EU will release Georgia’s visa progress report tomorrow – Wall Street Journal
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International United States-based daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal claims the Council of Europe (CoE) will release its visa liberalisation report for Georgia and Ukraine tomorrow.
The two countries reports were due to be released on Tuesday, December 15 but were postponed due to technical reasons. It is understood Georgia’s report was fine however there was a technical issue in Ukraine’s report.
The leading New York-based newspaper cited an unidentified European Union (EU) official in its latest report.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and top European Union officials reached a tentative deal on Wednesday on Kiev’s bid to win visa-free access to the bloc, opening the way for Brussels to back the step as early as Friday,” stated The Wall Street Journal.
On Tuesday – the day the reports were due to be published – the EU announced the visa liberalisation progress reports for Georgia and Ukraine would be postponed. At the time the EU said the postponement was "due to technical and not political reasons.”
It was understood the postponement of the issuing of the reports was related to Ukraine as there was an issue the country needed to clarify with Russia.
Meanwhile regarding Georgia the EU officials and local authorities earlier stated the report "would be positive for Georgia”.
Georgia implemented a number of changes in the past year to fulfill obligations necessary for a visa-free regime to the EU. The country amended 70 laws and also joined several international conventions.
The report will assess Georgia’s progress of implementing its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP) and will determine whether or not the country is technically ready to be granted a visa-free regime with the EU.
If the report says Georgia is ready, the European Commission will ask the European Council and European Parliament to launch procedures to offer Georgia a visa-free regime to the Schengen zone.
This process will take about six or seven months, so if Georgia receives positive news in the upcoming report, Georgian citizens will be able to travel to Europe visa free by summer 2016.
The release of visa liberalisation progress reports for Georgia and Ukraine has been postponed but officials say the important document will be released before the end of the year. The European Union (EU) said the reports – due to be released today – had been delayed for "only technical reasons” and the reports will be published in the next two weeks.
Parliament of Georgia today adopted a statement that will be sent to relevant structures of the EU prior to the December 15 release of a Council of Europe (CoE) report whether Georgia had met all its obligations towards visa liberalisation with the EU.
Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has high expectations of an upcoming Council of Europe (CoE) report because the Ministry has fulfilled all its obligations necessary to gain a visa-free regime.
The European Union (EU) is planning to introduce visa free travel with Georgia and Ukraine by mid of 2016, reports German newspaper Die Welt citing an unidentified EU diplomat.
A Latvian top official, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who visited Georgia this week believes the country "must expect” a positive outcome regarding visa free travel to the Schengen zone. The thoughts of Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics was revealed today after he visited Georgia and met top local officials earlier this week.