The European Commission will release a report on Georgia by the end of the year, which could serve as a basis for suspending visa-free travel for specific groups, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, announced after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
“Ministers made it clear that the situation regarding the rule of law and human rights in Georgia continues to deteriorate. Attacks on EU ambassadors have no place in democratic diplomatic relations,” Kallas stated. She added that the Commission’s forthcoming report will assess whether conditions for visa liberalization are still being met.
Kallas highlighted ongoing concerns about government actions against civil society and the media, saying these “are not in line with the values that operate in the European Union.”
On October 7, the European Parliament voted to simplify the process of suspending visa-free travel for 61 countries. The amendment was supported by 518 MEPs, 96 were against, and 24 abstained.
On November 17, EU member states will formally vote on the amendments again in the Council of Europe, and the new mechanism is scheduled to enter into force in early December.
