EU Ambassador: European Commission to publish visa liberalisation report for Georgia in December

The European Commission will release its latest visa liberalisation monitoring report in December, which will include an assessment of Georgia, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski announced on Wednesday. The report will then be shared with EU member states for review and further decision-making.

According to Herczynski, the new mechanism applies not only to Georgia but to all countries enjoying visa-free travel with the European Union. “In December, the European Commission will publish the visa liberalisation report, including for Georgia, and this report will be shared with EU member states. After that, member countries will consider it and make their decisions. I do not want to speculate on what those decisions might be,” the ambassador said.

Herczynski also reiterated the EU’s earlier warnings regarding the foreign transparency law, which the European Union had advised the Georgian government not to adopt.

“In spring 2024, we clearly said: please do not pass the foreign agents law, known as the transparency law, because it would have consequences. In June 2024, following its adoption by the Georgian Parliament, the EU Council decided to effectively halt Georgia’s accession process and called on the government to change course. The Council’s June 24 decision was the first wake-up call. The enlargement report released last week was probably the final one - devastating for Georgia’s EU ambitions,” Herczynski stated.

He urged Georgian lawmakers to act swiftly to reverse course if the country’s leadership remained serious about EU integration. “I hope Georgian parliamentarians will not need more than 18 months to study this report and act. If Georgia truly wishes to join the EU one day, the government must change direction immediately,” he added.