Opposition leader urges EU to target sanctions at Georgian ruling elite, not citizens

The chair of the United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, has called on the European Union to ensure any potential visa restrictions apply only to members of Georgia’s ruling circle rather than ordinary citizens.

Speaking on the expected publication of the European Parliament’s report on Georgia on Monday, Bokuchava said the document should serve as grounds for the EU to consider suspending visa-free travel with Georgia - but only for those she described as responsible for democratic backsliding.

“We are working very hard to make sure that Georgian citizens are not deprived of this right,” she said. “Restrictions should apply only to Ivanishvili, his entourage, members of the regime, and propagandists.”

Bokuchava argued the report would be “very strict,” citing what she described as daily “repressive steps” taken by the government that violate European values.

The European Commission’s enlargement package for 2025 is expected to be presented to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee by the Commissioner for Enlargement. The report on Georgia is due to be published on 4 November and, according to EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński, will be a “long and substantive document.”