The European Commission’s latest enlargement report is the most critical assessment of Georgia published in recent years, according to international relations expert Aleksandre Mishvelidze. Speaking on the television programme Business Course, he said the report highlights a decline in Georgia’s alignment with the EU’s foreign policy amid what it describes as democratic backsliding in the country.
Mishvelidze warned that continued deterioration in democratic standards, confrontational rhetoric and what he described as the Georgian Dream government’s efforts to demonize the EU could eventually lead to Georgia officially losing its candidate status. He also pointed to warnings from EU representatives that the country's accession process could be reconsidered if the current political course continues.
According to the expert, Georgia’s alignment with the EU’s foreign policy has fallen to around 38%, compared with 80-100% among some other candidate countries, including Moldova and Western Balkan states. He stressed that EU membership requires meeting the Copenhagen criteria, including the rule of law, pluralistic democracy, protection of human rights and economic standards, as well as alignment with EU legislation.
The European Commission's report states that Georgia's continued regression on fundamental principles means the country remains an EU candidate only on paper. The Commission has warned that unless the authorities change course, Georgia will continue to be unable to benefit from the advantages of candidate status and the accession process.
