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According to AnewZ, the European Commission has confirmed that Georgia’s government will not be invited to next week’s EU Enlargement Forum in Brussels. Tbilisi was offered lower-level representation at a separate ministerial meeting on connectivity.
The decision signals a further deterioration in relations between Brussels and Tbilisi amid disagreements over democratic reforms, legislation and the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process.
European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier confirmed that Georgia had not been invited to next week’s enlargement meeting while answering a question from Euroscope at the institution’s daily briefing on November 9. He said EU ties with Georgia would remain limited until the Georgian authorities showed a firm commitment to changing their current political course, as set out in the Commission’s latest Enlargement Report.
Lower-level invitation to connectivity meeting
Georgia has been invited to a separate ministerial meeting on connectivity planned for November 16, but is expected to be represented at a lower level. Mercier said participation in such meetings is decided on a case-by-case basis, taking EU interests into account. He did not specify which Georgian officials had been invited.
European and candidate-country leaders will discuss enlargement, security, democratic reforms and economic cooperation at the EU Enlargement Forum, to be held in Brussels on November 15-16 under the theme “Wider Europe – Stronger Europe.” Participants include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.
Although Georgian government representatives are not on the invitation list, Nino Dolidze, representing Georgian civil society, will take part in a discussion on the role of civil society and local authorities in the enlargement process.
Tbilisi rejects lower-level representation
The European Commission’s announcement drew criticism from Georgian officials. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on November 5 that the country would not attend an international meeting if it was not invited at the appropriate level.
After Brussels confirmed its decision, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili reiterated that position. He accused the EU of showing disrespect toward Georgia and questioned how Brussels could discuss the Middle Corridor without the country’s participation.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected the European Commission’s latest assessment, published on November 4. The ministry said the report contained factual inaccuracies and politically biased assessments. It said the lack of dialogue between the parties limited the Commission’s ability to assess the situation in Georgia objectively, while stressing that Tbilisi remained open to constructive cooperation.
The diplomatic dispute comes amid the European Commission’s 2026 Enlargement Report. The report says Georgia’s accession process has been “effectively halted” and describes the country’s EU candidate status as largely formal.
The Commission cited democratic backsliding, restrictions on fundamental rights and civil society, concerns over the rule of law and increasingly restrictive legislation. The report said Georgia had not met the requirements under the nine steps set out in the recommendation on candidate status.
Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, subject to implementing the required reforms. In June 2024, the European Council concluded that the Georgian government’s actions had effectively halted the accession process. Later that year, the government announced a decision to suspend EU accession talks until 2028.
The latest report does not revoke Georgia’s candidate status. The European Commission says the country’s European path could be restored if the authorities change course and renew their commitment to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.
The absence of Georgian government representatives from the Enlargement Forum is another sign of the widening rift between Brussels and Tbilisi. It remains unclear when high-level political dialogue will resume.
