Brussels has proposed suspending visa-free travel for certain groups from the Caucasus nation
The EU is engaging in “fascism” with its recent proposals to preserve visa-free travel only for select groups of Georgian citizens, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has said.
The European Parliament initiative, put forward earlier this year as part of discussions on a potential suspension mechanism for Georgia’s visa-free regime, would allow students, journalists, and civil society activists to continue entering the bloc without visas even if the waiver is suspended for the rest of the population.
Papuashvili argued that the plan effectively ranks citizens by social category, granting privileges to some while excluding others.
“These three social groups would have more rights from the EU than workers, farmers, engineers, and doctors. This is called nothing other than fascism,” Papuashvili told local media on Wednesday, stating that the proposal amounts to a “segregation” of the Georgian people.
The categories singled out by the European Parliament also seem to overlap with the forces that have driven Georgia’s recent protest movement, namely activist groups, opposition-linked NGOs, student networks, and media outlets that Georgian officials have repeatedly linked to Western-backed efforts to destabilize the country.
In March, the European Commission also suspended visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, citing concerns over democracy and fundamental rights.
Tbilisi condemned the move, accusing the EU of weaponizing visas to pressure Georgia to adopt the EU’s anti-Russian track and impose sanctions on Moscow.
“They are asking us to destroy our own country by imposing sanctions against Russia, and to align ourselves with the European Union’s visa policy,” Papuashvili said earlier this month. “If we kill and destroy ourselves, who will travel visa-free to the European Union? Let them explain that to us.”
Tbilisi has also repeatedly accused Brussels and Western-funded organizations of using street pressure to overturn election results and enact regime change in the country. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has compared the unrest to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan coup and has said that foreign actors have been trying to push Georgia to open a “second front” against Russia.
The EU has rejected allegations of regime-change efforts, instead accusing Georgia of democratic backsliding and excessive force against protesters. Tbilisi says Brussels is punishing the country for pursuing an independent policy and refusing to sacrifice its national interests.
