GD coalition leader: Today EU begins final phase for Georgia’s visa liberalisation
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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.
Kvachantiradze wrote on his official Facebook page late yesterday he was "extremely happy” to share the great news with the people of Georgia.
My friends, I am extremely happy that I can share the very positive news I have already received from my friends from the Parliament of Europe,” Kvachantiradze wrote.
Tomorrow Brussels will officially launch legal procedures only for Georgia, which is the final step for Georgians to be given an opportunity to travel visa-free to EU states,” Kvachantiradze said.
Kvachantiradze did not mention Ukraine in this context, which is also striving to gain the visa-free travel with the EU states.
Zviad Kvachantiradze's post on Facebook.
By launching legal procedures, the European Commission must now officially address the Council of Europe and European Parliament to discuss the issue of visa-free travel for Georgia and begin relevant legal amendments.
The European Commission released its positive visa liberalisation report for Georgia on December 18 last year.
Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhel Janelidze said after the European Commission appealed to the Council of Europe and European Parliament, some legal amendments should be introduced in the Council of Europe’s legislation that would enable Georgia to use the visa-free opportunities.
The Minister did not specify when the European Commission might appeal to the Parliament and Council of Europe to launch the procedures for Georgia.
Janelidze said it would not take too much time for the two European organisations to discuss the issue and he expected Georgians would be able to travel to Europe without a visa in several months.
Head of Georgia’s Mission to the EU Natalia Sabanadze said Georgia would support the notion for Ukraine and Georgia to be jointly granted visa-free travel regimes but she noted the EU would make separate decisions on the countries after taking their individual Visa Liberalisation Action Plan progress efforts into account.
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.
Below in this live Twitter feed you can see all the messages using the hashtags #VisaLiberalisation, #Georgia, #EUGeorgia, #VisaFreeTravel, #EUvisa. Join the discussion.
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.
Any failure in Georgia’s visa liberalisation process will encourage those that oppose Georgia’s European integration, says Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
Georgia is implementing ambitious reforms to get closer to the European Union (EU) and the country requires proper recognition of these efforts.
Citizens of Georgia are "very, very close” to visa-free travel to the European Union (EU). Statements about Georgia’s ever-closer visa waiver to the EU were made by EU top officials in Brussels yesterday.