The EU warned on Tuesday that it could suspend visa exemptions for nationals of Georgia due to its government's crackdown on the opposition and the ‘democratic backsliding’ in the country.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in Brussels that a letter would be sent to Georgia on Tuesday regarding the visa-free regime.
Certain conditions must be met, and if these conditions are not met within this timeframe, then the visa-free regime enjoyed by Georgian nationals when they want to enter the EU would have to be suspended, she said, without specifying the length of the timeframe.
Brussels has criticised the Georgian authorities for a wave of arrests targeting politicians, activists and journalists critical of the ruling party.
The EU believes that the government's measures, along with laws repressing civil society, have diverted Georgia from its path towards membership of the European bloc.
Several Member States are in favour of measures against the Georgian authorities, and a proposal to sanction judges involved in the imprisonment of opposition figures is on the table.
However, a veto by Hungary, an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has so far paralysed the EU's efforts to take action against Tbilisi.
