Visa-free travel at risk, EU may suspend Schengen access for Georgian citizens, expert

Georgia may soon face the suspension of its visa-free travel arrangement with the Schengen Area, Gigi Gigiadze, a senior researcher at the Economic Policy Research Centre said on Thursday.

Gigiadze warned that the suspension could come into effect as early as this fall, citing longstanding concerns over human rights and the rule of law in the country.

“Human rights have been violated in Georgia for a long time. There has been no independent judiciary, and the key conditions outlined in the original 2013 visa liberalization action plan have not been fulfilled for years,” said Gigiadze. “Therefore, it is entirely logical that the EU would now consider suspending visa-free travel as a response to the trajectory established under the governance of Georgian Dream.”

His remarks follow recent statements from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who announced that the Polish government will initiate a lobbying effort among EU member states to suspend Georgia’s visa-free regime with the Schengen zone. 

The EU granted Georgia visa-free access to the Schengen Area in 2017 as part of a broader effort to support democratic reforms and European integration. However, several EU officials and institutions have in recent months expressed increasing alarm over Georgia's political developments, particularly in light of the controversial foreign agents law passed by the ruling party and halted EU integration despite widespread domestic protests and international criticism.

If implemented, the suspension of visa liberalization would impact Georgian citizens, who currently enjoy up to 90 days of travel within the Schengen Area without a visa.