Window to the euro: what will the new scandal in Georgia-EU relations lead to?
In early November, the European Commission presented a report on EU enlargement, with Georgia receiving the biggest portion of criticism. According to statements by European officials, the republic has "seriously retreated from democracy" and is only nominally considered a candidate for joining the EU. Izvestia investigated the situation.
What happened
In early November, the European Commission presented a report on EU enlargement, with Georgia receiving the most criticism. The document says that over the past year, there has been a "serious retreat from democracy" in the republic, an erosion of the rule of law and a violation of human rights. It is alleged, in particular, that Tbilisi interferes with the work of the media, uses force at opposition rallies and abuses hostile rhetoric against the EU.
It is noted that Georgia has departed from the nine recommendations that the country received when it was granted the status of a candidate for EU membership in 2023. "The imprisonment of leading opposition figures combined with the statement of the ruling party's intention to ban some protest forces is a direct attack on democratic pluralism," the document says.
Interestingly, the elections held in Georgia in October last year and this year were also criticized, but nothing is said about the riots that opponents of the ruling party staged after each vote. It is also emphasized that Ukraine expresses concern that Georgia is allegedly helping Russia to circumvent sanctions, although Ukraine itself is not a member of the EU.
At the same time, the report recognizes that Georgia is the leader among all the countries under consideration in terms of economic indicators. Over the year, the country's GDP grew by 9.4%, while its closest pursuer, Kosovo— had an indicator of 4.4%. However, this did not affect the final conclusion. "The European Commission considers Georgia a candidate country only nominally. The country's authorities must demonstrate a strong commitment to change course and return to the path of EU membership," the document says.
What the EU said
After the publication of the report, the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, said that Georgia has the worst prospects for EU membership among all candidates. "Montenegro is the most advanced on the path of European integration, Albania has gained unprecedented momentum. The situation is ambiguous for Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey, and negative for Georgia," she said.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the EC report had never contained so much criticism of a candidate for membership. "Dear Georgian government, you are not taking your people to the European Union. If you are serious, then listen to your people and stop jailing opposition leaders, journalists, and people with different views. Then we can talk," she said.
In turn, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky said that the "devastating" report should be a "sobering signal" for Tbilisi. In addition to statements, European officials are considering various measures of influence. Thus, according to a number of statements, in November Brussels will introduce a new visa suspension mechanism to try to return Georgia to the path of European integration.
On November 7, it also became known that the European Union suspended Georgia's participation in regional security programs. These are three projects — on combating organized crime in the Eastern Partnership, on cooperation in combating organized crime and monitoring the movement of drugs into the EU.
How did they react in Tbilisi
In Georgia, the incident caused a storm of indignation. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that it was the EU, not Tbilisi, that suspended the country's European integration process. He also added that the Transcaucasian republic is ahead of its competitors for EU membership in most indicators, but Brussels does not take this fact into account. "This report reflects the tragic situation in the European bureaucracy," he said.
Kobakhidze also stressed that the EU, not Georgia, has been demonstrating regression in recent years. According to him, the economy of the association in 2008 accounted for a third of the global economy, now this figure has fallen to 17%. In addition, the prime minister stressed that the ruling team in the country is not going to turn off the chosen course. He noted that the ban of three major opposition parties is on the agenda in Georgia, criticism of Brussels will not change anything here.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze
The Speaker of the country's parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, called the EC report a lie and propaganda. He recalled that Brussels has not yet condemned the actions of the radicals who staged riots after the local elections in early October. "This remarkable fact is the clearest illustration of how the European bureaucracy treats the Georgian state, the Georgian people and their choice," he said.
The republic's Foreign Ministry noted that the country's performance has improved significantly recently, as evidenced by international ratings of economic growth, government integrity, the fight against bureaucracy and corruption, and the effectiveness of public administration. The ministry said that in such circumstances, the criticism contained in the EC report looks like an attempt to shake up the internal situation in the republic.
What the experts say
Archil Sikharulidze, founder of the SIKHA Foundation Research Institute, emphasizes that the EC report can be divided into two parts.
— In the paragraphs devoted to economics, there is some hint of objectivity, it is difficult to get away from dry facts, figures and statistics. There are a lot of subjective judgments, silences and manipulations in the political part. To summarize all the claims, the main accusation is simple: Georgia helps Ukraine too little, does not support the EU's foreign policy, and does not join the fight against Russia. This is exactly what it comes down to, talking about pressure on the opposition and a rollback from democracy looks ridiculous, considering that Moldova and Ukraine do not make such claims," he explains.
The expert adds that under the current conditions, there is no reason to expect an improvement in relations between Georgia and the EU.
— I see three scenarios for the development of events. Either the European bureaucracy will change, or the fighting in Ukraine will end and the security situation will stabilize, or the European nomenclature will be able to forcibly change power in Georgia. It is clear that Tbilisi is betting on the first two options, and there are many hopes for Donald Trump's peacekeeping efforts," he assures.
Petre Mamradze, a former member of the Georgian parliament, says that the current report did not come as a surprise.
— Last year, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that Georgia would not initiate negotiations on EU membership until 2028. Tbilisi also refused to accept government grants from Brussels. This was done to deprive the West of the levers for blackmail. This enraged the European Union, they are not used to the fact that the agenda is dictated not by them, but by a small sovereign country. Since then, the flow of lies and manipulations has increased. I am glad that the report will have no consequences. The street protest has run out of steam, Georgia is experiencing an economic boom, so people are simply not up to it," he says.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
