As Georgia’s Independence Day approaches, construction has begun in Tbilisi to prepare for the celebration.
Commemorated on 26 May, the day usually consists of conscripts swearing the traditional oaths in a ceremony on Freedom Square — attended by government officials and their invited guests — as well as various concerts and events across the city and similarly across the country. In addition, the Georgian Parliament building is adorned with banners, decorations which usually include the EU flag as a reaffirmation of Georgia’s chosen European path.
Two years ago, however, there were notably no EU flags present on the parliament building, in line with the ruling Georgian Dream party’s freshly changed foreign course following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the party’s hesitation to apply for EU candidate status — and then being refused it on the first try.
That year, people organised a small action in parallel with the oath taking ceremony on Freedom Square, bringing a massive EU flag paired with the Georgian flag to remind the government of the Georgian people’s overwhelming choice to join the EU.
Historically, especially in recent years, the biggest protests the country has seen have always come when Georgia’s EU-integration seems to be under threat. For decades, public opinion polls have shown that the vast majority of Georgians wish to become part of EU one day — this goal is even enshrined in the Georgian Constitution: ‘The constitutional bodies shall take all measures within the scope of their authority to ensure the full integration of Georgia in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’.
Accordingly, when Georgian Dream did not apply for the candidate status with Ukraine and Moldova, tens of thousands took to the streets and eventually forced the government to do so.
The following year, in 2024, the EU flag was brought back for Independence Day celebrations, despite the fact that Georgia was already sliding into authoritarianism. The foreign agents law had already been adopted along with other controversial laws; police were using force against protesters and journalists; officials were openly attacking the West without hesitation — but the government’s EU-aspiration was still, at least formally, visible on paper.
Since then, things continued to worsen, especially in terms of Georgia’s EU integration — yet Georgian Dream kept lying to its voters ahead of the October parliamentary elections. Ironically, the party’s main election banner had its logo merged with the EU flag above a slogan reading: ‘To Europe only with peace, dignity, and welfare’. Georgian Dream knew full well that even among its voters, the majority still supported EU integration, leading the party to reaffirm its false commitment to the EU path.
Following Georgian Dream’s victory in the October parliamentary elections — which many, including OC Media, deemed to be a rigged election — it took only a couple of weeks for the party to openly state that it was halting Georgia’s EU integration bid, triggering mass protests that have continued for over 170 days.
And now here we are, even after clearly stating that the party no longer wants to pursue EU-integration, EU flags are back on the parliament building for Independence Day.
Georgian Dream officials even congratulated people for Europe Day on 9 May, not to mention the numerous attempts to try to get recognition from European officials, like the famous 15 second handshake between Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and French President Emmanuel Macron at the European Political Community summit.
It seems, after a clear shift from the West and cozying up with Russia, Georgian Dream has still failed to sell Russia as a main partner to Georgia even to its supporters. Instead, Georgian Dream is forced to continue taking such superficial steps to keep their electorate ‘happy’ and secure in the idea that Europe is not lost and that Georgian Dream is doing everything to get Georgia there — but of course only on Georgian Dream’s terms and only ‘with peace, dignity, and welfare’.
