Brussels, 25/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - In Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday 25 February, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström presented the action plan on the country's future visa liberalisation, a European Commission press release states.
The plan sets out the technical criteria to be met by Georgia regarding document security, border and migration management, public order and security and relevant external relations issues, the Commission explains. Georgia has still to carry out reforms for combating organised crime and corruption, improving the judicial system, strengthening data protection rules and protecting minorities.
Last June, visa liberalisation dialogue had been launched with Tbilisi. The Commission has already set out the same kind of plans with Moldova and dialogue on visa facilitation with Ukraine. A number of Balkan states have already gained these systems, including Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. A special clause, still being discussed between the European Parliament and Council and which has still to be finalised could, however, in time, limit these visa-free regimes and even suspend them if the Council can prove they lead to a rise in the number of tenuous requests for asylum. (SP/transl.jl)