EU warns Georgia: accession talks at risk due to current course

The European Commission has warned Georgia that it is impossible to start negotiations on joining the European Union without changing its current course, according to the European Commission's report on enlargement, which was obtained by Ekho Kavkaza and the Georgian service of Radio Liberty, UNN reports. 

Details 

Unless Georgia changes its current course of action, which jeopardizes its path to the EU, and demonstrates tangible efforts to address the current problems and implement key reforms, the European Commission will not be in a position to consider recommending the start of accession negotiations with Georgia

The report notes that in December 2023, the European Council granted Georgia candidate status, but the actions of the Georgian government since the spring of 2024 have jeopardized Georgia's path to the EU and de facto suspended the accession process.

The granting of candidate status to Georgia in December 2023 was not accompanied by sufficient political commitment by the authorities to implement the necessary reforms to move the country forward on its path to the EU. On the contrary, there were significant negative developments, including the adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and the legislative package on Family Values and Protection of Minors, as well as strong anti-European narratives by Georgian officials, which seriously affected Georgia's course towards the EU. As a result, Georgia's accession process was effectively suspended. Georgia has also made little progress in implementing the nine steps envisaged by the European Commission's 2023 Communication on Enlargement

Saakashvili calls for "continuous protests" in GeorgiaOct 29 2024, 02:30 PM • 19663 views

The report also refers to the voting of Georgian citizens  in the October 26 parliamentary elections  .  It is noted that  the initial results of the joint international election observation mission led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) revealed several shortcomings during the voting.

According to the document, the elections took place in a tense and highly polarized environment. The European Commission points to recent changes in the electoral law, violations of the secret ballot, procedural inconsistencies, intimidation and pressure on voters, "which negatively affected public confidence in the process.

As noted, the European Commission's report itself  will be published later.

Addendum 

Georgia's Central Election Commission says it will recount ballots in about 14% of polling stations after independent observers expressed concern about the conduct of Saturday's parliamentary elections.

Also, the Georgian Prosecutor's Office announced the launch of an investigation into the alleged falsification of the parliamentary elections held in the country on October 26.