Georgia could become full EU member by 2030 if Brussels changes its attitude, PM

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the Georgian government and people remained strongly pro-Western and hoped that by 2030 - “when full EU membership becomes realistic” - the European Union’s stance toward Georgia would shift.

In an interview with TRT World, Kobakhidze said Georgia maintained a “clear constitutional commitment” to European integration and that the current government remained firmly pro-Western despite what he called “unfair actions” by European bureaucrats.

“We have a clear goal. It was our government that, in 2017, introduced a special constitutional clause declaring European integration as a national objective. Georgia is one of the few countries in the world whose constitution explicitly defines EU integration as a constitutional goal,” Kobakhidze said.

He added that while the European Union’s current attitude toward Georgia “appears counterproductive,” he hoped the position would change by the end of the decade.

“At this stage, their attitude seems different and counterproductive. However, we hope that by 2030 - when full EU membership becomes realistic for Georgia - their attitude toward Georgia and the Georgian people will change,” he said.

Kobakhidze emphasized that both the Georgian government and society were “fundamentally pro-Western,” adding that the government is working to preserve this sentiment among citizens despite the perceived unfairness of certain EU decisions.

“We are essentially pro-Western - both the government and the people. Public opinion surveys show that despite some recent actions by European bureaucrats that have shaken confidence slightly, support for the EU remains very high,” he noted.

“We are doing everything possible to maintain this positive attitude toward the EU within Georgian society, despite all these unjust actions. We can confidently say that not only the government but also the Georgian people are deeply pro-Western. We are part of Western and European culture, and our vision is clear. If European bureaucrats change their approach toward Georgia, I believe everything can be restored, and by 2030, we can realistically become a full member of the European Union,” Kobakhidze said.

Kobakhidze also claimed that since Georgia submitted its official application for EU candidate status in 2022, the country had faced “artificial challenges” from Brussels rather than domestic obstacles.

“Since 2022, when we officially applied for EU candidate status, we have faced artificial challenges on the path toward Europe. Georgia did not slow anything down - it was European bureaucracy that decided to pause our integration for a certain period,” he said.

According to Kobakhidze, Georgia outperformed several candidate countries, including Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in terms of democracy, human rights, and economic development.

“If we compare Georgia with other candidate countries such as Moldova or Bosnia, Georgia is far ahead in all major areas. The European Commission’s 2023 report with assigned scores showed that Georgia ranks better than both. Yet these two countries were granted candidate status, and Georgia’s application was rejected without explanation. That’s how this challenge in EU-Georgia relations began. In the end, it wasn’t Georgia that halted the process - it was European bureaucracy that decided to suspend Georgia’s integration temporarily,” Kobakhidze said.