Visa waiver: EU’s Johannes Hahn hopes suspension mechanism will be ready by Christmas
Tweet 
Share
European Union (EU) Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn believes the European Parliament and the Council of Europe will agree on a visa waiver suspension mechanism before Christmas, which will open the doors for Georgia to be offered a visa-free travel regime to the Schengen Zone.
What is a suspension mechanism?
A suspension mechanism is a tool that allows each EU member state to request the European Commission to temporarily suspend the visa waiver for nationals of a certain country in specific circumstances including a substantial and sudden increase in the number of irregular migrants, unfounded asylum requests or rejected readmission applications.
The EU said the suspension mechanism was "a must" and Georgia would not be granted its long-awaited visa waiver to the Schengen Zone without it.
What does Hahn say?
Commissioner Hahn spoke about his expectations regarding Georgia’s visa waiver in an interview with Georgia’s Public Broadcaster in Brussels today.
I’m always an optimist. I think we have achieved a lot and I hope that the Parliament and European Council will manage to agree on the suspension mechanism before Christmas,” he said.
Hahn reconfirmed that the suspension mechanism was a necessary condition for a visa waiver.
"After the agreement [on the suspension mechanism], only technical procedures will remain,” he noted.
It’s possible the vote will take place in [European] Parliament in February or March. We will need some time to enforce the decision and translate the documents, which will take about a month or two.”
Tbilisi’s expectations
Addressing Georgia’s Parliament this weekend, the country's Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze said the text for the suspension mechanism document had already been drafted and "now only details needed to be agreed”.
The Georgian side believed the visa waiver would soon become a reality as the country has worked hard to achieve all requirements needed for a visa waiver.
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.
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 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.
About 150 officials from all over the European Union (EU) involved in European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) have voted in favour of Georgia gaining visa-free travel to the Schengen Zone.
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’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has explained why it could be very bad to postpone a visa waiver to the European Union (EU) for Georgian citizens when he spoke at the European Parliament yesterday.
President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz is satisfied with how Georgia conducted the October Parliamentary Elections and has offered his congratulations to the country's Prime Minister for his "very large victory”.
President of the European Council Donald Tusk has sent a letter to President of the European Parliament Marti Schulz, stressing the importance of granting visa-free regime to Georgia and Ukraine.
“EU keeps its promise when a country delivers”
Visa free travel for Georgian citizens to the European Union is finally in sight after an agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Parliament over the suspension mechanism was reached.
The European Union will allocate €32 million to support reform implementation and democratic development in Georgia. The money will be spent to bring Georgia closer to EU standards.
Hahn met with Georgia’s State Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Victor Dolidze in Brussels yesterday. Dolidze congratulated the EU Commissioner on becoming an honorary citizen of Tbilisi.