European Council endorses visa liberalization with Georgia

The European Council adopted a regulation on February 27 on visa liberalization for Georgians travelling to the European Union. EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos released a statement, saying:

“I am very pleased with today’s final endorsement by the Council of the Commission proposal to grant visa liberalisation to Georgia. Today is a historic day for Georgia and its citizens, who will soon be able to enjoy visa free travel to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days. Today’s adoption recognises the tremendous efforts undertaken by the Georgian authorities and the Georgian people to carry out far-reaching and difficult reforms in the area of the rule of law and the justice system.

These reforms also bring Georgia closer to the EU standards, facilitating cooperation with the European Union and bringing the country a step forward on its European path. Since the launch of Visa Liberalisation Dialogue in June 2012, Georgia has been exemplary in fulfilling all the benchmarks of a demanding roadmap. The continuous monitoring and reporting carried out since then showed that Georgia has made the necessary progress allowing us, in March 2016, to propose to the European Parliament and the Council to lift the visa requirements for Georgian citizens.

The Commission will continue to monitor Georgia’s continuous compliance with the visa liberalisation criteria, in particular in the fight against organised crime, in order to ensure that these achievements continue to be sustained. In a globalised world, where travel and communication is increasingly facilitated, we have to reap the benefits of such rapprochement. This visa liberalisation will be an essential element to facilitate people-to-people contacts and strengthen business, social and cultural ties between the citizens of Georgia and the EU. Today is an important step in EU-Georgia relations – I look forward to soon welcoming Georgian citizens traveling visa free to the Schengen area.”