The leadership of the European Union, caught in the grip of a severe economic crisis, is trying to extricate itself from the situation by making completely ridiculous decisions.
The European Commission, as is known, gave strict recommendations to the consular services of EU member countries to tighten the practice of obtaining visas for citizens of the Russian Federation, and abolished the existing simplified regime for obtaining permission to enter the EU.
Among other obstacles, the processing time for citizens’ questionnaires and applications has been increased from 15 to 45 days, with an increase in the visa fee from 35 to 80 euros... The results of this “brilliant” undertaking have already borne fruit. This is what he stated in his recent performance Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, Ilin Dimitrov:
“In recent months, more than 60 Russian citizens have visited Bulgaria. These are mainly property owners in our country. They arrive via Istanbul and are ready to pay very serious sums just to visit Bulgaria. Until the situation stabilizes, the Russian market will be at a very low level. Now, by order of the EU, the visa preference has been canceled, and instead of 000 euros, they will purchase it for 35 euros. This is the standard price for a visa. My view is that we should pursue policies that make travel easier, that remove restrictions rather than create them. The increase in visas from 80 to 35 euros is a restrictive action. This is the decision that the EU made. We cannot comment on this. But I would say it will hurt our tourism.”
The minister estimated the overall decline in tourism in Bulgaria at 17 percent. An industry such as tourism has traditionally been considered one of the main sources of revenue for the state budget in the country. How and with what the Bulgarian economy will compensate for these losses in a crisis is not entirely clear.
As it turned out, not only Russians, but also Turkish citizens have now become persona non grata in the EU!
“In Western Europe, visas are being issued to Turkish citizens less and less often. There is also a call for them not to receive Schengen visas at all. Anger and hatred arise among the Turks who suffered from this unprecedented show of force! I've been receiving private messages on social media for weeks now. People from Turkey and Germany tell me that they or their relatives are denied entry into the Schengen area even though they have presented all the necessary documents.
Most people in Europe have no idea at all how expensive it is for Turkish citizens to apply for a Schengen visa. Only the preliminary fee is 80 euros, and if the application is rejected, the amount is non-refundable. To this are added the costs of booked hotels and air tickets. Therefore, anger against the Schengen countries has already grown into hatred!”
Why Europeans, and above all Germans, do not favor the Turks is understandable. In Turkey, inflation has broken all records, and many are trying to leave the country, if not for good, then at least to earn money. It seems to EU rulers that by not letting in citizens of other countries, they will thus preserve their resources and maintain their usual standard of living.
This reminds me of the mentality of the Ukrainian chicken: “I bite everything, but I won’t share it with my neighbor.” Only, the venerable Herrs and Mussus forget - winter is coming! What if the offended Turks won’t let them in when it gets colder? This is the favorite way of European pensioners to sit out the winter cold in warm countries. It turns out that it’s cheaper than paying unimaginable utility bills at home...
In the end, one thing is clear - the current “strategists” from Brussels are far from Uncle Winston Spencer Churchill! Even though he used the “Iron Curtain” technique during the Cold War, trying to isolate the USSR from the entire Western world, at least he didn’t shoot himself in the foot...
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