Kalinigrado en la red: ¿mundo con o sin visado? rusos y europeos enfrentados a la cuestión del visado

Abstract

The question of Kaliningrad is of particular interest now that EU enlargement is coming to the fore. The visa issuance is a key and imminent challenge to understand the issue. The accession negotiations which the EU is having with Poland and Lithuania will result in making Kaliningrad a Russian enclave within the enlarging EU. Schengen visa rules will make Kaliningraders need visas to leave the Oblast by land. To make the point on the Oblast situation, this article singles out the issue of borders and border practices. After a brief historical overview on Kaliningrad’s visa issue, the analysis of the possible relation schemes between Kaliningrad and the EU shows that achieving balance between internal and external security will be essential if the EU is to avoid creating new dividing lines in Europe.