German Ambassador: Georgia Might Have Missed Its Opportunity of EU Accession

On November 27, the German Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, gave an interview to the BM.Ge talking about Georgia’s stalled EU accession process, German-Georgian relations, and the impact of Georgia’s drift away from the EU on Georgia’s economy and investment attractiveness.

Ambassador Fischer described the current state of German-Georgian relations as a crisis, saying: “We are at an impasse now.” He emphasized that the EU had granted Georgia candidate status as a “sign of love and affection,” despite the Georgian government’s failure to meet the nine conditions for candidacy. Following this gesture, however, he noted a shift in the Georgian government’s rhetoric and actions, including the reintroduction of the Foreign Agents law, which he called “gross contradiction” with EU values, and anti-LGBTQ legislation. He also criticized accusations against Germany and the EU of being “foreign agents”, attempting to drag Georgia into war in Ukraine, or promoting “liberal fascism”.

Commenting on the GD government’s insistence that the EU integration process continues, Ambassador said that in June and then again in October, “the leaders of the European Union decided and wrote down in their decision that the accession process has come to a halt. It’s also written down. Nobody here bothers to read it, but I recommend to read it.” He further said: “The government is telling you, no, nothing is halted. We decide what’s halted and what’s not halted. The candidate doesn’t decide. So it’s halted, and if you ask me, I don’t see it coming back on track in the near future.”

The Ambassador further spoke of the October 26 elections in Georgia, saying that “the way the election was conducted is not compatible with what we expect from a candidate country.” He said that “the accession process has come to a standstill” adding: “So it’s a crisis, and I think there’s a high risk that maybe you missed your opportunity.”

Ambassador Fischer also highlighted the missed opportunities for Georgia’s business sector due to limited integration with the EU market, despite the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) in place since 2016. He noted that Georgian exports to the EU have only increased minimally, by about 2%, primarily due to non-compliance with EU standards, such as phytosanitary regulations for agricultural products. Fischer emphasized the importance of aligning with EU standards to access “one of the world’s “most prosperous markets”, warning that the current crisis in EU-Georgia relations and Georgia’s stalled European integration deter potential investors and undermine economic progress.

He pointed out the attractiveness of the EU’s structured legal and business framework “that people know, that they feel familiar with, and that is also safe.”  “That’s why we invest mainly, amongst ourselves,” he said adding that Georgia’s getting closer to the EU opens it for European businessmen. But Georgia’s drifts away from EU, he said, which has led to hesitancy among foreign investors, including German businesses.

Some have reconsidered or even withdrawn their investments, such as Heidelberg Cement, which exited the Georgian market. Amb. Fischer argued that a lack of alignment with EU frameworks leaves Georgia as a small, emerging market in the South Caucasus with limited appeal for large-scale investment.

He also warned of the negative effects of drifting away from the EU in terms of the impact on the national currency, the emigration of the young, the fluctuations in the stock market prices of Georgian companies that are listed on foreign stock exchanges and other factors.

Also Read:

• 23/11/2024 – Interview | Anton Hofreiter: Georgian Government Has Obviously Decided to Withdraw From EU Integration

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