Georgia’s EU accession process ‘de facto’ at a standstill, say leaders of the 27

Georgia’s accession process to the European Union has come to a halt ” in fact “said the leaders of the Twenty-Seven meeting on Thursday, June 27, at a summit in Brussels. The declaration follows the adoption by Tbilisi of Russian-inspired laws deemed contrary to European values.

European Heads of State and Government “call on the Georgian authorities to clarify their intentions by reversing the current course of their actions, which jeopardize the path [du pays] to the EU, leading de facto to a halt in the accession process” to the EU, according to the summit conclusions.

Georgia, which obtained the status of candidate country to join the EU in December, passed a series of controversial laws. The Georgian authorities notably promulgated on June 3 a text on “foreign influence”, inspired by a repressive Russian law, which sparked massive demonstrations in Tbilisi for weeks and strong criticism from Western countries.

On Thursday, the Georgian parliament passed a bill in its first reading banning “LGBT propaganda,” very similar to legislation used in Russia to crack down on sexual minorities.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, had already warned Georgia on Monday that the door to the EU could close if it did not change its policy.