EU Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss Georgia’s Politics
On December 16, the EU’s top foreign ministers met in Brussels. They talked about the situation in Georgia.
The meeting was not able to reach a decision on punishing Georgian Dream officials with sanctions. However, they did agree that the European Commission should prepare a report on suspending visa-free travel for some Georgians holding diplomatic passports.
According to Rikard Jozwiak, who reports for RFE/RL, Hungary and Slovakia blocked the sanctions. This was expected, said Jozwiak.
The European Commission may propose suspending visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats soon. This can happen without needing all countries to agree.
Paweł Herczyński, the EU’s ambassador to Georgia, mentioned this possibility earlier. He thought some countries would block sanctions against Georgia, so they should suspend visa-free travel instead.
Hungary has promised to block any sanctions against Georgian Dream officials. The country’s foreign minister made this promise during a visit from Georgia’s foreign minister.
There are worries that punishing the ruling party could hurt the pro-European population in Georgia. Some EU countries think it would be unfair to punish everyone for the actions of one group.