EU to rebuild pragmatic ties with Georgia despite tensions, International Crisis Group

The International Crisis Group has called on the European Union to pursue a more pragmatic relationship with Georgia, warning that growing tensions between Brussels and Tbilisi risk undermining broader European interests in the South Caucasus.

In a new analysis examining Georgia’s political trajectory since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the organisation says Georgia’s EU integration prospects have weakened sharply, while relations with both the EU and the United States have deteriorated. Despite this, the report argued that maintaining working relations with Georgia remains in Europe’s strategic interest amid major geopolitical shifts in the region.

According to the report, EU member states are divided over how to approach Georgia. One group, mainly northern European countries and EU institutions, supports increased pressure on the ruling Georgian Dream party in the hope of pushing it back towards a more pro-European course. Another group, consisting largely of southern European states, favours maintaining constructive engagement with Tbilisi because of regional energy, transit and economic interests.

The analysis argued that isolation and pressure have failed to achieve the desired political outcomes and recommended that the EU lower confrontational rhetoric, separate enlargement issues from regional cooperation and involve Georgia more actively in discussions on transport and connectivity projects, including those linked to the Black Sea region.

The organisation also said the EU should acknowledge that fears of war in Georgia are genuine and continue shaping the government’s strategic calculations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.