EPP’s Resolution Calls for Sanctions on Ivanishvili and New Elections
The European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, adopted a resolution at its congress in Valencia, urging coordinated sanctions against the GD party founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, including cutting off Cartu Bank, of which he is the owner, from the SWIFT and Visa/MasterCard networks. It also called on international bodies not to recognize the legitimacy of Georgian Dream’s one-party parliament or its “appointed president,” instead naming President Salome Zurabishvili as “the only legitimate representative of the Georgian people” and called on GD government to set a specific date for the holding of new parliamentary elections.
Calls for Coordinated Sanctions against Ivanishvili and the GD
The resolution entitled “Expressing solidarity with the Georgian people and demanding new, free and fair elections” calls on EU member states to impose “coordinated bilateral personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili” and his family members, companies, and network of enablers, and to freeze his assets within the EU. It urges the European Council to “cut off Ivanishvili’s Cartu Bank from SWIFT and Visa/MasterCard networks” and to impose sectoral sanctions targeting businesses that support the regime, particularly in copper ores and non-ferrous metals.
EPP’s call for coordinated action extends beyond Ivanishvili. It demands sanctions on Georgian officials and political leaders responsible for democratic backsliding, electoral fraud, human rights violations, and the persecution of political opponents and activists, and explicitly includes “judges passing politically motivated sentences.”
Also, the party calls on the European Council to adopt a clear and coherent policy on Georgia and to cut the “regime’s financial lifelines,” by instructing EU member-states governments and institutions to suspend financial cooperation with the GD authorities until new free elections are held and sanction the “regime’s ruling, financial and propaganda elites.”
Possible Visa-Free Suspension
The EPP expresses “deep regret” over Georgian Dream’s failure to use the country’s EU candidate status as a “historic opportunity,” and blames the party for derailing Georgia’s European path, despite widespread public support for EU integration.
It applauds the EU Council’s January 27 decision to suspend parts of the visa-facilitation agreement for Georgian diplomats and stresses that the “Georgian Dream is fully responsible for the consequences regarding the possible suspension of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens,” if the relevant benchmarks and standards are not met.
Full-Fledged Crisis of Georgia
The EPP says the situation in Georgia has dramatically accelerated into a “full-fledged constitutional, political and human rights crisis,” citing the Georgian Dream government’s November 2024 announcement that it would suspend the EU accession process.
The resolution points to excessive fining of protesters, asset freezes targeting civil society, and the dismissal of public servants for supporting pro-EU rallies as evidence of a deepening crackdown. “A new wave of financial terror has been initiated,” the text reads, estimating the total fines imposed on demonstrators and activists to exceed 18 million GEL.
The EPP also condemns what it describes as the instrumentalization of Georgia’s legal system against opposition forces, specifically naming the United National Movement as a target of a politically motivated GD parliamentary commission. The current GD parliament is described as an “illegitimate one-party parliament,” and acknowledges that the authorities are holding 52 individuals as political prisoners, including journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli.
It adds that former President Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison by “Mikheil Jinjolia, a member of Georgia’s globally sanctioned judicial clan,” and that “an outdated measure of staggered sentences” was used against Saakashvili.
Calls for New Elections and GD’s Non-Recognition
The resolution calls on the GD government to “set a specific date for the holding of new, free, fair and competitive parliamentary elections” and calls on the European Commission to reassess the EU-Georgia Association Agreement in the light of possible violations of democratic principles.
The resolution also calls on international bodies “not to recognise the legitimacy of Georgian Dream’s one-party parliament or its appointed president,” and to instead recognise President Salome Zurabishvili as “the only legitimate representative of the Georgian people.”
The resolution was approved following the party’s congress that took place in Valencia, Spain, on 29-30 April. Speaking to Formula TV, UNM Chair Tina Bokuchava said that the congress brought together the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, to whom she met “to defend Georgia’s European future.”
The European People’s Party (EPP) is a center-right political alliance in the European Parliament, comprising conservative, Christian-democratic, and center-right parties across Europe. It advocates for policies promoting European integration, economic growth, democratic values, and the protection of fundamental rights. As one of the largest political groups in the EU, the EPP plays a key role in shaping EU legislation, focusing on areas like economic stability, security, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion. The United National Movement, the party of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, is a member of the EPP.
Also Read:
- 14/01/2025 – EPP Emergency Resolution Calls For No Recognition of GD Government, Continuation of Sanctions
- 14/11/2023 – EPP Calls on Authorities to Take Urgent Measures to Protect Health of Mikheil Saakashvili
- 20/11/2022 – EPP Resolution Urges EU, Partners to Sanction Ivanishvili
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