The EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has said that the bloc needs to be very cautious when it comes to making decisions regarding the visa liberalisation agreement with Georgia.
According to her, the bloc could revoke visa-free travel for Georgia, but that would primarily hurt the people, Schengen.News reports.
This statement was made by Commissioner Kos during an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, during which she also said that there are many options the bloc is considering.
There are many options, but in this situation, we are being very cautious in making decisions. For example, we could revoke visa liberalisation, but that would primarily hurt the people.
As Commissioner Kos explained, one of the options that the EU could consider is to review the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement with the EU.
In addition, she highlighted that the EU could also freeze the EU candidate status for Georgia instead of targeting the visa-free regime.
We also have the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement with Georgia, which could be reviewed. In addition, Georgia still holds its EU candidate status — we could freeze it.
While these are some of the existing options that the bloc has to target Georgia, Commissioner Kos highlighted that she does not like it when government disregards their people and said that the EU will continue to work towards the Georgian citizens’ desire to follow the European path.
EU Council Suspended Visa-Free Travel for Georgian Diplomats & Officials in January
In January of this year, the EU Council suspended the visa-free travel agreement for Georgian diplomats and officials.
In line with the partial suspension of the visa exemption agreement, Georgian diplomats and officials are no longer eligible for entry into the EU without obtaining a visa first. However, not all EU member states have supported this decision.
In addition to being required to obtain a visa, Georgian diplomats and officials also no longer enjoy the facilitated rules.
As the EU Council explained back in January, Georgian diplomats and officials need to undergo the regular waiting time and pay the full Schengen visa fee. Moreover, this group of applicants may also be required to submit additional supporting documents.
The EU decided to partially suspend visa-free travel with Georgia in response to the adoption of the law on transparency of foreign influence and the adoption of a legislative package on family values and the protection of minors.