Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission talks to journalists before the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on July 14, 2025. Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
Brussels, Belgium: The EU on Tuesday warned it could suspend visa-free visits for Georgians over the government's crackdown on opposition and "democratic backsliding".
"We will have today a letter sent to Georgia also regarding the visa free-regime," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
"So, they have certain conditions that they had to comply with, and if these conditions are not met within that deadline, then we will have to suspend the visa-free regime."
Kallas did not give details on the deadline set by the letter.
Brussels has slammed the authorities in the South Caucasus state for a wave of arrests targeting politicians, activists, and journalists critical of the ruling party.
The EU has said the moves from the government -- along with laws clamping down on civil society -- have derailed Georgia from its longstanding EU membership bid.
EU nations have been pushing to take action against the authorities and a proposal to sanction judges over the jailing of opposition figures is on the table.
But opposition from Hungary -- an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- has so far stymied EU efforts to punish the authorities.
Visa-free travel for Georgians to the Schengen area was introduced in 2017 has been one of the most tangible benefits of its efforts to draw closer to the bloc.
