Council of EU Supports Visa Liberalization for Georgia

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the EU Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) agreed on a visa waiver between Georgia and the European Union, which would allow Europeans to travel to Georgia without a visa and stay there for 90 days within a 180-day period, the same exemption in place for the citizens of Georgia.

"The Council has today demonstrated its strong commitment to visa-free travel for Georgian citizens, taking into account Georgia's reforms… We count on the European Parliament's support in finalising the related process so that the citizens of Georgia can enjoy visa-free travel as soon as possible," Permanent Representatives Committee President Peter Javorcik was quoted as saying in the press release.

The Council noted that visa liberalization would come into force simultaneously with the new "suspension mechanism." The negotiations with the European Parliament will kick off after this mandate.

The proposal for the visa waiver for Georgia was issued by the European Commission on March 9 since the country met the conditions for the visa requirement exemption. On July 7, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs also recommended to grant visa-free travel to the residents of Ukraine, Georgia and Kosovo. The negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the visa suspension mechanism are ongoing.