The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, has said that his government is lobbying the EU member states to end visa-free travel for Georgian citizens.
Such a statement from Tusk was made during a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday and follows increased migration concerns and democratic backsliding in Georgia, Schengen.News reports.
Citing these two reasons, Tusk said that he is working to gather support from the other member states and build a majority to suspend or at least limit unrestricted entry to the bloc for Georgians.
While Tusk acknowledged that a third of Georgians share the same values as EU citizens, he noted that measures need to be taken as soon as possible.
We are building the necessary majority to limit or suspend visa-free travel with Georgia, among others. 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.
At the same time, Tusk clarified that Georgia is not being singled out and that the unrestricted travel issue concerns a broader context.
He emphasised that he supports tightening the visa-free entry rules for all countries that do not uphold democratic standards and present a direct threat to the security and public order of Poland and the EU.
It is not just about Georgia, I apologise to Georgians who may feel offended, but in general, I am a strong advocate of restricting visa-free travel from countries which, as in the case of Georgia, no longer respect either the standards regarding authoritarian authorities or from which migration poses a direct threat to law and order in our country or in Europe.
EU Has Already Suspended Visa-Free Travel for Georgian Diplomatic Passport Holders
While the regular passport holders of Georgia continue to enjoy visa-free entry to the bloc, the case is not the same for Georgian diplomatic passport holders.
The Council of the EU partially suspended the visa facilitation agreement with Georgia at the beginning of this year.
Under the partial suspension, Georgian diplomats and officials are not eligible for visa-free entry to the member states that have adopted the decision.
In addition to having to undergo the visa application process, the Council explained that Georgian diplomats need to undergo regular application times and pay the full Schengen visa fee.
A number of member states have already adopted the decision of the Council, including Poland, Germany, France, Lithuania and Estonia.