Georgia must meet eight recommendations to maintain its visa-free regime with EU
Will Georgia lose EU visa-free travel
The possible suspension of the visa-free regime for certain categories of Georgian citizens is mentioned in the seventh report of the European Commission, prepared for the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. The report addresses the mechanism for countries that enjoy visa-free travel with the EU but are not member states.
The reason cited is “violations of fundamental human rights.” The Commission specifically refers to Georgia’s adoption of the “foreign agents” law and a package of laws against “LGBT propaganda” in the spring and summer of 2024.
The latter law has been compared by many local and international human rights advocates to measures enacted against the LGBT community in Nazi Germany.
While the report notes progress in many areas of Georgia’s cooperation with the EU under the visa-free regime mechanism, it also outlines a long list of grievances against Georgian authorities.
Top of list: Georgia’s decision to introduce visa-free travel with China without prior EU consultation
“Georgia has not made progress in further aligning its visa policy with the European Union. On the contrary, with the signing of the visa-free agreement with China in April 2024, the divergence from the EU’s visa policy has widened.
Georgia argues that, as it does not share a direct land border with the EU, its unaligned visa policy does not pose a risk to the EU in terms of illegal migration or security. However, the Commission emphasizes that aligning visa policies is a key requirement for all countries bordering the EU and/or aspiring to join the bloc,“ the report states.
What Georgia must do to keep its EU visa-free regime: eight recommendations
“To ensure that Georgia continues to meet the criteria for visa liberalization and to prevent the suspension of this regime, the authorities must take urgent steps to implement the Commission’s recommendations,” the report states.
The European Commission provides Georgia with eight recommendations:
- Ensure and protect the fundamental rights of all Georgian citizens, including freedom of association, assembly, and expression, the right to privacy, participation in public affairs, and non-discrimination.
- Prevent or repeal laws that restrict rights and freedoms or contradict the principle of non-discrimination and European and international standards. Specifically, the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law and the legislative package on “Protecting Family Values and Minors” must be repealed. Amendments should also be made to the national strategy and action plan on human rights to fully protect the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals.
- Align Georgia’s visa policy with the list of countries requiring visas to enter the EU, particularly for those posing risks of illegal migration or security threats to the EU.
- Strengthen efforts to prevent unfounded asylum claims by Georgian citizens and their illegal presence in EU member states. This includes conducting awareness campaigns on visa-free travel for relevant migrant categories and tightening border controls.
- Establish asset recovery and management structures, while continuing efforts to trace, freeze, confiscate, and utilize assets.
- Adopt a new anti-corruption strategy and action plan, allocate adequate resources for their implementation, and focus on investigating, prosecuting, and reviewing high-level corruption cases.
- Amend the law on the Anti-Corruption Bureau in line with the key recommendations of the Venice Commission, especially regarding the Bureau’s independence, political neutrality, and functions.
- Comply with EU data protection legislation.
- The visa-free regime with the EU for Georgian citizens has been in effect since March 28, 2017.
- Georgian citizens can travel visa-free to 22 EU member states, four non-EU countries, and four candidate countries for EU membership.
- Under the visa-free regime rules, a Georgian citizen can travel to the Schengen Area without a visa and stay for up to 90 days within six months. During this time, they can move freely between EU countries.
