Poll: 51% Blame GD, Ivanishvili if EU Visa-Free Travel is Lost
78% of Georgians believe losing visa-free travel to the EU would be damaging, while 51% would blame the ruling Georgian Dream government and Bidzina Ivanishvili if it happens, a recent poll by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) suggests, as Georgians brace for losing a vital benefit due to recent democratic backsliding.
CRRC conducted the poll with phone calls on August 8–12 among 1,333 Georgian adults. The results, published September 4, carry a margin of error of 1.56%.
According to the findings, 78% of respondents said suspending EU visa-free travel would be damaging, 3% saw it as beneficial, and 14% said it would make no difference.
If the EU suspends visa-free travel for Georgians, 51% would deem Georgian Dream and its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili responsible, with the figure higher among young people and Tbilisi residents, while 13% would blame the EU and 5% the opposition.
The poll also found that 22% of Georgians have used visa-free travel at least once since it took effect in 2017, with the figure higher among people aged 18–34 (33%) and lower among middle-aged respondents (23%) and older people (12%).
The poll also found strong support for EU membership, with 78% of Georgians in favor – 58% completely backing accession, and another 20% being more for than against it.
The Georgian government had until the end of summer to report to the European Commission on its implementation of eight recommendations required to retain visa-free travel with the EU. Georgia’s Foreign Ministry reported back to the European Commission, with a Brussels source recently telling RFE/RL Georgian Service the response failed to address the EU’s concerns.
Georgian Dream members have repeatedly argued that the Commission’s conditions, especially calls to repeal the Foreign Agents Law and anti-LGBT legislation, were imposed by the “European bureaucracy” under “Deep State” diktat to pressure the government and ran counter to the traditions of the small nation.
The GD leaders have also downplayed the risks of Georgians losing their main EU perk, suggesting that giving up what they called “not existential” and merely a “comfort” would only mean returning to embassy queues – a price they claim is negligible compared with “peace” and “stability.” The critics argue there is too much to lose, including family ties of those who emigrated, growing economic contribution through remittances, and access to life-saving healthcare.
“If it comes to a choice between peace and stability or visa liberalization, of course, we will prioritize peace and stability,” GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in July.
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