Georgia PM offers no path out of EU accession deadlock amid Brussels dispute

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said his government remains very committed to joining the European Union, but he gave no clear route for reviving the country's stalled accession bid. Speaking at the Euronews Enlargement Summit on Tuesday, he instead accused the European Commission of political blackmail and blamed Brussels for the breakdown in relations. The comments come as Georgia's EU path remains effectively frozen.

Kobakhidze repeated that the government would join immediately if the European Commission opened accession talks, but he did not say what steps Tbilisi would take to unlock the process. He also refused to reconsider the controversial laws that have been linked to the standstill in relations with the bloc. The prime minister said the Commission's earlier decision to withhold candidate status was a great mistake and argued that Georgia had been treated unfairly compared with other applicants.

Georgia applied to join the EU in 2022 alongside Ukraine and Moldova after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The European Commission initially withheld candidate status, citing insufficient progress on democracy, the rule of law and institutional reforms. Georgia later received candidate status in December 2023, but relations deteriorated rapidly after that.

Within months, the European Council concluded that the government's actions had effectively halted the accession process. The dispute matters because EU membership remains a major political issue inside Georgia, where Kobakhidze said nearly 80% of people support joining the bloc. The government's stance also has wider implications for the country's foreign policy direction at a time when relations with Brussels are strained.

The row reflects a broader clash over democratic standards, institutional reform and the pace of integration with the EU. Kobakhidze also accused the Commission of political bias, saying its decision had fuelled protests organised by opposition groups and non-governmental organisations that he said were funded by European and other foreign donors. He said the Commission had suspended political dialogue with Georgia, and argued that Brussels was not ready to talk.

In November 2024, Tbilisi announced it would not seek to open accession negotiations before the end of 2028 after the Commission published a report describing serious democratic backsliding, including concerns from the judiciary to media freedom. What remains unclear is whether either side is prepared to change course. Kobakhidze offered no new concessions or timetable for restoring momentum, and the Commission has not indicated any immediate shift in its position.

For now, Georgia's accession bid remains stalled, with the next developments likely to depend on whether political dialogue can resume and whether the government alters the laws and policies that have drawn criticism from Brussels.

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