European Parliament Adopts 2023-2024 Georgia Report

The European Parliament has adopted its first report on Georgia’s progress as an EU candidate country, focusing on political developments in 2023–2024. The vote passed with 490 in favor, 147 against, and 49 abstentions. The document’s rapporteur is Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė of the European People’s Party.

The vote was preceded by a debate on July 8, during which several MEPs and the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, sharply criticized the Georgian Dream authorities for the country’s democratic backsliding.

The rapporteur Rasa Juknevičienė stated that Georgia, “once the flag-bearer of democracy,” has become a “Lukashenko-style autocracy.” She stressed that attacks on EU ambassadors and MEPs by representatives of what she called the “Ivanishvili regime” had only strengthened Parliament’s common position.

Juknevičienė proposed several amendments to the report, including on the local elections slated for October. “Due to the imprisonment of the key opposition leaders, these elections cannot be considered free and fair,” she outlined.

She also mentioned the deteriorating health of imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli. “She is losing her eyesight, has been denied proper medical care, and remains behind bars for political reasons,” Juknevičienė said.

“Visa-free travel is granted to democratic countries, not to regimes that imprison citizens for political reasons,” she added. “Georgia matters to all Europe. The regime falsely claims that no one cares about the Georgian people.”

Commissioner Marta Kos echoed similar concerns, calling the situation in Georgia “far from anything we expect from a candidate country.” She said that “Georgia’s democratic foundations are being eroded by the day,” and “Georgian Dream regime has launched the most dramatic crackdown yet on the country’s pro-EU opposition and civil society.”

For stepping up support of the civil society and independent media, Kos said that an additional 32 million will be made available shortly after the member states’ approval. “We have so serious challenge how to assure finances to the civil society organizations to avoid further repression by the Georgian government,” she emphasized. The additional separate funding is planned for autumn, which “will be used to improve the Georgian public’s understanding of the EU and its integration path,” Kos announced.

Czech MEP Ondřej took a different stance, expressing frustration with the EU’s lack of high-level engagement with Georgia. He criticized the “failure” of senior EU officials to show solidarity with pro-European demonstrators, stating that there were no high-ranking EU officials “who would travel to Tbilisi to stand aside the President Salome Zurabishvili to support her” except for Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban who is “Trojan horse of Russia inside the EU.”

German MEP Tobias Cremer said the GD government is “applying the Russian playbook of intimidation, disinformation, manipulation,” to the country and called on the EU to stand with Georgians who continue to protest for over 200 days.

By contrast, Hungarian MEP András László of the Patriots for Europe group called the report a “disgrace” of the European Parliament and said the document is “neither European nor democratic in nature.” He said that the majority in the parliament would like to see a “puppet government in Georgia.” “You do not see Georgia as a partner. You look on Georgia as a colony,” he said, addressing his colleagues. “What is needed is not sanctions, but an honest dialogue that respects the sovereignty and geopolitical situation of Georgia, as well as one that focuses on our common values and common interests,” László asserted.

Polish MEP Krzysztof Brejza from the EPP group accused GD authorities of copying Russia’s political model and called for sanctions against government officials, including Tbilisi City Court Judge Nino Galustashvili, who sentenced a 21-year-old protester, Mate Devidze, to four and a half years in prison. “I would like that woman not to be entitled to spend her holidays in Italy. I’d like all the officials of the pro-Russian regime to be banned from the EU,” he said.

EU Path Assessment

The document mentions the recent political developments in Georgia, including the ruling government’s decision on November 28, 2024, to abandon Georgia’s EU accession efforts, “disregarding the country’s constitutional commitment to European integration and effectively undermining Georgia’s sovereign Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”

It expresses “deep regret” that the ruling party “failed to use the historic opportunity” to advance EU integration, despite wider public support. “Georgia under Georgian Dream’s rule has not moved forward and has in fact even regressed” on the key nine steps spelled by the Commission. The report says that the EU integration process has been suspended due to “continued democratic backsliding,” “rigged October 2024 parliamentary elections,” “capture of the state institutions and democratic safeguards,” and “the adoption of a series of anti-democratic legislative acts.”

Reiterating its “unwavering” support for the Georgian people’s pro-European aspirations, the report condemns what it describes as “brutal crackdowns” on protests, “violent repression,” “arbitrary and politically motivated detention,” and “reported systematic torture” of peaceful protesters, political opponents, and media representatives.

