EU says Georgia’s membership ‘on hold’ after anti-Western shift – POLITICO

Tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets to protest the bill, which was passed by lawmakers in late May, as riot police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds. Opposition leaders were arrested and beaten by authorities, and the European Union and the United States condemned the violence.

Georgia’s ruling party says the laws are necessary to prevent foreign interference. However, their introduction, alongside another Moscow-inspired bill that would strip LGBTQ+ people of their rights in the name of combating “propaganda” and rising anti-Western rhetoric, has raised fears about the country’s trajectory.

Washington has even imposed sanctions on Georgian Dream politicians, accusing them of “complicity in the weakening of democracy in Georgia” and its path to the EU. Brussels has warned that the so-called “foreign agents” law is incompatible with membership, after granting Georgia candidate status last December despite warnings of backsliding on human rights and failure to implement key reforms.

According to Herczyński, the decision to freeze Georgia’s accession process will also lead to the suspension of financial assistance from the European Peace Facility, the EU’s off-budget resilience fund, with a postponement of €30 million in payments. Sectors such as agriculture, winemaking and other key industries depend on support from the EU and US aid agencies.

“It is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low level, when they could have been at a record high,” Herczyński said.