EU-Georgia visa facilitation and readmission treaties will be put to the vote at the plenary session of the European Parliament in November.

Meanwhile, the treaties were endorsed by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee on October 26, according to the European Parliament’s press service.

The visa facilitation, signed by Georgia and EU in June, will include, among other things, issuing multiple-entry visas with a long period of validity to certain categories of applicants including businesspeople, journalists and family members of Georgian citizens residing in the EU. The agreement cuts the current EUR 60 visa fee to EUR 35 and also envisages waiving fees for specific categories such as children, family members of Georgian citizens residing in the EU, representatives of civil society organisations. The agreement will exempt holders of diplomatic passports from the visa obligation.

The visa facilitation agreement applies to all EU-member states, except of the UK and Denmark, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry. The readmission treaty applies to the EU, with the exclusion of Ireland and Denmark, whereas the UK has expressed its wish to be a party to the agreement, according to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Readmission agreements lays out obligations and procedures for the authorities of EU member states and the third countries with whom the treaty is signed as to when and how to take back people who are illegally residing on the territories of the parties.

The agreement on visa facilitation will go into force together with readmission treaty a month after these two are ratified by both the European Parliament and the Georgian legislative body.