“There is, however, a perfectly legitimate question: Is Europe ready to combat terrorism while taking up a new responsibility in the midst of a migrant crisis? But we should also understand that Georgia’s visa liberalization and this migrant crisis are not connected. Georgia has implemented every single necessary legislative change and made all the required systems work.” - Edgars Rinkēvičs, Foreign Minister of Latvia

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Georgia’s fourth report on the execution of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP) will be published on December 15. It will assess the country’s performance in fulfilling the plan’s technical obligations and following recommendations. In case the European Commission evaluates the report positively, then the EU member countries and the European Parliament will have to make a political decision about the inclusion of Georgian citizens into the Schengen Area.

While the commission comes up with its decision, comments of EU officials and European leaders on the issue are of particular importance. Quite a few of them have been positive, especially those made last month. For example, Federica Mogherini, current High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (an equivalent of a foreign minister), declared the following during her visit to Georgia in November:

“The steps that have been made are quite positive. We cannot predict the outcomes of the process, although we can see that hard work and political will have resulted in progress,” Mogherini said.
EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn also offered an opinion:

“In December of this year, Georgia is going to receive a positive reply from the EU on the visa liberalization issue.”

Support for Georgia in the European Parliament is also noteworthy. For example, at a plenary meeting in Strasbourg on November 25, where Georgia was discussed, Greens/European Free Alliance MP Heidi Hautala proclaimed the following:

“Despite all the problems and obstacles existing in Georgia, I believe that this country is a partner of the EU and loyal towards the European future. Five years ago, I couldn’t imagine that one day I’d say with such confidence that Georgia will become a member of the European Union. Naturally, at the moment Georgia’s membership is not on the agenda, but the country is headed in the right direction and we must support its European choice.

Georgia also has the support of European countries’ governments, which is a hopeful sign for the visa liberalization issue – even as the European 

Union is facing a migrant crisis. For example, here is a comment by Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Latvian foreign minister:

“We all expect the European Commission’s positive conclusion. I think that Georgia has done its homework and made great progress. Due to this, I am hopeful that the evaluation will be positive and that we will get an opportunity to conduct a decision-making procedure both in the European Council and the Parliament. There is, however, a perfectly legitimate question: Is Europe ready to combat terrorism while taking up a new responsibility in the midst of a migrant crisis? But we should also understand that Georgia’s visa liberalization and this migrant crisis are not connected. Georgia has implemented every single necessary legislative change and made all the required systems work. Thus, I want to tell you that in my conversations with EU member countries’ foreign ministers, not once did anyone say that the migrant crisis or fight against terrorism is in any way connected to Georgia’s visa regime – aside from radical politicians who demand for the Schengen Area to be closed entirely. Both Georgia and the EU should fulfill their promises no matter what. If Georgia satisfies all the criteria, it should receive visa liberalization, period. The final political decision is up to the European Council and Parliament, but we demand that this decision be positive if the European Commission’s conclusion is.”

The feedback from European leaders and the EU authorities regarding the steps made by Georgia is generally positive. This is crucial to Georgia’s striving towards the EU and its eventual integration into it.

Read the Georgian version: www.damoukidebloba.com

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