Georgian MP calls on EU to respect Georgia’s sovereignty in legislation

The European Union should not require Georgia to amend its legislation or adopt laws that are not enforced within EU member states, Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Nikoloz Samkharadze has stated.

He recalled that on November 28, 2024, the Georgian government decided to postpone EU accession negotiations until 2028, Caliber.Az reports via Georgian media.

In response, Western officials accused Tbilisi of democratic backsliding and urged the country to return to the path of European integration by repealing laws deemed inconsistent with EU principles.

“The EU should not demand from Georgia anything that is not applicable within the EU. We should not be a place for experiments,” Samkharadze emphasized.

He stressed that while Georgia is committed to reforms and closer ties with the European Union, the country does not want to be forced into measures that EU member states themselves do not implement.

According to Samkharadze, Brussels must also consider Georgia’s geopolitical situation, as it is located in an unstable region, lacks NATO protection, and is outside the EU’s economic solidarity framework.

Earlier, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized the issue of European integration, calling it a “tool of blackmail.” Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, later than Ukraine and Moldova, a decision that Tbilisi deemed unfair.

To move forward with accession talks, the EU outlined nine conditions for Georgia, including reducing political polarization, de-oligarchization, and ensuring free and fair elections.

While negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova commenced on June 25, Georgia’s process was put on hold. The EU attributed this delay to the adoption of the "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence" and the increasingly anti-European rhetoric from Georgian authorities.