Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Foreign ministers of EU nations agreed to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian officials over crackdowns on pro-EU protests.
European Union states foreign ministers agreed on 16 Dec 2024 that the union should discontinue visa-free travel for Georgian officials having diplomatic passports following cruelty against pro-EU protests. As reported by Reuters, a majority of the ministers asked the European Commission to propose the issue.
One delegate said the measure was planned to affect leading Georgian politicians without penalising ordinary citizens. The ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in an election in October that the competitor says was marred by fraud. A government report in November that it was discontinuing EUEU accession discussions until 2028 sparked protests, and a crackdown rights groups is without recent precedent in Georgia.
The Europen Union ministers endorsed the visa move in a “qualified majority” vote, which demands at least 15 member nations making up at least 65% of the European Union population to vote in acceptance.
“All the developments that we are witnessing right now in Georgia are not going in the right direction where the candidate nations should be,”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Some EU member nations have urged sanctions. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto expressed that his country, together with Slovakia, had voted against sanctions against some Georgian police officers.
