Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that his country is discussing with its European Union partners the restriction or cancellation of visa-free travel for Georgia.
During a speech in the Polish parliament on June 11, Donald Tusk announced the possible restriction or termination of visa-free travel with such countries.
“I am fully prepared to use all available methods to change international law in order to minimise the risk of illegal migration, this wave of migration. The reality is that we deport foreigners to their countries almost every day… Four days ago, 50 Georgians suspected of criminal activity were deported,” Tusk said.
The Polish prime minister stressed that he is working to “create the necessary majority (in the EU) to restrict or terminate the visa-free regime, including for Georgia,” and noted that a decision could also be taken at the national level.
Commenting on Tusk’s initiative, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczyński noted that most EU member states do not support suspending the visa-free regime for Georgia.
“We do not want ordinary people to pay the price for the decisions, actions and legislation adopted by the Georgian government. Therefore, at this stage, we have decided to suspend the visa-free regime only for holders of diplomatic and service passports,” Herczyński said.
On June 12, he took part in a conference organised by the Centre for Security, Policy and Nationalism Studies at the University of Georgia, where he made this statement. The ambassador explained that discussions have been ongoing for many months among EU member states about what the European Union should do about the situation in Georgia, and that the Polish prime minister’s statement is “just another opinion” in these discussions.
Meanwhile, Tusk’s statements were met with criticism from Georgian Dream. Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili accused the Polish prime minister of “using other people as a political tool.”
On June 11, Donald Tusk and his government won a vote of confidence in parliament (243 in favour, 210 against), strengthening their mandate after the defeat of the liberal candidate in the presidential election. Tusk emphasised his readiness to take full responsibility for the situation in the country and announced a government reshuffle in July. Despite support in the Sejm, he faces difficulties amid political polarisation and preparations for the 2027 parliamentary elections.
