The European Parliament will today begin discussions with the head of the European Union’s foreign policy department, Josep Borrell, related to the decline of democracy in Georgia.
In this regard, seven draft resolutions have been prepared. The debate and the voting on the resolution will conclude tomorrow, Schengen.News reports.
Five of the proposed resolutions are related to concerns expressed by the parliamentarians related to the deterioration of democratic processes in Georgia and also express solidarity with the Georgian people in their fight for the country’s European future.
The draft resolution criticised the legislation adopted by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, which includes Russian-style laws on Transparency of Foreign Influence and on Family Values and Protection of Minors.
In addition, the authors of the draft resolution urged the European Union to freeze funding to the Georgian government and also impose sanctions on government officials, particularly targeting former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, in his decisions related to the country’s political process and human rights situation.
Discussions on EU-Georgia Visa-Free Travel Agreement Suspension
The issue of suspending visa liberalisation was also included in the draft resolution.
The resolution from the European People’s Party group (EPP) states that the EU should consider temporarily suspending the visa-free regime with Georgia if upcoming elections do not meet international standards or if the country’s compliance with visa liberalisation criteria is called into question, especially the criterion on fundamental rights.
In September, Schengen.News reported that the EU may suspend visa-free travel for Georgia after the October 16 parliamentary elections if violations in the context of free elections are found.
According to the same draft resolution, the upcoming elections will be crucial in determining the future democratic development of Georgia, as well as geopolitical orientation and its ability to make progress on the EU path.
During the plenary debate, Renew Europe MEP Urmas Paet (Estonian Reform Party) said the majority of people in Georgia want to see their country’s future in Europe.
EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, said that the issue of Georgia being discussed in the European Parliament is not a good sign. It means that leaders are concerned. This means that “we are worried about the direction of events.”
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-urged-to-freeze-funding-to-georgia-suspend-visa-free-travel-agreement/
