EU’s Borrell: Georgia needs strong changes to even maintain EU candidacy

Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has told Evropeyskaya Pravda that Georgia needed to implement significant reforms to maintain its European Union candidate status.

Borrell claimed that Georgia’s current trajectory was moving away from the EU, urging the government to revise laws and address election-related issues. He also noted that while Ukraine’s government, president, and society were firmly committed to EU membership, Georgia’s commitment was less clear.

“We warned the Georgian government that they are distancing themselves from the EU path,” Borrell said, pointing to the controversial foreign transparency law and problems during Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections. He stressed that “these issues must be rectified for Georgia to progress towards EU membership”.

The European Union has criticized the Georgian government for its actions in recent months, leading to a suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process and a freeze on government aid. Borrell reiterated the EU’s stance that there needs to be a transparent investigation into election violations and controversial legislation, including the Family Values Law.

Despite the challenges, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has insisted that the country’s European course remains unchanged and has suggested that relations with the EU will reset after the country’s parliamentary elections and the resolution of the war in Ukraine.

However, the EU’s annual enlargement report, published on October 30, revealed that the European Commission is not currently recommending the start of EU accession negotiations for Georgia.