On December 11-12 2019, an international conference on the outcomes and consequences of the visa-free regime between the EU and Georgia, took place in Tbilisi.
Organized by the UN-agency the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the European Union and the French Embassy in Georgia, this event gathered Georgian authorities (representatives from several Ministries: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of IDP's, Health, Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Justice), representatives of international organizations (the EU, European Border and Coast Guard Agency - FRONTEX, IOM, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development - ICMPD, and the World Health Organization - WHO), French authorities (DGEF, DCPAF, OFII, Oise Prefecture, AFD) as well as diplomats from several European countries (France, Austria, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland).
This conference provided a unique opportunity to highlight and to discuss the difficulties linked with the abuses of asylum seeking and health system by Georgian nationals in the Schengen States, as well as to underline the actions undertaken by both sides to face and address these challenges.
On this occasion, the launch of the PROMETHEUS Project was announced by the French (French ambassador, DCPAF) and Georgian (International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) authorities, and also the Delegation of the EU to Georgia.
Several Schengen States expressed interest in this operational project which is currently in its first phase of exchanges with the Georgian partners to clearly define the training needs.
