British News Agency

The European Commission announced that it has suspended visa-free travel to the Schengen area for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports. With the decision, holders of these passports will be required to obtain a visa when entering the Schengen area for official purposes.

The Commission stated that this is the first time the newly strengthened visa suspension mechanism has been applied. It was noted that the decision was taken after the approval of European Union member states.

The statement indicated that the visa suspension mechanism was triggered due to Georgia’s violation of its commitments in the areas of democracy and fundamental rights under the visa-free travel regime.

To support the implementation of the decision, the European Commission also issued new guidelines for consular officials and border guards of member states. According to the guidelines, Georgian officials must use diplomatic or service passports when traveling to the European Union for official and diplomatic purposes. It was stated that if these passports are not used, entry may be denied.