Press
The European Union has halted Georgia’s accession process for the time being. After the adoption of the “Russian law”, the European Council has issued a warning.
Brussels – Due to the current policy of the government in Tbilisi, the European Union has paused the accession process for the time being. According to a statement, the European Council is concerned about the developments in Georgia, which would lead to “a de facto halt in the accession process”. The pause in the accession process is a warning, coupled with demands from the European Council on Georgia.
First, Georgia passed a controversial law that requires greater accountability for non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. A similar law in Russia labels foreign-supported organizations as “foreign agents.” In recent weeks, there have been repeated mass protests against the so-called “Russian law”. This was followed on Thursday (June 27) by a law banning so-called LGBTQ “propaganda”, which was passed in a first reading.
European Council warns Georgia and makes demands – Hungary does not quite follow suit
The EU heads of state and government see the law as “a step backwards in relation to the recommendations of the EU Commission for the EU candidate status”. They called for an end to the increasing intimidation, threats and physical attacks against critics and reminded them to respect values and principles. According to AFP The statement calls on the Georgian authorities to adopt a clear pro-European stance.
Georgia was only recently classified as a candidate for EU membership in December 2023. Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, the state applied for EU membership. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which is behind the new law, had played a key role in the talks on EU candidate status. Even though the declaration was adopted unanimously, not all states were of the same opinion. The Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban said loudly AFP before the summit: “The Georgian government is doing a good job.”
According to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the Georgian government sees no contradiction between the policy and the EU candidacy. Borrell responded in a press release: “No. This law and the negative developments associated with it are leading Georgia away from the European Union.” (lismah/dpa)
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