The European Union is weighing a range of measures amid Georgia’s ongoing democratic backsliding and deteriorated human rights condition, including the possible suspension of visa liberalization, freezing of the country’s EU candidate status, and a review of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DFCTA) with the bloc, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak. She also didn’t rule out starting dialogue with the GD government in the future to “bring Georgia back to the European way.”
Kos said that the EU is “very careful” about what measures to take on Georgia. “We could, let’s say, take away visa liberalization. But we will hurt the people the most,” she said, cautioning against measures that would disproportionately affect Georgian citizens, the vast majority of whom continue to support the country’s pro-European course and have continued anti-regime protests for 153 consecutive days.
The Commissioner outlined further options under consideration, including re-evaluating the DCFTA and potentially placing Georgia’s EU candidate status on hold, similarly to the EU’s current relationship with Turkey.
She outlined that the GD government is not considering the Georgian people’s EU aspirations and enacts laws that “are clearly against the European values,” but noted that she “cannot accept” that the EU can lose Georgia.
While stressing that sanctions have been explored, Kos confirmed that the lack of unanimity among EU member states had prevented joint action, but noted that some individual member states have imposed sanctions on the Georgian officials.
Despite the current freeze in high-level engagement, Kos did not dismiss the possibility of future dialogue with Georgian Dream authorities. However, she emphasized that the EU is still considering how and when such engagement might take place, and under what conditions.
“I think the easiest way is not to speak,” Kos said, adding, “But to speak, you have to know what you have to offer and what the other side is willing to do.”
Kos stressed that dialogue must serve a clear purpose and must be framed around the goal of bringing Georgia “back to the European way.” She pointed to the EU’s renewed sectoral dialogues with Turkey, despite a long-standing freeze in accession talks, as a potential model for limited engagement in the future.
Kos indicated that any potential dialogue would likely begin at lower diplomatic levels before potentially advancing to higher-level contacts with the GD officials to see “how we could explore this.”
Following last November’s decision of the GD government to halt the EU accession process until 2028, Georgia has been in political turmoil, with public protests against the authorities continuing to this day. In January, the EU Foreign Affairs Council decided to suspend visa liberalization for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports amid the GD’s repression against the dissent. High-level meetings have also been frozen since then.
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