Georgian Justice Minister, EU Migration Official Discuss Visa-Liberalization Challenges
Georgia’s Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani met with Simon Mordue, Deputy Director-General of Migration and Home Affairs Department of the European Commission, in Tbilisi on April 24 to discuss EU-Georgia visa-free travel challenges.
The Ministry of Justice reports that Tsulukiani provided Mordue with the measures carried out by the Georgian government to reduce illegal migration.
The Minister assessed the meeting as very important as it gives Georgia a chance to address difficulties in this field together with the EU officials.
“Visa-free travel is a unique possibility for our citizens to enjoy greater choice in tourism and we should do our best to preserve it,” Tsulukiani noted, while recognizing that some Georgians have been misusing the system.
“We need to make some changes in order to ensure that those who enter the Schengen Area and come back on time are able to continue using these benefits,” the Minister stated.
One part of the legislative amendments has already been implemented by the government in order to maintain visa- free travel with EU countries, and, she noted, the Parliament of Georgia has adopted a law that envisages criminal liabilities for promoting illegal migration.
In addition, Tsulukiani said that by 2020, Georgian passports will come in full line with European standards and so will prevent Georgians from being able to illegally cross the border of an EU-member state.
Tsulukiani emphasized again that the visa-free regime is for short-term visits only and not for work purposes.
Simon Mordue also had a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Georgia, David Zalkaliani. The meeting focused on cooperation between Georgia and the EU in the field of migration.
Special emphasis was placed on the political and practical importance of visa-free travel to the country's European integration.
The sides discussed a future plan of joint measures that would ensure uninterrupted functioning of the visa-free regime.
Zalkaliani stated that the meeting was very fruitful, adding Georgia always reacts quickly to all the concerns of the European partners regarding challenges connected to the visa-free regime.
“At the meeting, we talked about specific plans that will minimize and reduce the facts of misuse of visa liberalization by citizens of Georgia,” Zalkaliani said.
The visa-free regime with the EU took effect on March 28, 2017, meaning all Georgians holding biometric passports can enter the Schengen Area for 90 days within any 180-day period for vacation, business, or any other purpose except work.
Georgians are able to travel without visas to the following 22 EU member states: Belgium, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Greece, France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
Georgians can also travel without visas to four non-EU-member states (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) as well as four Schengen candidate countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania and Croatia).
Exceptions for visa-free travel include Ireland and the United Kingdom.
By Thea Morrison
Image source: Justice Ministry of Georgia