EU could strip Georgians of visa-free access over backsliding on democracy

The European Union is prepared to tear up agreements that give Georgian citizens the right to travel freely across the Continent, as part of a major breakdown in relations between Brussels and what was once its most promising aspiring member.

Speaking to POLITICO on Thursday, a spokesperson for the European Commission said that “all options are on the table” if the ruling Georgian Dream party continues on its authoritarian trajectory, “including the potential temporary suspension of the visa liberalization scheme.”

Under the terms of a deal struck in 2017, Georgians can visit EU countries inside the Schengen zone for up to six months a year without a visa — a popular arrangement that has spared ordinary people long and expensive visa application processes.

“As part of the EU-Georgia visa liberalization dialogue and the corresponding Action Plan, Georgia was required to meet specific benchmarks, including ensuring the protection of fundamental rights and preventing discrimination,” the spokesperson went on.

“An assessment would of course take place in case of developments posing a risk to the internal security of the Schengen area, as well as in case of a further democratic decline in Georgia.”

Confirmation that Brussels is considering the measures comes after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze insisted any change to the visa agreement would be “cheap blackmail.” Leading Georgian Dream politicians were sanctioned earlier this week by the United States after passing a string of Russian-style laws that critics say will have a chilling effect on civil liberties.

Earlier this year, authorities brutally cracked down on peaceful protesters rallying against a bill that brands Western-backed NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents. Georgia’s EU candidacy was effectively frozen in the wake of its passage through parliament.

Then, on Tuesday, Georgian Dream MPs voted through a Moscow-inspired “LGBT propaganda” bill that will outlaw all public mention of same-sex relationships, including Pride events and even requiring censorship of films and other content. The country’s most prominent transgender woman, 37-year-old Kesaria Abramidze, was killed the following day and her alleged attacker has since been detained.

Georgians will head to the ballot box on Oct. 26, and polls show the governing Georgian Dream party is likely to win the largest share of votes. If it is able to achieve a supermajority, it has vowed to “punish” its opponents by banning virtually all other parliamentary parties.