Ruling party MP slams EU over potential visa liberalisation suspension mechanism

David Matikashvili, chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, on Wednesday responded to an article published by Radio Liberty, which reported that the EU was considering changes that could make it easier to revoke visa liberalisation agreements with countries including Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans.

“Visa liberalisation is an achievement of our people, despite the fact that the specific situation here is not being addressed by the EU bureaucrats,” said Matikashvili.

He accused what he referred to as a “deep state” of attempting to manipulate EU policy for political aims and expressed concern that Georgian citizens could suffer as a result.

“Georgian society has become accustomed to completely unfair, unfounded accusations and pressure from specific EU bureaucrats. The ‘deep state’ does not slow down its attempts to fulfil its desires for its own purposes,” he said, adding that the EU should be “obliged not to create a problem for the Georgian people.”

According to Radio Liberty’s Rikard Jozwiak, the EU is reviewing its visa liberalisation policy and may introduce a new mechanism to suspend agreements more easily.

Georgia has enjoyed visa-free travel to the Schengen Area since 2017, a policy that has been widely seen as a milestone in its European integration efforts.