EU Commission considers visa suspension measures over Georgia’s democratic backsliding

The European Commission is considering appropriate measures under an updated visa suspension mechanism, citing what it described as systemic and deliberate democratic backsliding in Georgia, the Commission said in a statement.

According to the statement, the revised mechanism will enter into force on December 30 and could be used to suspend visa-free travel if the situation does not improve.

Under the new rules, the first stage of a possible suspension could apply to holders of diplomatic, service and official passports issued by the Georgian authorities, who are considered primarily responsible for failing to implement the Commission’s recommendations.

“Given that democratic backsliding has a systemic and targeted character, the Commission is considering the adoption of appropriate measures within the updated visa liberalisation suspension mechanism,” the statement said.

Unlike the current system, the new regulation would ensure uniform application of the suspension mechanism across all EU member states. This would mean that once visa requirements are reintroduced at the EU level for these categories, bilateral visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic and service passports would no longer be possible.

In a second stage, if the Georgian authorities fail to address the existing problems, the suspension could be extended to the entire population. Ultimately, Georgia could lose its visa-free travel status altogether and be placed on the list of third countries whose citizens require visas to enter the European Union, the Commission said.