"Seriously concerned"

Accession process with Georgia put on hold

Georgia was only granted EU accession candidate status in December.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/VV Voennyy)

According to the EU heads of state and government, Georgia's EU accession process will not be continued for the time being due to the policies of the Georgian government. In the summit declaration adopted on Thursday evening, they expressed their "serious concern" about the course taken by the government in Tbilisi. 

In particular, the government in Tbilisi is "jeopardizing Georgia's path to the EU and bringing the accession negotiations to a de facto standstill" with its law against "foreign influence".

Laws not compatible with European values
Georgia was only granted EU accession candidate status in December. Since then, the government has introduced a series of laws that are considered incompatible with European values.

Brussels sees the law against "foreign influence", which was passed in June despite mass protests, as a muzzle for media and organizations critical of the government. It is modeled on a Russian law against "foreign agents".

EU Commission: "A step backwards"
The Georgian government's actions are a "step backwards" with regard to the EU Commission's requirements in the accession process, declared the 27 heads of state and government. The European Council called on the Georgian authorities to take a clear pro-European stance.

Opinions divided
The summit declaration was adopted unanimously. However, opinions differ when it comes to assessing the situation in Georgia. "The Georgian government is doing a good job. The economy is improving," said Hungarian head of government Viktor Orbán before the summit. "So I think they are on the right track."