“I have presented the options paper. The options are sanctions and the suspension of the visa-free travel regime, and all the elements of it,” said Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in her doorstep remarks ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council.
According to Kaja Kallas, the Council will discuss the Georgia issue and democratic backsliding in the country.
“I have presented the options paper, and it is up to the member states to decide what they want to do with this. The options are sanctions and the suspension of the visa-free travel regime and all the elements of it,” she said.
Kaja Kallas confirmed the information on targeted sanctions and the names of two judges on the list of sanctioned individuals.
“We have proposed the list, and we see sentences for young protesters that are really out of proportion. It is clear that the judicial system is part of the apparatus. Yes, there are two judges on the sanctions package. We will discuss that, and as you know, we have had the blockage before, but we will discuss working methods in relation to that,” she said.
Kaja Kallas said the Council would send a letter to Georgia in an attempt to overcome the blockage of the visa-free regime.
“They have certain conditions to comply with, and if these conditions are not met, we will have to suspend the visa-free regime,” she stated.
