EU policy researcher Kakha Gogolashvili has described Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s interview with Euronews, held on the sidelines of the European Enlargement Summit, as “infantile politics,” criticising his claims that EU institutions are bureaucratic and should be changed.
Speaking on BMG TV’s programme Analitics, Gogolashvili expressed surprise that the prime minister of an EU candidate country would declare in a European capital that Georgia would only implement recommendations it considers acceptable. He stressed that EU accession requires meeting established conditions and recommendations, while negotiations may concern the timeframe and methods of implementation.
Gogolashvili also criticised Kobakhidze’s remarks about reforming EU institutions, arguing that Georgia should adapt to European standards rather than expect the European Union to change. He said the country’s democratic backsliding has become the main obstacle not only to EU integration but also to broader relations with the bloc, including the Association Agreement, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area and visa-free travel.
The researcher warned that the government's rhetoric could isolate Georgia from the democratic world and undermine its European future. He argued that Georgia risks moving closer to an increasingly consolidated authoritarian Eurasian sphere instead of becoming part of the democratic European and Western community.
