What happened
Council of the European Union conclusions in December 2025 state that Georgia's accession process has effectively come to a standstill until the authorities demonstrate a resolute commitment to reverse course, following a Commission enlargement assessment recording a sharp deterioration in the rule of law and in fundamental rights. In March 2026 the Commission suspends the visa exemption for Georgian holders of diplomatic, service and official passports under the revised visa-suspension mechanism.
The distinction the module needs to keep: a candidate whose process is stalled is in a different position from one whose officials are having privileges withdrawn. Suspending the diplomatic-passport exemption is the first EU measure aimed at the Georgian state rather than at named individuals, and it marks the point at which the accession file stopped being a pause that either side was managing and became a relationship with penalties in it. It also widens the gap between Georgia's declared constitutional commitment to European integration and its position in fact.
Confidence: High
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