Progress report released: EU visa-free travel ahead for Georgians
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Georgia meets all the benchmarks of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), meaning in early 2016 the European Union (EU) will propose a legislative amendment to let Georgian citizens travel to the EU visa free.
This afternoon the European Commission released its fourth and final progress report on Georgia's implementation of the VLAP.
The report was positive for Georgia and promised visa-free travel within the Schengen zone for all Georgian citizens.
The news was also shared on the EU's Foreign and Security Policy Service's official Twitter account:
#Georgia Georgia meets criteria for visa liberalisation https://t.co/FHnim9A9Rppic.twitter.com/PURdkZGe7M
— EU External Action (@eu_eeas) December 18, 2015
The conclusive paragraph of the much-anticipated report read:
"The Commission considers that Georgia meets all the benchmarks set in respect of the four blocks of the second phase of the VLAP. Taking into account overall relations between the EU and Georgia, the Commission will present, early 2016, a legislative proposal to amend Regulation (EC) No 539/2001.”
This regulation stated which non-EU member countries’ citizens needed to have a visa when crossing the EU’s external borders and those whose nationals were exempt from having one. Today’s report meant Georgia would be taken off the visa-required list and moved to the non-visa nations. However, this won’t happen immediately. Relevant legislative processes would take several months before the visa free regime will come into effect.
Today’s VLAP progress report also stated: "The Commission will continue actively to monitor Georgia's continuous implementation of all benchmarks under the four blocks of the VLAP through the existing association structures and dialogues, and, if necessary, through ad hoc follow-up mechanisms.”
The Commission published its final report based on the outcome of continuous monitoring and reporting carried out since the launch of the EU-Georgia Visa Liberalisation Dialogue in June 2012.
Since then the Commission has published four reports, including today’s one, that assessed Georgia’s reform progress.
The final report consisted of four blocks, which included:
- Document security, including biometrics;
- Integrated border management, migration management and asylum;
- Public order and security; and
- External relations and fundamental rights.
Georgia had to adequately reform all of these four fields so that Georgian legislation in these four directions met European standards.
Today the European Commission’s report recognised Georgia’s success.
A top European Union official accredited in Georgia has this afternoon revealed Georgia’s progress report on visa liberalisation with the European Union (EU) will be released tomorrow.
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.
The release of visa liberalisation progress reports for Georgia and Ukraine could be postponed. The documents were scheduled to be published tomorrow but the release stood under a question mark after a press briefing by one of the European Commission speakers earlier this afternoon.
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 Government stressed the successful completion of its VLAP obligations was thanks to joint efforts by all state structures.
“More Europe in Georgia and More Georgia in Europe”
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has published an open statement about the fourth and final progress report on Georgia’s implementation of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), released by the European Commission today.
Tbilisi celebrates the release of a positive progress report on Georgia's implementation of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP). The European Commission today released the report that said Georgia met all the benchmarks of the VLAP.
"Georgia has showed once again that it is a frontrunner of the Eastern Partnership. In response, Europe says that it is open to Georgian citizens." Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said.
Georgia sees the European Union (EU) visa liberalisation as not only a foreign policy success but also an opportunity for the country’s unification. Georgian authorities believed now more people from Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions will ask for a Georgian passport.
As Georgia celebrates the start of its visa liberalisation process with the European Union (EU), leaders in Europe are voicing their support for Georgia's success.
Georgia is now in full New Year mode - celebrating the achievements of 2015 and looking ahead to 2016, starting with the official lighting of the country’s main New Year tree. The large tree in front of the Parliament Building on Rustaveli Ave in Tbilisi was illuminated last night to mark the start of the festive season.
Georgia’s citizens fully deserve to be able to travel to the European Union (EU) without a visa, says Estonian Foreign Minister. Marina Kaljurand voiced her glowing praise for Georgia’s efforts to implement necessary reforms that lead to visa-free travel to the EU.
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn believes Georgia has carried out "impressive reforms” to meet its obligations drafted within the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA) deal, signed in June 2014.
Efforts of Moldova, Ukraine also praised
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution for Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova on how the nations fulfilled their obligations drafted in their respective Association Agreements (AA) with the European Union (EU).
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili thanked the European Parliament for its yesterday’s positive resolution over Georgia’s fulfilling its Association Agreement (AA) deal with the European Union (EU) and responded to the Parliament members’ concern over several issues later today.
