EU suspends visa privileges for Georgian officials over democratic backsliding
The European Union suspended parts of its visa facilitation agreement with Georgia on Jan. 27, citing concerns over the country's democratic backsliding.
"Fundamental rights and democratic values are core principles of EU integration. Officials that represent a country which trample down these values should not benefit from easier access to the EU," said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's interior minister.
The decision follows mass protests in Tbilisi over parliamentary elections that the opposition belives were nor free nor fair and a political crisis sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement that Georgia's EU integration could be delayed until 2028.
The suspension applies to members of Georgian official delegations, government and parliamentary officials, Constitutional and Supreme Court judges, and holders of diplomatic passports.
Ordinary Georgian citizens will retain visa-free travel to the EU for short-term trips.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has drawn criticism for steering Georgia closer to Russia while hindering its EU accession.
A controversial foreign agents law adopted earlier in 2024 led the EU to freeze Georgia's membership process effectively, while a package of anti-LGBTQ laws further exacerbated the crisis.
Kateryna Hodunova
