entered into should indicate the local administrative areas that it covers.
It is assumed that the territorial scope of such a pass will be limited only to the border zone of the EU member state that issued it. The pass can only be issued to residents of the border area who have legally resided in the border area for at least one year.
Official Vilnius addresses the topic of visa liberalization again and again, which cannot be said about Warsaw. Polish high-ranking politicians have never spoken out on this topic. Perhaps some statements may follow later, when the new Polish government gets into the swing of things. In the meantime, the issue of easing travel rules has been delegated to the regional level.
Last week, deputies from the Sejmik of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship visited Kaliningrad. And during their visit they talked about problems with visas. Polish deputies reported that after the complexity of the mechanism for obtaining visas since the summer of 2007, the number of border crossings has decreased by 15%. The need for an invitation from the “other” side to obtain a visa, as well as its cost, have become a serious obstacle for many - as a result, the number of mutual (especially one- or two-day tourist) trips has decreased.
Deputy Chairman of the Sejmik International Affairs Commission Henryk Horbaczewski outlined the position of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Parliament: it is necessary to create a system of simplified visa regime between the border regions of Poland and the Kaliningrad region. As the Consul General of Poland in Kaliningrad, Jaroslaw Chubiński, told Vremya Novostei, there are no discussions of this issue at a high level yet, there are only meetings at the local level. “At the same time, our consulate general does not participate in them,” the diplomat noted.