It urges Georgian authorities to “refrain from using force, respect the freedoms of assembly and expression, and annul the recently adopted draconian legislation aimed at stifling popular protests.” The report also calls for thorough investigations into acts of violence.

Non-Recognition of One-Party Parliament

The report says only new parliamentary elections can resolve the “political and constitutional crisis” in Georgia. It notes that the elections should be held in the “next few months” in an “improved electoral environment, overseen by an independent and impartial election administration and monitored through diligent international observation to guarantee a genuinely fair, free, and transparent process.”

The document calls GD authorities “self-proclaimed,” does not recognize them, and calls the October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections “rigged.” It says “one-party parliament” is “incompatible” with pluralistic parliamentary democracy.

The document says the policy of non-recognition of the Georgian Dream parliament and President Mikheil Kavelashvili, “appointed” by it, should continue until there is “tangible change” in the country’s course. Calling on the EU and member state representatives to refrain from meetings with what it calls the “representatives of the regime,” it urges continued recognition of Salome Zurabishvili as the “legitimate President of Georgia” and “representative of the Georgian people.”

The report also condemns “continuing and deliberate destruction” efforts to suppress Georgia’s civil society through restrictive “Russian-style legislation,” and strongly denounces the newly enacted law on grants that requires the government’s approval for foreign grants. It urges the EU Commission to boost support “without any further delay” for independent media and NGOs, amid the suspension of the USAID.

It reiterates that the measures taken by the EU so far “do not reflect the severity” of the situation in Georgia. It calls on the EU and member states to introduce personal sanctions against key GD political leaders, officials, and the “regime’s enablers” in business, media, justice system, law enforcement agencies, and the electoral commission “who are responsible for democratic backsliding, electoral fraud, human rights violations and the persecution of political opponents and activists.”

Local Elections

The document highlights Georgia’s legal and political environment ahead of the upcoming local elections, which it says “present enormous challenges for any potential participant expecting a free and fair contest and that, further, such participation will be used by the self-appointed authorities as recognition of the new status quo.”

The report adds that the upcoming vote does “not present an opportunity to reflect the democratic choice of the Georgian people unless the imprisoned and detained political opposition leaders are released and the elections are held in an improved electoral environment.”

It also stresses the need for elections to be “overseen by an independent and impartial election administration and monitored through diligent international observation to guarantee a genuinely fair, free and transparent process.”

Visa-Free Travel

The European Parliament called on the European Commission and the Council to review Georgia’s visa-free status, “with the possibility of suspending it if the relevant benchmarks and standards on democratic governance and freedoms are not met because of the ruling party’s actions.”

In addition, it puts “full responsibility” for “any consequences stemming from the possible suspension of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens.”

Necessary Steps

The document calls for a reassessment of the EU’s policy toward Georgia and warns of “the conditional suspension” of economic cooperation and privileges under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.

The report deplores senior GD officials and government-affiliated media for spreading “manipulative narratives, disinformation and conspiracy theories about the EU, its Member States, leaders and politicians, as well as European integration.”

It “underlines” the role of GD’s founder and honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, “in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia” and by “acting against the country’s constitutional objective of Euro-Atlantic integration,” thus calling for “immediate and targeted personal sanctions” against him, as well as those of his family members and affiliated companies, within the EU. It further urges the United Kingdom to freeze Ivanishvili’s financial assets.

The report further calls on the EU member states to consider “further restrictive measures,” such as SWIFT cut-off or “sectoral sanctions,” “aimed at cutting off the financial flows and sources of income of the Georgian Dream regime.” It reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to review Georgia’s visa-free status, with the possibility of suspending it if the “relevant benchmarks and standards on democratic governance and freedoms are not met because of the ruling party’s actions.”

Alignment on Foreign Policy Matters

The document regrets that Georgia made “no progress” on implementing the EU’s recommendations while noting that the level of Georgia’s alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy remains “remarkably low.”

It expresses deep concerns with what it claims is the GD government’s “collaboration, rapprochement, and ideological convergence with Russia” despite the creeping occupation. It additionally denounces GD’s “promotion of and participation in Russian disinformation and manipulation.”

It notes that the support of EUR 30 million from the European Peace Facility was suspended in 2024 “in response to the democratic backsliding in Georgia,” adding “no support is planned for 2025.”

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