Commissioner Kos: Georgia ‘Reminder’ of Setbacks on EU Path
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Georgia’s case shows that receiving EU candidate status does not guarantee a successful accession. She placed full responsibility for the setbacks on Georgian authorities, calling on them to take “credible steps” to reverse course and heed citizens’ calls for democracy and a European future.
“Georgia is a clear reminder that setbacks on the EU path can happen, that once we start giving a country a candidate status, it doesn’t mean that automatically the way forward the EU will happen,” Kos said during the extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on June 3. “While thousands march with EU flags, the authorities are moving in the opposite direction.”
Kos reiterated her and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ earlier statement on Georgian Dream’s recently enacted Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which they called “a serious setback for the country’s democracy,” warning that, together with laws on broadcasting and grants, it “threatens the very survival of Georgia’s democratic foundations.”
“HR/VP Kallas and I myself called on the Georgian authorities to heed their citizens’ clear demands for democracy and the European future, and to release all unjustly detained journalists, activists, protesters, and political leaders. And we will do this again and again,” Kos said.
Kos laid responsibility “solely” with the Georgian authorities. “We should consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path, only if the authorities take credible steps to reverse the democratic backsliding,” she said. Meanwhile, the Commissioner said, “we should really help the civil society organizations and the people of Georgia.”
Also Read:
- 05/05/2025 – European Commission Urges GD to End Violence, Engage in Dialogue with Political Actors
- 29/04/2025 – EU Weighs Suspending Georgia’s Visa-Free Travel, Reviewing DCFTA and Candidate Status
- 17/04/2025 – International Reactions to GD-Approved Law Requiring Executive Approval for Foreign Grants
This post is also available in: ქართული