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This article was written by political correspondent Ms. Katarzyna Rybarczyk for The European Sting. The opinions expressed herein reflect the views of the author only and do not necessarily reflect The European Sting’s position on the matter.
Since the start of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia in 2009, Georgia has come a long way in preparing for the formal application for EU membership. It signed a number of free trade agreements with the EU, as well as an agreement allowing visa-free travel between its territory and the Schengen area.
For years, largely pro-European Georgia has been a role model for other post-Soviet states aspiring to become EU member states. It works closely with the EU institutions and immediately implements the important changes requested by Brussels. That all changed after the 2020 general election, however. The victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party was challenged by the opposition, arguing that the vote had been rigged. The opposition began boycotting parliament, and since then the country has seen virtually no power-sharing.
Now, according to Human Rights Watch, Georgia is struggling with a host of internal hurdles, including a weak rule of law, threats to media freedom, and a general decline in democracy.
Last year, the EU intervened in Georgia’s political crisis and launched a mediation process to negotiate an agreement aimed at “depoliticizing the judicial system, correcting flaws in the electoral system and strengthening the rule of law,” Carnegie Europe wrote. The agreement also spelled out what needs to be done to reform Georgia’s judicial system and central electoral commission.
The EU achieved a partial victory when the deal was signed by the Georgian Dream and several small opposition groups. Nonetheless, the main opposition force, the United National Movement, refused to accede to the agreement.
At the signing ceremony, European Council President Charles Michel said: “This agreement is the starting point – the starting point for your work to consolidate Georgia’s democracy and your work to move Georgia forward in its Euro-Atlantic future.”
Unfortunately, since Georgia is not an EU member state, it was not legally obliged to comply with the agreed terms. A hundred days later, the Georgian Dream party canceled the deal, raising concerns that the crisis would deepen further.
With Georgia being kept in the EU’s waiting room for more than a decade, the government had no direct incentive to improve democracy and reduce polarization. Nevertheless, Georgia’s EU application became more urgent after war broke out in Ukraine in February this year. Given the perceived threats from Russia, the Georgian government and nation hoped Georgia could be granted candidate status sooner.
To their dismay, the European Commission last month gave Georgia “recognition of the European perspective” instead of backing it as an official candidate to join the bloc. The announcement showed that, as reported by Eurasianet, Georgia was ranked “at a lower level than the other two contenders”, namely Ukraine and Moldova. The so-called “EU-associated trio” jointly applied for membership shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
For the Georgians, the government is to blame for the fact that their country is left out and cannot secure candidate status for itself. To express their dissatisfaction with the situation, tens of thousands of Georgians demonstrated in Tbilisi in early July and called on the government to step down.
Georgian politicians seem to believe that full European takeover and candidate status could pave the way for the democratization process. However, instead of just declaring its interest in membership, the Georgian government needs to demonstrate its commitment to upholding democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
The EU, weakened by Brexit, rising Euroscepticism and the growing power of the far right, must be cautious when considering enlargement. Allowing another country like Hungary or Poland, which routinely undermine fundamental European values and fail to meet democratic standards, could render the EU ungovernable. Society simply cannot afford that now, when it is not yet clear when the war in Ukraine will end and what will happen next.
In these unprecedented times, the EU must focus on standing strong and united rather than expanding into Georgia, which needs much support to reverse democratic backsliding.
However, EU officials have repeatedly said that “Georgia has laid a solid foundation for further alignment with the EU acquis” and that “it should be granted candidate status once a number of priorities have been addressed”. The EU is determined to support Georgia on its European path, but joining the organization is not a cure for Georgia’s domestic problems. On the contrary, to have any chance of moving closer to EU membership, which Georgia so badly desires, it must first deal with its problems and then ask the EU to reassess its application.
About the author
Katarzyna Rybarczyk is a political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service, a global immigration law firm providing legal assistance to displaced persons. She deals with humanitarian issues and conflicts.
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