The European Commission says Georgia is “a candidate country in name only” that has “experienced serious democratic backsliding,” including through restrictive laws “unprecedented” among candidate countries, as Brussels adopts an annual package on EU enlargement.
The report comes amid continued anti-democratic and anti-Western actions by the ruling Georgian Dream government, including repressive policies and verbal attacks on Brussels and EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski.
“Sadly, the conclusions of the report are devastating for Georgia’s European aspirations,” Ambassador Herczynski told reporters during a press conference about the package in Tbilisi on November 4. The diplomats said that for him, as for the EU Ambassador in Georgia, “it is not easy to present this year’s report.”
“The truth is that today, Georgia is further from the EU membership than it was in 2023, when it was granted a candidate status,” the Ambassador added. Georgia, along with Ukraine and Moldova, applied for EU membership in 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The country became an EU candidate country in 2023, after a delay.
The document is published and presented in Brussels as the high-level delegation from Tbilisi, including GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and several of his cabinet members, is visiting China.
“Following the December 2024 European Council Conclusions and in light of Georgia’s continued backsliding, the Commission considers Georgia a candidate country in name only,” the Commission said in a press release. “The Georgian authorities must demonstrate resolute commitment to reverse course and return to the EU accession path.”
During a press conference where HR/VP Kaja Kallas and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos presented the report, Kallas said the EU accession outlook is negative for Georgia, compared to other candidate and potential candidate countries. “In a nutshell, the scorecards are largely positive for Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine. The outlook is mixed for Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey, and negative for Georgia,” Kallas said.
Asked about possible measures to respond to Tbilisi’s recent moves, Commissioner Marta Kos said while the concrete measures are in the hands of the EU Member States, in November, the Commission “will hopefully get the new visa-suspension mechanism, which will enable us to some further steps.”
Situation ‘Significantly Worsened’
In its Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, a 60-page document published on November 4, the Commission said the situation in Georgia has “significantly further deteriorated” since the European Council’s December 2024 regret over Tbilisi’s decision to suspend the accession process until 2028.
“In Georgia, the adopted and enforced restrictive laws targeting activists, civil society and independent media threaten the survival of democratic foundations and are unprecedented among candidate countries,” the Commission said in the document.
“Georgia has experienced serious democratic backsliding, with a rapid erosion of the rule of law and fundamental rights being severely restricted,” the document says. “Over the past year, progress on the reforms linked to the fundamentals was noted particularly in Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine. In sharp contrast, in Georgia the fundamentals drastically eroded.”
“The systemic and systematic repressive actions of the authorities, including legislation curtailing civic space and fundamental rights, the functioning of independent media and targeting LGBTIQ persons, excessive use of force in full impunity by the law enforcement authorities and hostile rhetoric against the EU, are in stark contrast with EU values and the actions expected from an EU candidate country,” the report stresses.
The report further slams Georgia for instrumentalizing institutions designed to uphold the rule of law “for partisan objectives, thereby eroding their integrity.”
“No steps have been taken by the authorities to reverse the course of action and bring the country back on its EU path,” the report stresses, noting that the imprisonment of the opposition leaders and the Georgian Dream’s pledge to ban the opposition parties and associated individuals constitute “a direct attack against democratic pluralism.”
Regarding foreign and security policy, the Commission says Georgia’s alignment “remains low,” warning the re-export of high-priority goods and economically critical goods was “still of concern” and noting flights to Russia “continued to significantly increase.”
“Georgia should step up cooperation efforts to prevent that its territory and/or legal entities registered in Georgia are used to circumvent EU restrictive measures,” the report says.
‘Further Derailed from EU Path’
In a separate, 90-page Georgia-specific report accompanying the 2025 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy document, the Commission says that “in the reporting period Georgia further derailed from the EU path.”
The document says the October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections “were marked by widespread irregularities, increasingly repressive actions and legislation targeting protesters, civil society, independent media and the political opposition,” while in its aftermath, the country “plunged into a deep political crisis” and “widespread human rights violations were consistently observed.”
“In November 2024, the Georgian authorities’ decision not to pursue the opening of accession negotiations unequivocally confirmed their shift away from the policies of previous governments, the European aspirations of the vast majority of the Georgian people, and the commitment inscribed in the Constitution of Georgia of ensuring Georgia’s full integration into the EU,” the report says.
According to the document, the decision was followed “by further repressive action, which is fundamentally incompatible with EU values of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights,” with the report adding that “in parallel, the Georgian authorities systematically engaged in unprecedented, hostile anti-EU rhetoric, often echoing Russian-style disinformation.”
Reactions from Tbilisi
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia said the report is “biased” with regard to Georgia, stating, “It is concerning that the enlargement report is used to articulate groundless negative assessments on Georgia and to spread further political speculations.”
“However, this is not surprising given the persistent silence of the EU institutions with regard to events that took place in Tbilisi during the municipal elections held on 4 October 2025, to recognize the assault on the state institutions of Georgia and the violence used by protesters,” the Ministry said, adding, “The joint statement by HRVP Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos creates grounds for misleading interpretations.”
“We condemn all attempts directed towards using the issue of EU accession as a political instrument, which harm the relations between the EU and Georgia,” the Ministry further added, claiming that Georgia remains “fully committed” to the agreements with the EU and “continues to honour” its obligations under the Association Agreement.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of Georgia’s disputed parliament, said that in the report, “worn-out political accusations, lies, hostile rhetoric, and deliberate malice are all seamlessly fused together.”
“This is Georgia as seen from Brussels’ offices, which has nothing in common with the real Georgia. It is with exactly this spirit, which has already become a tradition, that today’s European Union enlargement report is presented, where the section on Georgia is sewn with white thread. The part of the report that evaluates the country’s progress based on measurable parameters is written in an extremely dry and laconic form, while the political part of the report is sharply aggressive and unjust.”
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