Brussels’ deadlock: EU diplomats on Georgia’s uncertain future
In early November, as the EU released its latest enlargement report — describing Georgia as ‘a candidate country on paper only’ — I travelled to Brussels with several other journalists from Georgian online media platforms.
During the five-day press trip, organised by the EU Delegation to Georgia, we met with EU officials and diplomats from member states and had a chance to ask them questions about how they see the next steps with Georgia. They spoke under the condition of anonymity and mostly as a group, but it was still a valuable experience.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
While most insisted that the ‘EU does not want to give up on Georgia’, it seemed that there was no clear agreement on how to proceed. Brussels felt paralysed by its own bureaucracy — decision-making seemed to be stuck in limbo.
‘It’s just a horrible, horrible situation,’ one diplomat told me.
Will the EU engage in dialogue with the Georgian Government?
Some, especially those from countries on the EU’s eastern flank, strongly opposed any engagement with the government in Tbilisi, with one insisting that they will not be ‘offering handshakes to the Georgian Dream government’.
However, diplomats from some western European countries seemed more open if Georgian Dream changed its ‘aggressive’ behaviour and ‘hostile rhetoric’ towards the EU and its ambassadors in Georgia.
Some EU officials I met with offered strict nos. However, one EU official confirmed that they would be working with the Georgian government on human rights issues, but on a technical level, ‘not at a high level.’ ‘We do this with all the countries’, she added.
Even this, however, was subsequently cancelled, reportedly over the Georgian government’s attempts to include a sanctioned individual amongst their delegation
Would the EU cancel its visa free regime with Georgia?
It seems like cancelling the visa free regime for all Georgian citizens is actively being discussed. However, at this stage, it looks like Brussels is looking more towards the direction of ‘adjusting its tools’ on the EU level, to enforce more targeted restrictions for those individuals responsible for Georgia’s democratic backsliding.
Is the EU going to sanction Georgian Dream officials?
As much as certain countries seem to be actively promoting sanctions, it is no secret that others, like Slovakia and Hungary, have been rallying against it. One diplomat, however, insisted that it was not just the usual suspects who were opposed to sanctions: ‘There are others too’. When asked if any further mechanisms were being discussed, they indicated there were some options on table, but none of the diplomats elaborated on what those might be.
The EU says it will ‘not abandon Georgia’ — but why?
Positions varied here, from more sentimental answers — such as wishing to support the people waving EU flags on the streets — to more pragmatic answers related to ‘connectivity, trade, and cross regional connections’, as well as ‘curbing Russian influence on the European continent’.
As someone working at OC Media, I naturally also had questions about Armenia and Azerbaijan too.
Would the EU fast-track Armenian accession, given that enlargement remains a high priority?
No, EU enlargement is merit based. Yet, Armenia, even though it has not officially applied, ‘behaves much more like a candidate country’ than Georgia, as one diplomat put it.
As to why the EU appears to hold Azerbaijan to different standards than Georgia when it comes to human rights, the answer was blunt — Georgia is a candidate country, Azerbaijan is not.
Is there anything we can do to support Georgian media?
This was the question we received in turn. And here is what I told everyone I could: at a time when the Georgian government is putting economic pressure on independent media — and when the global press is struggling as donor priorities shift — what we need most is for the people who value our work to directly stand with us.
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