EU to consider Georgia’s membership after parliamentary elections

Following the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26 in Georgia, the European Union (EU) plans to resume the process of the country’s accession to the bloc.

This statement was made by Pavel Gerchinsky, the EU's permanent representative in Tbilisi, during a press briefing, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"I think and hope that very soon after the elections, we will resume work on Georgia's EU membership and make up for lost time. We are ready to work with any democratically elected government; however, if it violates fundamental principles such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, I must frankly say that Georgia will not become a member of the European Union—that is impossible," Gerchinsky stated.

The diplomat assessed that after Georgia was granted candidate status for EU membership in December 2023, the authorities in Tbilisi made several decisions that Brussels deemed incorrect.

"Your country has made many complex and controversial decisions that, instead of bringing Georgia closer to the 90% of the population's dream of EU membership, push it further away. Many decisions made by the Georgian parliament and government contradict the core values of the European Union," Gerchinsky emphasized.

On 8 November 2023, the European Commission issued an official recommendation to grant candidate status to Georgia, which was confirmed on 14 December 2023. It is one of nine current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev