Nils Schmid, a member of Germany’s ruling coalition and spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Bundestag, emphasized the importance of Georgia’s upcoming elections and its path toward European integration.
Speaking at a press conference at the German Embassy, he stressed that it is up to the Georgian people to decide their future, and Germany will respect the election results.
“We came to Georgia with heavy concerns. I want to highlight that this is a unique case where representatives from both the ruling coalition and the opposition are part of the delegation during an official visit. We are deeply troubled by recent developments in Georgia, especially regarding the country’s European future. Today, we bring two important messages.
First, we expect the upcoming elections at the end of October to be free and fair. These elections are critical for Georgia’s democracy and its European integration. It is up to the Georgian people to decide their future, and we will respect the election results regardless. We know that Georgians value democracy, which is why we urge all citizens to participate in these pivotal elections.
Second, with the current government policies, there is no path for Georgia to join the European Union. This is a clear message, and the EU has already conveyed it by halting the integration process. Additionally, I would like to emphasize on behalf of the German Bundestag that any formal suspension of the EU accession process requires parliamentary approval. We represent four parties—the three in the ruling coalition and the main opposition party—forming the vast majority of the Bundestag. We can say with certainty that Georgia’s current policies will not gain the Bundestag’s support to start EU accession negotiations. There needs to be a deep overhaul of domestic politics, especially concerning democracy, the rule of law, and the role of civil society,” Schmid said.
Moreover, at the press conference, Schmid stressed that Bundestag representatives are demanding a tenth step be added to the nine already required for Georgia’s EU accession: the repeal of the Transparency Law.
“Everyone is aware of the nine steps Georgia must take to begin EU accession negotiations. We believe a tenth step should be added—the repeal of the ‘Foreign Agents’ law, which is clearly inconsistent with European standards, as noted by numerous international observers. Therefore, it is necessary to fulfil these nine steps, as well as the tenth, before formal negotiations on Georgia’s EU accession can begin. We clearly communicated these points during our visit because we want the Georgian people to understand that there are well-defined criteria for starting EU accession negotiations. These are not political matters but standards that apply to all prospective EU candidates,” he added.
Nils Schmid said the delegation members had met with the representatives of the parliamentary majority, the opposition and non-governmental organizations during the visit to Georgia.
