EU candidate’s accession process ‘de facto halted’ – Brussels

Georgia’s bid for membership depends on how citizens vote in next week’s general election, the EU’s top diplomat has said

The European Council has accused Georgia of taking a course that “jeopardizes” its path to membership of the bloc and “de facto halts the accession process”.

The post-Soviet country formally applied for EU membership in March 2022, but recently adopted a number of policies that have drawn outrage from Western nations – including a mandatory register for NGOs and media organizations that receive foreign funding.

EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell directly linked Georgia’s chances of joining the union with the outcome of the October 26 general election, when discussing the situation at a press conference after a European Council meeting on Thursday.

”The next election will be the moment of truth and the Georgian people will have to decide which way they want to go: towards Europe or getting away from Europe,” he said, adding that “it is the future of the country which is at stake.”

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A statement from the European Council said it expects the poll to be “free and fair, in line with international standards and with unhindered access for international and domestic election observers.”

Georgia formally applied for EU membership in March 2022. The Council urged it to take “democratic, comprehensive and sustainable reforms, in line with the core principles of European integration”.

According to the Georgian election authority, 64 international organizations have been issued credentials to monitor the national poll, more than in any year for which it has public records. The previous high mark was in 2008, when 62 monitoring groups registered with the election commission.

The “foreign agents” law, which Tbilisi says was modeled on similar legislation in the US, came into force in early June. According to lawmaker Shalva Papuashvili, 156 foreign-funded organizations have finalized their paperwork under the new system, while some 300 more applications are under review by the Justice Ministry. He compared the number to the 136 groups which seek to overturn the law by filing complaints with the European Court of Human Rights.

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The Georgian Dream party is seeking another term in power, predicting its majority in parliament will increase due to strong public support. Opposition forces are being backed by outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, whose term will expire in mid-December.