On 27 January, the Council of the European Union decided to suspend parts of the EU-Georgia visa facilitation agreement.
The visa facilitation agreement, which entered into force in 2011, will be suspended for the following categories:
- members of Georgia’s official delegations who participate in official meetings and other events held in the territory of an EU country by intergovernmental organizations;
- members of Georgia’s national and regional Governments and Parliaments, Georgia’s Constitutional Court and Supreme Court;
- holders of diplomatic passports.
For travels to an EU member state that has reintroduced visa requirements, Georgian diplomats and officials will no longer benefit from shorter application times, lower visa fees, and the possibility of submitting fewer supporting documents.
Georgian nationals who are holders of ordinary passports will continue to benefit from the visa exemption when traveling to the EU for short stays.
The decision is a reaction to the adoption last year by Georgia of a ‘Law on transparency of foreign influence’ and a legislative package on ‘family values and protection of minors’. The EU considers that these legislations undermine the fundamental rights of the Georgian people.
“Fundamental rights and democratic values are core principles of EU integration. Officials that represent a country which trample down these values should not benefit from easier access to the EU,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration, representing the Polish Presidency at the Council of the EU.
The proposal is also a response to violent repression by the Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians and independent media, which started after the government announced on 28 November 2024 that it would no longer pursue the opening of negotiations with the EU until 2028.
