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After the preliminary rejection of the EU candidate bank, the pressure on the ruling party to reform is growing in Georgia.
In contrast to the Ukraine and Moldova, the Caucasus republic of Georgia is still denied EU candidate status, but at least has the prospect of it. At the beginning of the week, 20,000 demonstrators in Tbilisi emphasized that the country definitely wants to join the EU. After the provisional no from Brussels, another pro-European rally is planned for Friday evening in the capital.
It was already clear to people on the street and in politics a few days ago that they would not be given candidate status based on the recommendations of the EU Commission, as ARD correspondent Martha Wilczynski reports: Accordingly, disappointment was inevitable, even if the activists and activists has remained a small spark of hope.
EU sets difficult homework
According to Wilczynski, the preliminary cancellation is also taken by many as a motivation to tackle the conditions set by the EU. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke of a historic moment for Georgia, since the European perspective is now in place.
In addition to fundamental reforms, the EU primarily calls for polarization within Georgian politics to be minimized or eliminated. The ruling party “Georgian Dream” and the opposition are irreconcilable in parliament. There are hardly any debates. Even EU Council President Charles Michel failed in his attempt at mediation in Tbilisi. The new statements that the problems are now to be tackled are already starting again with finger-pointing.
Pressure from the street should remain
According to ARD correspondent Wilczynski, many people on the street are also skeptical as to whether the EU conditions can be implemented within the six months set. After the provisional no from Brussels, another pro-European rally is planned for Friday evening in the capital. This is intended to increase the pressure on the government. This deadline must be used, otherwise you will not know when the door to Europe will open again, explained the organizer of the rally. This is an “opportunity that you only get once in a lifetime”.
Legend:
At the pro-European rally on June 20, 2020, over 20,000 people took to the streets.
imago images
Originally, Georgia did not want to submit the application for EU candidate status until 2024, but brought the step forward by two years because of the Ukraine war.
On the one hand, the ruling party and opposition recognize the danger posed by Russia, and solidarity with Ukraine is very high: Russian tanks are only a few dozen kilometers from the capital, Tbilisi. In 2008, with the help of Russia, 20 percent of Georgian territory seceded from South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
attitude towards Russia
On the other hand, activists and the opposition repeatedly accuse the ruling party of being very pro-Russian. In the background is the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. As a former prime minister, he is not involved politically, but financially, having made his fortune in Russia. Georgia is also more cautious about sanctions against Russia. The financial flow is blocked, but personal sanctions are not applied. One of the reasons why Ukraine withdrew its ambassador from Tbilisi.