The European Commission has suspended all visa-free travel in the EU for Georgian diplomats and high-ranking government officials.
The Commission said the move responds to “Georgia’s deliberate and persisting violation” of its commitments to democracy, and to human and fundamental rights. “If a government attacks its own people, silences journalists, and curtails freedom, there are consequences,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Since the Kremlin-friendly Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the 2024 elections, Georgia has been rocked by protests and political unrest; authorities have carried out mass arrests and there have been episodes of police violence. “The people of Georgia have our full support but there is no place for those representing repression in our union,” Kallas added.
Under the suspension, Georgian diplomats and other special passport holders must obtain a Schengen visa before entering EU countries. Ordinary Georgian citizens holding standard biometric passports are not affected and can still enter the EU visa-free for short stays.
The EU said the suspension will last one year but could be extended by an additional two years if Georgian authorities do not address the ongoing political problems. The Georgian government did not immediately respond.
Last year, 19 of the 27 EU countries had already suspended visa privileges for Georgian officials; the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that would “worsen rather than improve Georgia’s relations with the European Union.” The new ruling imposes the suspension uniformly across all member states.
In recent years Georgia has warmed economic ties with Russia and taken a more authoritarian turn at home, a shift from its earlier reputation as a pro-Western democratic state emerging from the Soviet Union.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic