Visa-Free Travel Between Georgia And EU Step Closer

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Visa-free travel between Georgia and the European Union is a step closer after the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) on Tuesday confirmed, on behalf of the Council, the agreement reached on December 13 with the European Parliament and Georgia regarding visa liberalization.

The agreement provides for visa-free travel for EU citizens when traveling to the territory of Georgia and for citizens of this country when traveling to the EU, for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.

The institutions take the view that the entry into force of visa liberalization for Georgia should be at the same time as the entry into force of the new “suspension mechanism”.

“The Council has demonstrated its strong commitment to visa-free travel for Georgian citizens, taking into account Georgia’s hard work. The Presidency believes that the path of credible reforms is the right one and should be encouraged. It was the recent upgrade of the suspension mechanism that allowed us to inject a new momentum into talks on visa liberalisation with countries fulfilling all criteria. At the same time, this upgrade will help ensure that those criteria will continue to be met,” said Robert Kaliňák, Minister for the Interior of Slovakia and President of the Council.

Now that the agreement has been confirmed by the Permanent Representatives Committee, on behalf of the Council, the regulation will be submitted to the European Parliament for a vote at first reading, and to the Council for adoption.

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