The European Commission has suspended visa-free travel to the EU for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports, citing Georgia’s persistent failure to meet its commitments under the visa-free regime, - according to the EU Enlargement Report published on November 4.
The Commission activated the revised Visa Suspension Mechanism (VSM) for Georgia, temporarily suspending visa-free travel for these passport holders from March 6, 2026, for an initial period of one year.
The report states that Georgia’s continued backsliding on fundamental principles demonstrates that the country remains an EU candidate only on paper.
The European Commission warns that unless the Georgian authorities change course and recommit to the principles underpinning EU membership, the country will continue to miss out on the benefits of candidate status and the accession process.
"In December 2023, the European Council granted Georgia candidate status on the understanding that the relevant reforms (i.e. the nine steps) set out in the Commission recommendations of 8 November 2023 were taken. In view of the developments in Georgia, the European Council concluded in June, October and December 2024 that the authorities’ course of action jeopardised Georgia’s EU path, de facto leading to a halt of the accession process. In December 2024, the European Council regretted the Georgian government’s decision to suspend the country’s EU accession process until 2028. In the 2025 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, the Commission concluded that the actions taken by the Georgian authorities fall short of the expectations of an EU candidate country.
Furthermore, it called on Georgia to urgently reverse the democratic backsliding and make comprehensive and tangible efforts to address outstanding concerns and key reforms supported by cross-party cooperation and civic engagement, in line with EU values and the principles upon which the European Union is founded. As Georgia’s accession process remains halted, as in 2025, this report focuses on the fundamentals of the accession process that underpin its candidate status and the related recommendations. Given the continued backsliding observed in this year’s report and the need to address the steps identified by the Commission in 2023 as a matter of priority, it does not set recommendations for the chapters beyond the fundamentals" , - the report reads.
