Georgian Parliament speaker criticizes politicization of EU accession process

Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, has expressed concern over the politicization of Tbilisi's European Union (EU) accession process.

He emphasized that there are no real obstacles hindering Georgia's progress toward EU membership, Caliber.Az reports citing Georgian media.

Papuashvili highlighted attempts to “maximally politicize” the European integration process, noting that it has shifted from a tool for cooperation to one of political contention, ultimately damaging the EU's reputation.

“The EU continues to evaluate Georgia, and we are actively addressing the issues outlined in the association agreement. This is the essence of European integration. It has not stopped and will not stop... Our efforts are focused on long-term results rather than the current political landscape,” Papuashvili stated.

On October 30, Brussels released its annual report assessing the progress of candidate countries in their pursuit of EU membership.

The European Commission chose not to recommend initiating negotiations for Georgia's admission to the EU. The country received some of the lowest scores among the ten candidate nations, which include Türkiye, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Brussels noted that the Georgian government's actions led to the "de facto suspension" of the EU accession process in spring 2024, shortly after Georgia was granted candidate status.

By Vafa Guliyeva