Georgia's visa-free regime with EU at risk over 'backsliding' concerns
The EU plans to reintroduce its visa regime with Georgia unless Tbilisi curbs democratic backsliding. The European Commission will notify the South Caucasus country of its decision by 31 August.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/07/16/georgias-visa-free-regime-with-eu-at-risk-over-backsliding-concerns
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00:00The EU is escalating its compelling approach with the Georgian government.
00:09The European Commission will send a letter to the executive in Tbilisi
00:13threatening to suspend the visa liberalization regime by August 31.
00:18The union is demanding that Georgia curbs what the EU institutions call
00:22the backsliding of democratic principles.
00:24This potential restriction was announced this Tuesday at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
00:31So far we have kept this position that we don't want to hurt Georgian people
00:37and taking away the visa-free regime is really having an impact on them.
00:44But at the same time it's also an issue of credibility of the European Union.
00:49According to Georgian Dream, the current ruling party, the EU seeks to influence
00:55and scare the Georgian public opinion in view of the municipal election scheduled for next October.
01:01The potential visa suspension measures divided the EU foreign ministers.
01:24Some of them are afraid that it could backfire against the EU since 80% of the Georgian public opinion is pro-European.
01:33We think that restrictions should be put on those who are responsible for repression and not on the people of Georgia.
01:43Last autumn's elections sparked a wave of more than six months of anti-government protests in Georgia.
01:49The EU is highly concerned by the wave of detentions carried out by the Georgian authorities against journalists and some members of the opposition.
01:59At least seven opposition figures were arrested by the authorities in recent months.