PM Giorgi Kvirikahsvili today said the Government will elaborate a strategy to provide a comprehensive information campaign targeting people in Georgia’s regions about the benefits Georgia receives from the EU.
Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikahsvili has today met Ambassador of the Netherlands to Georgia Johannes Douma to discuss Georgia’s visa liberalisation prospects with the European Union (EU).
President of the European Council Donald Tusk voiced the EU’s support for Georgia after he met Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in Brussels, Belgium this afternoon. This was the first time the pair met after Kvirikashvili was appointed Prime Minister of Georgia.
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos has told Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili that Georgia was "very close to gain visa-liberalisation with the EU.”
Any failure in Georgia’s visa liberalisation process will encourage those that oppose Georgia’s European integration, says Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
The leader of the Georgian Dream (GD) coalition Zviad Kvachantiradze revealed the EU will begin visa liberalisation legal procedures today only for Georgia, meaning Georgians will soon be granted a visa free regime to the EU.
Georgia is very close to implementing visa-free travel to the Schengen zone, so the country’s authorities have started providing its citizens with necessary information regarding visa-free trips.
Georgian senior officials are on an important visit to France to discuss details of migration before Georgian citizens can travel to the Schengen Area visa-free.
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili says representatives of European institutions are "very satisfied” with Georgia’s move towards the European Union (EU).
Georgia has received another strong message of support and promise that Georgians will soon be able to travel to the European Union (EU) visa-free from a senior EU official.
The Commissioner referred to Georgia as a "reliable partner” of the EU, which was further attested by the Georgian Government’s "strong political will” to further integrate with Euro-Atlantic structures and to continue its efforts to reform and embrace EU standards.
President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said the European Commission "fully and unconditionally” supported Georgian citizens to travel to the EU without a visa for a short stay.
The foreign ministers of 12 European countries are calling for immediate cancellation of the EU visa regime for Georgia and Ukraine and allow these citizens to travel to the EU visa-free.
Georgia is the European Union’s (EU) key ally in the region, says European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz. The EP high official spoke highly of Georgia and of its EU visa-free aspirations while meeting Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili in Brussels, Belgium today.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament (EP) say Georgia has met all its European Union (EU) visa liberalisation requirements and believe the country should be granted a visa-free regime as soon as possible.
This afternoon Georgia's President Giorgi Margvelashvili sat down with Council of Europe (CoE) president Donald Tusk to discuss the country's visa liberalisation.
Georgia-EU visa-free talks should end successfully before October elections
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili says all conditions have been met so talks about Georgia’s visa-free travel to the Schengen zone should end successfully before the Parliamentary Elections are held on October 8, 2016.
The European Union (EU) Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn says Georgia has fulfilled all requirements for visa-free travel to the Schengen zone and the country "deserved” a quick decision from EU authorities about being granted a visa waiver.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has backed the plans to grant citizens of Georgia the right to travel to the Schengen area without a visa.
Georgia’s Ambassador to the European Union (EU) Natalia Sabanadze says the increasing presence of the EU in the Caucasus region is directly correlated with Georgia’s development, particularly its improvement in democracy.
Yesterday the Foreign Affairs Committee of the unicameral Parliament (Seimas) of Lithuania adopted a special document, where the country’s lawmakers address the EU to grant Georgian citizens with a visa waiver to travel to the EU "in the nearest future”.
"Georgia deserves the long-promised visa free regime,” says Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius. "Georgia did what it promised on visa liberalisation and we shouldn't be changing rules in the middle of the game," he added.
In a letter sent yesterday to the Slovak Presidency [of the CoE], MEPs of the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) invited the Council of Europe to begin open talks on Georgia’s visa liberalisation "as soon as possible at the beginning of November”.
The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini , says the situation in Georgia is "extremely positive” and the EU should respond appropriately and deliver visa liberalisation for the country.
European Union (EU) Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn believes the European Parliament and Council of Europe will agree on a visa waiver suspension mechanism before Christmas.
Georgia’s top diplomat has participated in the eighth Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in Brussels. The event was opened by EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
Georgia is making headway in the implementing of its Association Agenda, with a number of reforms, strengthening democracy and the rule of law as well as the economy, already being implemented says the European Commission.