The EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, has said that the majority of the member states oppose the suspension of visa-free travel for Georgians.
Such a statement from the Ambassador was made only one day after the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, said that his government is working to build a majority to end or limit unrestricted entry into the bloc for Georgian citizens, Schengen.News reports.
Speaking for journalists, Ambassador Herczynski said that most of the member states are currently not considering such a move, stressing that “for the moment, this is not the case”.
He further explained that one of the main reasons why the member states are against introducing visa requirements for Georgian citizens is that they do not want to penalise ordinary citizens for the decisions and actions adopted by the country’s authorities.
I would say that the majority of member states are against it for a very simple reason: we don’t want to make ordinary people pay for the decisions, actions, and legislation that have been enacted in Georgia by the authorities.
On the other hand, despite acknowledging that a third of Georgians share the same values, Polish Prime Minister Tusk said that his intention is to move forward with the suspension.
According to him, the EU knows what the problem is, suggesting that measures need to be taken against the country.
Yes, this is also my intention, in the full knowledge that a third of Georgians are people who would very much like to share our values, but we know what the problem is.
EU Ambassador Also Said That Georgia Risks Losing Opportunity to Integrate With EU
In addition to the above-mentioned, Ambassador Herczynski also made comments regarding EU integration.
He said that Georgia risks losing the opportunity to integrate with the EU following recent developments.
According to Ambassador Herczynski, while Ukraine and Moldova are making rapid progress on EU membership, the process of the EU with Georgia has stalled.
We are making rapid progress with Ukraine and Moldova, but with Georgia, the process has stalled. That is deeply regrettable — and I fear Georgia may lose its historic chance to join the European Union.
On the other hand, in December of last year, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, said that the country’s EU integration is among the top priorities of the government. He noted that Georgia would be the best prepared among the candidate countries by 2030.