The Embassy of the European Union in Georgia has distributed a summary explaining the mechanism for suspending the visa regime and outlined the steps that the Georgian authorities can take to prevent this. The EU demands that Tbilisi provide updated information on the fulfillment of its obligations by the end of August. Otherwise, the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens may be completely suspended.
The EU's recommendations include reforms in the field of human rights and strengthening the fight against corruption. A full list of expected steps is published in the accompanying documents of the European Commission.
The EU emphasizes that the visa-free regime directly depends on the observance of fundamental rights and freedoms. In its recent report, the European Commission expressed concern about the state of human rights in Georgia. Recall that in January 2025, the EU suspended the visa-free regime for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports.
The European Commission recently published a letter addressed to the head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Maka Bochorishvili. The text states that within the framework of the visa-free travel suspension mechanism, the EC is conducting a full assessment of compliance with the requirements stipulated by the visa liberalization agreement for third countries that have completed the relevant dialogue.
The executive secretary and parliamentary leader of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, responded to the ultimatum statement of the EU embassy. He assessed the warnings as an "extremely immoral form of blackmail" targeting the Georgian people.
"If you do not submit to us, do not renounce peace, family values, national policy, economic progress and similar issues and do not support our agents, we will cancel visa liberalization for you - an extremely immoral form of blackmail, which they do not even hide anymore! The target of blackmail is the Georgian people!!! Until now, they have only threatened politicians and imposed sanctions," the politician was indignant.
He stressed that “Georgia and the Georgian people will never give up freedom at any price – this is the main secret of the 3,000-year statehood of our homeland, which is very difficult for them to understand!”
