On January 27, the EU Council temporarily suspended part of the visa facilitation agreement with Georgia, so diplomats and officials will have to apply for a visa to travel to the European Union.
Points of attention
- The EU Council temporarily suspended visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats and officials, requiring them to apply for a visa due to violations of EU's fundamental values.
- The suspension of visa facilitation is a reaction to the adoption of laws by the Georgian authorities that contradict EU principles, affecting cooperation between the parties and international relations.
- The decision to suspend visa-free travel for Georgia is also a response to brutal repression by the Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians, and independent media.
- Georgia will lose visa-free access to the EU for certain categories of persons, including members of official delegations, national and regional governments, and holders of diplomatic passports.
- The European Commission proposed to suspend part of the EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation Agreement, which, if adopted by the EU Council, will require Georgian diplomats to obtain visas for short-term visits to the EU.
Georgia loses visa-free access to the EU
"Fundamental rights and democratic values are the main principles of EU integration. Officials representing a country that destroys these values should not benefit from easier access to the EU," said Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister of the Interior and Administration of Poland.
According to the report, for travel to a member state that has reintroduced visa requirements, Georgian diplomats and officials will also no longer benefit from reduced application times, lower visa fees, and the ability to submit fewer supporting documents.
It is noted that the EU Council's decision is a reaction to Georgia's adoption of a number of laws last year, in particular the so-called law on foreign agents.
The EU believes that these legislative initiatives undermine the fundamental rights of the Georgian people, including freedom of expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, and reinforce stigmatization and discrimination.
The actions of the Georgian authorities violated the fundamental principles on which the facilitation agreement was concluded and are contrary to the interests of the EU and its member states, the press service of the Council of the EU added.
This decision is also a response to the brutal repression by the Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians, and independent media, which began after the government announced on November 28, 2024, that it would not start negotiations with the EU until 2028.
The Visa Facilitation Agreement will be terminated for the following categories of persons:
members of official delegations of Georgia participating in official meetings and other events held in the territory of an EU country by intergovernmental organizations;
members of the national and regional governments and parliaments of Georgia, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Georgia;
holders of diplomatic passports.
Georgian citizens who are holders of ordinary passports will continue to enjoy visa-free travel for short-term trips to the EU.
The EU is going to suspend visa-free travel for Georgia
On December 20, the European Commission proposed to suspend part of the EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation Agreement
If the EU Council adopts the relevant proposal, Georgian diplomats and officials, as well as their family members holding diplomatic and service passports, will be required to obtain visas for short-term visits to the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
The European Commission added that visa facilitations, such as reduced application deadlines, reduced visa fees and requirements to submit fewer supporting documents, will also no longer apply to Georgian holders of diplomatic and official passports.
