BRUSSELS, October 19. /TASS/. Visa issuance restrictions for Russians when visiting the European Union member-countries is a long-term priority of the European Commission, Commission Spokesperson Markus Lammert said at a briefing in Brussels.

"Restricting the issuance of visas to Russian citizens has been a priority of this Commission and of the EU" since the start of 2022, Lammert said.

"Issuing visa is a Member-State competence," he noted. "Every visa application is assessed by national authorities individually," Lammert said. The European Commission has also "taken measures to make it more difficult to have multiple entry visas for Russian citizens" and to reduce their total number, the spokesperson added.