Question under consideration: EU may cancel visa-free travel with Georgia - POLITICO

The European Union is ready to terminate agreements that allow Georgian citizens to travel freely within the bloc's member states, POLITICO writes.

As the publication notes, this will be an important part of the breakdown in relations between Brussels and the once most promising candidate country.

Peter Stano, the European Commission's foreign policy spokesman, confirmed that the EU is “considering all options as a reaction to the anti-democratic developments in Georgia.”

Verbatim:

“The EU is closely following the developments in Georgia and is ready to react accordingly. In June, the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held an in-depth discussion with member states on the current situation in Georgia. All options are under consideration, including a potential temporary suspension of visa liberalization.An assessment will be made in case of developments that could pose a threat to the internal security of the Schengen area, as well as a further setback to democracy in Georgia.As part of the EU-Georgia visa liberalization dialogue and action plan, Georgia was required to meet certain criteria, including ensuring the protection of fundamental rights and the prevention of discrimination.The European Commission annually conducts a Respect for fundamental rights is also a core principle of the accession process and will be assessed in the next enlargement report”.

The imposition of personal sanctions against representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the European Union has been consistently blocked by Hungary. However, JAMnews notes, the suspension of visa-free travel is a decision that does not require full consensus among EU member states, the agreement of 15 countries is sufficient.

Georgia's ruling party claims that it has not changed its European course, and all its recent actions are aimed at preserving sovereignty, protecting the traditional values of the Georgian people and preserving peace. Western partners, according to the Georgian authorities, are under the influence of the “global war party” and “oligarchic influence” and therefore misjudge the situation in Georgia.

On the eve of the election rally in Rustavi, the founder of the Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili repeated key messages and election promises. These include preventing foreign powers from interfering in the country's internal affairs and “dragging” Georgia into war, strictly punishing “war criminals”, meaning the past government, recognizing the main opposition parties as unconstitutional and banning them, and strengthening the constitutional status of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The opposition says the October elections may be rigged by Georgian Dream. The ruling party responds by saying such claims are part of a “revolutionary plan” to “stage a Maidan” to overturn the vote.

Reprinted from https://www.newsgeorgia.ge/