EU Ambassador: Majority of Member States Against Georgia’s Visa-Free Suspension

The majority of EU member states currently oppose suspending visa-free travel for Georgians, the EU Ambassador to Georgia told journalists a day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said about his government’s efforts towards suspending or limiting the travel privileges Georgians have enjoyed with the bloc since 2017.

“For the moment, this is not the case,” EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski said about the visa-free travel suspension prospects on June 12, speaking to reporters at a conference organized by the Center for Security, Policy and Nationalism Studies of the University of Georgia. “I would say that the majority of member states are against it for a very simple reason: we don’t want to make ordinary people pay for the decisions, actions, and legislation that have been enacted in Georgia by the authorities.”

The EU’s decision to hold the Georgian authorities accountable has already been reflected in the suspension of visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passports, the diplomat clarified. “For the moment, let me assure you that Georgian citizens can enjoy visa-free travel to the European Union,” he added.

Donald Tusk told the Polish parliament on June 11 that his government is working to build support within the EU member states for suspending or limiting the visa-free travel for Georgia, citing concerns about democratic backsliding and increased migration from Georgia. “I apologize to those Georgians who may feel offended, but I strongly support limiting visa-free travel from countries, like Georgia, that no longer uphold basic democratic standards and pose a migration risk to legal and public order in Europe,” the Polish prime minister noted.

Responding to Tusk’s remarks, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze again spoke of “threats” and “blackmail.”

“Yesterday, what we really heard in the Polish Parliament was a threat directed at the Georgian people,” Kobakhidze told reporters on June 12 while on an official visit to Budapest, Hungary. “I think this is blackmail aimed at pushing developments in Georgia in a different direction.”

Georgian Dream officials have claimed the EU is using the visa-free issue as a tool of “pressure” and “blackmail” against Georgia. When discussions about suspending Georgia’s visa-free regime emerged in April, some ruling party members encouraged the public to prioritize “patriotism over comfort.”

EU-Georgia relations further deteriorated following GD’s major foreign policy shift away from the EU in November 2024 and with the adoption of repressive legislation targeting critics, as well as violent crackdowns on pro-EU protests in November and December.

Ambassador Herczynski still expressed optimism about Georgia’s future in Europe. “We all know that Georgia is a candidate country for EU membership, and we sincerely hope that one day Georgia will become one of us — a member of the European Union.”

Also Read:

• 23/04/2025 – Zurabishvili Accuses GD of Manipulating Issue of Visa-Free Travel with EU
• 16/12/2024 – Jozwiak: EU to Suspend Visa Liberalization for Georgian Diplomats and Other Officials

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