Reportedly, the European Union is expected to consider abolishing the visa-free regime for Georgia on October 13.
Unlawful residency and unfounded asylum claims from some western Balkan states, plus Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, is triggering discussions on suspending visa-free travel to the EU, EUobserver. reported today. The agency says they became aware of the contents of an EU internal report, which is dated September 27.
According to EUobserver, in the document, Germany took umbrage with Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It also faulted Albania and Serbia as among the top 10 problem countries.
The report notes that the number of asylum seekers from Georgia has increased by 51% in the last three months compared to the same period in 2019.
“In case of little or no improvement by third countries, COM [European Commission] should, in our view, emphasize that triggering the Visa Suspension Mechanism is a real option,” says the German delegation in the document, reports EUobserver.
France was also unhappy with Albania and Georgia and remains wary of the Serbs.
The Czech Republic said it has seen a high number of unfounded asylum claims from Georgian, Moldovan, and Ukrainian nationals.
The Netherlands is the first and only EU state to so far to have asked for a visa-free suspension. But its request against Albania in 2019, was rejected by the European Commission.
The EU introduced visa-free travel for Montenegro, Serbia and northern Macedonia in 2009, with Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina added to the list in 2010; Later, in 2014, the EU approved visa-free travel for citizens of Moldova, and in 2017 for citizens of Georgia and Ukraine.
Source: EUobserver
