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European Commission proposes new visa deal with Georgia

Wed, May 05 2010 13:08 CET

byClive Leviev-Sawyer

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European Commission proposes new visa deal with Georgia

European Commission headquarters, Brussels.

It will become easier for Georgians to apply for visas to enter EU countries, while a proposed readmission agreement will ensure the return of Georgian citizens illegally staying in the EU, according to a new visa deal with Georgia that the European Commission has decided to recommend.

The draft agreements result from recent negotiations between the EU and Georgia, the European Commission said on May 5 2010.

The proposed agreements aim at enhancing EU-Georgia relations by facilitating short-stay travel of Georgian citizens to the EU while jointly tackling risks of illegal migration, the Commission said.

European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Cecilia Malmström said that she "strongly supported" visa facilitation for Georgia.

"I am pleased to see that enhanced EU-Georgia co-operation is paying off. With these agreements in place, Georgia will be more closely connected to the European Union," Malmström said.

The May 5 draft visa facilitation and readmission agreements are the result of recent negotiations between Georgia and the EU.

Once in force, they will make it easier for Georgians to apply for visas, making procedures faster, reducing paperwork and lowering visa fees. At the same time, the readmission agreement will ensure the return of those who illegally stay in the EU.

The visa facilitation agreement provides for, among other things, simplification of documentary evidence to be submitted in support of the visa application, issuing multiple-entry visas with a long period of validity to certain categories of applicants needing to travel frequently to the EU such as business people, journalists and family members of Georgian citizens residing in the EU, reducing visa fees to 35 euro for all citizens and waiving fees for specific categories such as children, family members of Georgian citizens residing in the EU, representatives of civil society organisations, setting deadlines for processing visa applications, and exemption from the visa obligation for holders of diplomatic passports.

The European Commission called on on the European Parliament and european Council to endorse the visa facilitation and readmission agreements so that they could enter into force as soon as possible.

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