US EditionEU Threatens Suspension of Visa Free Travel for Georgians Amid Ruling Party Crackdown
TBILISI, GEORGIA, JUL 18 – Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze rejects EU demands to repeal laws on family values and LGBT rights, prioritizing national sovereignty despite threats to suspend visa-free travel by August 31.
- On July 17 in Tbilisi, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze rejected EU demands, declaring peace and stability take precedence over visa-free travel and citing family values.
- On July 16, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs sent a letter outlining eight conditions, and Kaja Kallas warned that failing to meet an August 31 deadline would force visa suspension.
- Not existential, Kobakhidze said on July 17, underscoring visa-free travel’s durability, which Georgia has enjoyed since 2017.
- In a joint letter, EU member states urged targeted sanctions on Georgian officials, while earlier at the July 15 council some opposed a blanket suspension.
- This strategic test underscores the broader challenges the EU faces in balancing geopolitical interests, regional stability, and its values of democracy and sovereignty, as discussions in Brussels and Tbilisi continue amid broader strategic challenges to democracy, sovereignty, and regional stability.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Why should Georgia's crackdown on democracy worry Europe?
In this episode, Evi Kiorri explores Georgia’s sharp turn toward authoritarianism eight months after disputed elections. Journalists face arrests, violence, and surveillance, while new laws silence dissent. But as the EU hesitates, Georgia’s crackdown risks spreading across the region.
EU threatens suspension of visa free travel for Georgians amid ruling party crackdown
The EU has warned Georgia may lose its visa-free travel privileges should the ruling Georgian Dream party not take steps to reverse its current course, which many Western countries have condemned as increasingly authoritarian and anti-European.
The Prime Minister of Georgia called Brussels Soviet Moscow: EADaily
EADaily, July 17th, 2025. Brussels should not resemble Soviet Moscow, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said, commenting on an eight-point letter from the European Commission to the Georgian Foreign Ministry with conditions for maintaining visa-free travel.
Tbilisi must meet the key conditions for the start of EU accession.
Georgia's EU accession process suspended
The European Parliament "supports the Georgian people", but "does not recognize the current Government of Georgia".
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