Georgia’s application for EU membership is contingent upon the outcome of the upcoming general election, according to the EU’s top diplomat.
The European Council has accused Georgia of adopting policies that “jeopardize” its path to EU membership and have “de facto halted the accession process”.
Georgia, a former Soviet republic, formally applied for EU membership in March 2022. However, it has recently implemented policies that have raised concerns from Western nations. These include a mandatory registration requirement for NGOs and media organizations that receive funding from foreign sources.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell explicitly linked Georgia’s chances of joining the EU to the results of the October 26 general election, during a press conference following a European Council meeting on Thursday.
”The upcoming election will be a defining moment, and the Georgian people will have to choose their direction: towards Europe or away from Europe,” he stated, emphasizing that “the future of the country is at stake.”
A statement from the European Council expressed its expectation that the election will be “free and fair, conducted in accordance with international standards and with unrestricted access for both international and domestic election observers.”
Georgia’s EU membership application was submitted in March 2022. The Council urged Georgia to undertake “democratic, comprehensive, and sustainable reforms, aligned with the fundamental principles of European integration”.
The Georgian election authority reported that 64 international organizations have been accredited to monitor the national election, a record number surpassing the previous high of 62 monitoring groups registered in 2008.
The “foreign agents” law, which Tbilisi claims is modeled after similar legislation in the United States, came into effect in early June. According to lawmaker Shalva Papuashvili, 156 foreign-funded organizations have completed their paperwork under the new system, with approximately 300 additional applications under review by the Justice Ministry. He contrasted this number with the 136 groups that are seeking to overturn the law by filing complaints with the European Court of Human Rights.
The Georgian Dream party is aiming for another term in power, predicting an expansion of its majority in parliament due to strong public support. Opposition forces are being backed by outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, whose term will conclude in mid-December.