Because of “Russian law”
EU halts Georgia’s accession process for the time being
28.06.2024, 01:12 am
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With a law to increase control over civil society, the ruling party in Georgia is turning parts of the population against itself. And the EU is also drawing consequences: the country’s accession process, which only began in December, will not be deepened for the time being.
The European Union is putting Georgia’s accession process on hold for the time being. The reason is the current course of the political leadership in Tbilisi, according to a statement by the heads of state and government at the summit in Brussels.
The text states that the European Council expresses its serious concern about recent developments in Georgia. The authorities there must reverse the current course, as this jeopardises Georgia’s path to the EU and leads to “a de facto halt in the accession process”.
The country, which has a population of around 3.7 million, was only granted EU candidate status last December after it applied for EU membership shortly after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Law led to mass protests
The heads of state and government cite a new law to tighten control of civil society as a concrete example of the negative developments in the former Soviet republic on Russia’s southern border. This law was passed by parliament in May despite weeks of mass protests against the “Russian law”. It also overrode a veto by the pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which holds the majority in parliament, is using the law to specifically tighten the accountability of non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their money from abroad. It justifies this with greater transparency. A similar law in Russia brands these foreign-supported organizations as “foreign agents.”
The EU heads of state and government see the Georgian law as “a step backwards in relation to the recommendations of the EU Commission for EU candidate status. Regarding the actions of the authorities against critics, they write that they are calling for an end to the increasing intimidation, threats and physical attacks against representatives of civil society, political leaders and civil activists and journalists.
Government takes a two-pronged approach
The declaration also recalls that respect for the values and principles on which the European Union is founded is essential for any country aspiring to membership and that it is also important to ensure that the parliamentary elections this autumn are free and fair.
It is still unclear what exactly is behind the government’s course in Tbilisi. It is paradoxical that the Georgian Dream government has led the successful talks on EU candidate status. It is sticking to its EU course, but at the same time it is pursuing good contacts with Moscow.
One of the driving forces behind the law is the party’s founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who became a billionaire through business in Russia and was also prime minister for a time. In the past, he expressed the view that Georgia must protect itself from corrupting Western influence.