Economist Giorgi Khishtovani has delivered a stark assessment of Georgia’s current relationship with the European Union, declaring that “the EU integration process no longer exists.”
Speaking on BMGTV, Khishtovani commented on the European Commission’s 2025 enlargement report, which stated that Georgia’s EU candidate status remains “only in name.” He argued that the country has completely deviated from the path of European integration.
“In my opinion, our country has entirely strayed from the European integration process. It has not merely slowed or frozen, it no longer exists,” Khishtovani said. “The EU has no mechanism to revoke our [candidate] status, so it continues to issue enlargement reports written in diplomatic language. In reality, this process has lost its relevance for Georgia.”
When asked about the long-term economic implications, Khishtovani emphasized that the Georgian economy and private sector now face the challenge of adapting to a fundamentally different model.
“The entire modern Georgian economic system was built on the foundation of European integration - governance, regulations, standards, production processes - all were aligned with EU requirements,” he explained. “Now, businesses will have to reorient themselves toward a new model, one that appears to be more state-dominated, with main partner markets shifting to Russia, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The rules of the game have changed completely.”
Khishtovani also addressed the role of the business community and organizations such as the Investors Council, which unites business associations and international financial institutions. He suggested that while these groups should ideally seek explanations from the government, he does not expect active engagement under current circumstances.
“In a normal situation, yes, business associations should be speaking up,” he said. “But today, their silence signals loyalty to the government.”
