On 26 March, the State Commission on Migration Issues of Georgia (SCMI) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) held the international conference titled ‘New Models of Migration Management System: Impact of VLAP Implementation in Georgia’. Organised by the EU-funded Project “Sustaining Migration Management in Georgia” (ENIGMMA 2), together with the European Migration Network (EMN), the conference brought together representatives of the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries.

The event marked the fifth anniversary of Georgia’s implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), which would not have been possible without the solid foundation established by national and international actors, civil society and partner states in the past. The VLAP marked the beginning of a new chapter, enabling Georgia to transform its migration management system. By enabling the country to effectively respond to new realities and to establish new partnerships (e.g. with the EMN), the VLAP has actually exceeded its objectives. Georgia aims at sustaining these positive dynamics and develop permanent mechanisms to enhance the nexus between migration and development.  

The conference assessed the visa-liberalisation path from a regional perspective, displaying the Moldovan experience and presenting the key migration management tools in the region. Highlighting the importance of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, migration partnerships and dialogues, it called for new partnerships to address effectively ever-changing challenges

Conference Publication: Georgia – European Union Cooperation: Compendium of Migration Milestones Fact and Figures is available in EN on the following link.