The European Union is expected this month to suspend visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, following a sharply critical assessment of Georgia’s democratic trajectory by the European Commission.

The move follows the Commission’s annual visa suspension mechanism report, published on 19 December 2025, which concluded that Georgia has “violated numerous commitments undertaken during the visa liberalisation dialogue” and shown “systemic and deliberate” democratic backsliding.

Visa-free travel for Georgian citizens was first granted in 2017 and has long been touted by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party as a key foreign policy achievement.

The report strongly criticised recent Georgian legislation, including laws on the “transparency of foreign influence” – dubbed the “foreign agent” or “Russian” law and on “family values and protection of minors” – the “anti-LGBT” law – arguing that they restrict fundamental rights and contradict Georgia’s European and international commitments.

“In most areas, no corrective measures were reported and, in several others, the situation has further deteriorated,” the Commission said, adding that Georgia has “regressed significantly” on rule-of-law and governance benchmarks.

Under revised EU rules adopted in November 2025 and entering into force at the end of December, the Commission can more easily trigger visa suspensions. The new mechanism allows for a phased approach, beginning with diplomatic, service, and official passports — those held by officials deemed responsible for failing to address EU concerns — before potentially extending to the wider population if problems persist.

EU sources say the Commission is expected to present a draft implementing decision in mid-January, triggering a vote by member states under the so-called comitology procedure. Adoption requires a qualified majority — 55% of EU countries representing at least 65% of the bloc’s population — a threshold diplomats say is likely to be met. A briefing is expected at a Council visa working party meeting on January 23.

Beyond democratic backsliding, the report highlighted poor alignment with EU visa policy. Georgia maintains 26 visa-free regimes with countries whose citizens require visas for the EU and granted visa-free entry to Chinese citizens in 2024, a move Brussels described as a step backward. It also criticised Georgia’s practice of allowing entry to nationals of 17 African and Asian countries which are visa-required both in the EU and Georgia solely on the basis of a visa or residence permit issued by one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The Commission further warned about migration and security risks, including the arrival of around 160,000 Russian citizens since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It cited concerns that the Russian presence could be exploited for foreign influence operations and flagged potential misuse of simplified Georgian naturalisation procedures.

Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili condemned the proposed suspension as “segregation” and accused the EU of “Brussels is leading the EU toward a civilisational abyss, to the dark past where Europe once was”. His comments echo past GD rhetoric that Europe is in decline and suffering both an economic and identity crisis.

While largely symbolic — diplomats can still travel on ordinary passports — Brussels warned that failure to implement reforms could ultimately put Georgia’s entire visa-free regime at risk.