The European Council has suspended the process of Georgia's accession to the European Union. This was announced by the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky.
The European Union also froze support for Georgia from the European Peace Fund — the country was allocated 30 million euros for 2024 to support the defense sector. According to Gierchinsky, EU authorities are considering other measures “if the situation worsens.”
“It’s sad to see that relations between the European Union and Georgia are at such a low level, although they could be at a record high,” the diplomat said.
Gerchinsky recalled the law on “foreign agents”, which was signed by the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, in June. The diplomat called this document “a step back,” reports the Georgian TV channel Mtavari. According to Gerchinsky, now the European Union, instead of the Georgian government, will provide financial support to civil society and independent media in the country.
The decision of the European Council states that the adoption of a law on “foreign agents” is contrary to the recommendations for joining the European Union. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023.
Because of the law on “foreign agents,” protests have been taking place in Georgia since April, which ended in dispersals and clashes with the police. Participants in the protests called the amendments “Russian law” due to their similarity with the legislation on “foreign agents” in Russia. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the document, but members of parliament were able to overcome it.
At the end of June, the Georgian parliament in the first reading adopted another law similar to the Russian one — “On the Protection of Family Values and Minors.” It prohibits “scenes of same-sex relationships” on television and in advertising, “LGBT propaganda in the educational sphere” and pride rallies “popularizing same-sex relationships.” In addition, the document stipulates bans on the adoption of children by queer people, changing gender markers and surgical operations related to transgender transition. Deputies also propose to introduce the concept of “genetic data” into the legislation — in accordance with them, marriage should be a union of a “genetic woman” and a “genetic man.”