Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Committee set up under the Agreement between the European Union and Georgia on the facilitation of the issuance of visas to citizens of Georgia, with regard to the adoption of Common Guidelines for the implementation of the Agreement

The Agreement between the European Union and Georgia facilitating the issuing of visas entered into force on 1 March 2011. The Agreement established, on the basis of reciprocity, legally binding rights and obligations to simplify the visa issuing procedures for Georgian citizens.

Article 12 of the Agreement set up a Joint Committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Agreement. The Joint Committee noted the need for common guidelines to ensure that the Schengen Member States’ consulates implement the Agreement in a fully harmonised way and to clarify the relationship between the Agreement and the provisions of the contracting parties that continue to apply to visa issues not covered by the Agreement.

These Guidelines are not part of the Agreement and not legally binding. However, it is highly recommended that diplomatic and consular staff consistently follow them when implementing the Agreement.

EUR-Lex: COM(2016)304: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2016:304:FIN

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