Georgia will not be able to join the European Union until its government changes its authoritarian course, a publication posted on the official page of the European Parliament on social network X has said.
In it, the EU legislature expressed support for the Georgian people.
“The Parliament does not recognise the current government of Georgia and declares that its EU accession process is effectively suspended until fair elections are held,” the statement reads.
The European Parliament adopted the latest resolution on Georgia on 9 July. The document condemns the arrests of opposition activists and calls for the release of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli and other political prisoners, as well as calling for new parliamentary elections.
The resolution also calls on member states to consider additional restrictive measures in addition to sanctions, including:
- Disconnection from SWIFT, the largest international banking settlement system
- “sectoral sanctions aimed at cutting off the sources and revenue streams of the Georgian Dream regime”
Resolutions of the European Parliament are of a recommendatory, non-binding nature, although they express the position of the political circles of the member states.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on 15 July that suspension of visa-free regime with Georgia is being considered due to “serious setback” in the democratic development of the country.
Earlier, the ruling Georgian Dream party said that talks about the possible suspension of the visa-free regime were “blackmail” and “threats”.