Transit is just a part of it: Kaliningrad and the free movement of people

The paper examines current stand on Kaliningrad transit issue analysing transit documents’ schemes after their implementation in 2003. Policy options for both Russia and the EU on the issue of movement of people concerning Kaliningrad Region are reviewed. The paper argues that passenger transit through Lithuania is just a part of a larger circle of problems and as such can be absorbed by more comprehensive solutions. A complex compromise solution is proposed on the basis of partial reciprocity. It is feasible for Russia to introduce visa-free regime for the EU citizens in Kaliningrad Region. On the EU side, visa regime for Kaliningrad may be kept intact, if multi-entry Schengen visas with longer validity will be made available to the residents of Kaliningrad and visa procedures will be eased up.