EU must do more to support Georgia, MEP warns

A senior member of the European Parliament has urged the European Union to step up its support for Georgia, warning that democratic regression in the country could serve the interests of an "imperialist colonialist power."

Speaking in Brussels, Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė emphasised the importance of safeguarding democratic values in Georgia and across the wider South Caucasus and Black Sea regions. Her comments come amid concerns about the direction of political developments in Tbilisi and the implications for EU interests.

"I have been to Tbilisi several times. I see the strength of the people in Georgia," said Juknevičienė. "About 80 percent of Georgians are pro-European - though many say they are not just pro-European, but Europeans. And that is very important."

The centre-right parliamentarian highlighted what she described as an alarming trend of democratic backsliding that could affect not only countries in the EU's neighbourhood but also member states themselves.

"We must very carefully understand what is happening in Georgia. This can happen in any country of the European Union - how it is possible to conquer a country from within. It is not about countries far from Brussels; it is very close."

Juknevičienė drew parallels between Georgia’s current political struggle and broader regional dynamics, referencing Ukraine, Moldova, and the Belarusian opposition movement that began in 2020.

"The struggle that the Georgians are waging is not separate from the fight of the Moldovans, the Ukrainians, or the Belarusian people. This is the same struggle - against the same imperialist, colonialist power."

She concluded by urging the EU to take stronger action, saying "we in the European Union must do more to help the Georgians so that Georgia, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea region do not become part of this imperialist colonialist empire. It is in the interest of the European Union to ensure that democracies thrive on the European continent."