Donald Tusk apologized if his initiative caused offense to anyone in Georgia. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Another push is underway to convince European Union member states to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian citizens.

Leading the charge is Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has emerged as a hardliner among EU leaders seeking to pressure the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) government using Brussels’ institutional tools.

“I apologize to Georgians if this is offensive to anyone, but I support limiting visa-free travel to countries that, like Georgia, no longer adhere to European standards against authoritarian rule,” Tusk said, estimating that about a third of Georgians shares “our values”.

Tusk cited concerns over democratic backsliding and a surge in criminal activity by some Georgian nationals in Europe. “Fifty Georgian citizens were recently deported from Poland for committing various crimes,” he said, justifying the proposed restriction.

But most EU governments appear reluctant to punish ordinary citizens for their government’s conduct. EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pāwel Herczyński, confirmed that the majority of member states oppose the measure, warning it would unfairly target everyday Georgians.

“For several years now, Georgia has enjoyed a privileged relationship with the European Union. We have shared the opportunity of visa-free travel and a free trade zone with Georgians in Europe. Three years ago, Georgia applied for candidate country status and we officially granted it the status of a candidate country for the European Union. Unfortunately, for about a year, relations between the European Union and Georgia have not been going well. Discussions are underway among the member states about what can be done, and one of the ideas is to suspend the visa-free regime. This depends on the member states and two-thirds of them must decide. Discussions have been going on for several months. At this stage, I would say that the majority of member states are against it. For a very simple reason, we do not want ordinary people to pay the price for the decisions of the government,” Herczyński said.

A similar visa threat surfaced ahead of Georgia’s October 2024 election and was widely seen as an effort to steer the vote. Critics argue such tactics only strengthened GD’s populist narrative of resisting foreign pressure.

In Tbilisi, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze slammed this latest initiative as “blackmail” and “an insult to the Georgian people”. Analyst Amiran Salukvadze called the move a failed attempt to sway Georgia’s internal politics, warning it could erode public support for the EU.

In March of this year, the ambassadors of the EU member states agreed to make the mechanism for suspending visa-free travel easier.

Economist Paata Sheshelidze pointed to legitimate concerns over visa violations and organized crime by some Georgian migrants, saying European states may be reacting to a real security dilemma.

As the EU was preparing to introduce the visa-waiver program for Georgian citizens, Germany blocked the plans in 2016, citing police reports about burglary gangs. The visa waiver program finally came into force the following year.