Georgian and Russian newspapers and Politico As reported by the European Union Representative in Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, on Tuesday. AdvertiseUnfortunately, Georgia's EU accession process is currently stalled, as decided by EU leaders at the last European Council meeting.
June 27 Closing announcement According to the Council, the Council expressed its deep concern about the recent developments in Georgia, in particular regarding the adoption of the Foreign Influence Transparency Act. According to the EU leaders, this act represents a step backwards in relation to the steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation on Georgia’s candidate status and de facto halts the accession process.
Then the European Union
- I called on the Georgian authorities to clarify their intentions by withdrawing their current measures and ensuring that the parliamentary elections scheduled for this fall are free and fair;
- He called for an end to the increasingly frequent acts of intimidation, threats and physical attacks against civil society representatives, civic activists, political leaders and journalists.
As a concrete example of the negative developments taking place in the former Soviet republic on Russia’s southern border, the heads of state and government cited a new law on strict control over civil society, which, according to its critics, serves to silence pro-Kremlin media and critical organizations, following the Russian model. Euronews According to the Georgian parliament, a law called the “Russian Law” was only passed in May, despite weeks of mass protests. The pro-Kremlin majority even overrode a veto by pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili to pass the law. As written, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has a parliamentary majority, wants to use the law to tighten accountability for NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. It justifies this by saying that it is more transparent.
In Russia, a similar law classifies such foreign-backed organizations as “foreign agents,” and thus subject them to serious persecution.
On June 27, the Georgian parliament also adopted a bill banning “gay propaganda” in its first reading. The bill will be debated in its second and third readings in the fall session. The Georgian Dream government party also wants to make appropriate amendments to the country’s constitution, but to do so it needs the support of a two-thirds majority in parliament, which it does not have.
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EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski:
Unfortunately, Georgia's EU accession process is currently stalled – this was decided by EU leaders during the last European Council. pic.twitter.com/52QodRsj9n
— EU Delegation to Georgia ?? (@EUinGeorgia) July 9, 2024
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It is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low, when they could have been at an all-time high. pic.twitter.com/NAnE81GOKS
— EU Delegation to Georgia ?? (@EUinGeorgia) July 9, 2024
Regarding the suspension of the accession process, Pawel Herczynski said on Channel X that it is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low point, when they could have reached a historic peak.
In addition, the EU has frozen a €30 million aid package (part of the European Peace and Security Programme – EPF – that was to be disbursed to the Georgian Ministry of Defence), and is considering additional measures if the situation in Georgia deteriorates. The EU ambassador to Georgia said the country is getting worse.
Georgia in December 2023 EU candidate statusThe EU and Georgia are working together, including through the Eastern Partnership, to strengthen political and economic relations between them.
However, the EU strongly supports Georgia's territorial integrity and supports the country in dealing with the conflicts in the occupied breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, even after the recent meeting of EU leaders. It was put into writing..
They will stop in the summer and wait for the fall elections.
Herchinsky the most He said On the EU side, Georgia, “The Georgian people must elect their next government, and the next Georgian government must decide its policy regarding the EU.” He added: “Georgia is a candidate country, and if the next government is interested in implementing Georgia's EU membership, we are fully prepared, more than willing to help in any way we can.”
According to the EU ambassador, Georgians will have to decide in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26 whether they want to become a member of the European Union, whether they want to participate in the next major EU enlargement, or whether they have other plans for their future.
Political tension is increasing in the country.
On June 12, Grigol Liluasvili, head of the local State Security Service, reported that some local and foreign forces had tried several times in 2023 to create conditions for a violent overthrow of state power in Georgia. As he said, in addition to local forces, foreign forces were also involved in such attempts, and “they also tried to mobilize resources” in order to carry out the coup.
Meanwhile, a complete review of relations between Georgia and the United States is now underway. It was announced US Defense Forces last week. This comes after some public statements, including speeches by members of the ruling party, reaction Robin Donegan, the US ambassador to Georgia, spoke on the matter on Monday, noting that recent developments show that Tbilisi wants to build closer relations with Moscow.
Due to the review, the joint US-Georgia military exercise (Noble Partner) scheduled for July has been postponed indefinitely.
