Georgian officials could lose the right to enter the EU without a visa following the country’s crackdown on anti-government protests.
Proposals tabled by the European Commission on Tuesday mean that individuals traveling to an EU member state on a diplomatic or official Georgian passport would need to acquire a visa beforehand.
The restrictions would not apply to Georgians with regular passports. Arrangements that came into effect in 2017 mean that Georgian nationals are allowed to enter the EU without a visa for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
In a press release, the European Commission said the proposal “is a response to the violent repression by the Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians and independent media.”
The country has been paralyzed by weeks of mass protests that erupted when the Georgian Dream party, which is accused of being authoritarian and pro-Russian, decided to suspend negotiations on EU accession.
Many civil organizations have reported that the security service used undue violence in their response to protests, an accusation denied by the ruling party.
Posting on social media platform X, the commission’s president urged the Georgian authorities to stop their crackdown.
“The Georgian people have been protesting against the government’s choice to halt the EU path,” wrote Ursula von der Leyen.
“Peaceful protests, met with police violence. Today we propose visa restrictions for Georgian diplomats.
“Our message to the leadership is clear: Stop harming your own people.”
‘Against EU values’
As well as suspending visa-free travel status, the commission wants to get rid of measures such as shorter application times, lower visa fees and the requirement to submit fewer supporting documents for Georgian officials.
The proposals as a whole will need approval from the European Council.
Justifying its latest move, the commission also cited two laws passed recently by the Georgian parliament that it says undermines “fundamental rights” and goes against the bloc’s values.
In May, lawmakers approved a ‘foreign influence’ bill that opponents say is meant to quash dissent from NGOs and other groups that may receive funding from abroad. In the autumn, they gave the green light to legislation that, according to activists, curbs the rights LGBTQ+ people.
On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom announced sanctions against several high-ranking Georgian officials, including interior minister Vakhtang Gomelauri.
In a press conference on Friday, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian prime minister, made Gomelauri one of his deputy prime ministers, regional independent news website OC Media reported. Kobakhidze also said that any official that suffers financial losses due to international sanctions would be compensated by the state.
‘This is not just a response to an unjust decision, it is a response to the worthy actions taken by Interior Ministry employees’, said the prime minister.
