Russia offers EU visa deal

Russia offered tighter, airline-style controls on train and bus tickets to and from its enclave of Kaliningrad yesterday and new deals on taking back illegal immigrants as part of its push to end a diplomatic crisis with the EU.

The row has arisen because Russians travelling to and from the enclave through Lithuania, which is preparing to join the EU, are to be asked for visas when in transit. After a series of frosty exchanges, yesterday's initiative was welcomed by EU officials, amid signs that a compromise is nearing.

Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, insists that Russians travelling between the two parts of the country should not have to carry a visa, and suggested in a letter to EU heads of government a "reciprocal, visa-free travel reign for the Russian and EU citizens". While that is unlikely in the short term, EU officials gave a guarded welcome to the proposals made in Brussels yesterday by the Russian special representative, Dmitri Rogozin.

Russia wants to persuade Lithuania to drop its plans to impose visas next January, well ahead of the EU enlargement that is due in 2004. In exchange, Russia proposes that tickets for buses and trains travelling through Lithuania would be tightly controlled and that the lists of Russian passenger names would be given to the Lithuanian or EU authorities. Only those foreigners with a valid visa would be sold a ticket. In addition, Moscow would offer a re-admission agreement with Lithuania to take back illegal immigrants.

The problem with Kalinin-grad's other neighbour, Poland, is minor in comparison, because it only accounts for a small amount of traffic.

EU officials will have to examine whether the Russian offer on bus and train tickets would be compatible with their internal rules. Ultimately, the Russians hope to have a full visa-free regime between the EU and Russia, although travellers would still need to present passports. In the interim, there would have to be an improvement in police co-operation between Russia and the EU as well as arrangements to take back Russians who are denied access to EU countries.