OMM Redaksiyası
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning attempts to ban opposition parties in Georgia. The document calls for targeted sanctions against senior Georgian officials over an initiative by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The resolution, titled “On the attempts by the ruling Georgian Dream party to ban opposition parties in Georgia,” was adopted on Thursday with 445 votes in favor and 37 against. Ninety-seven lawmakers abstained.
Members of the European Parliament called for the immediate withdrawal of a constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties. They reiterated calls for sanctions and visa restrictions against Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.
Lawmakers also criticize the EU’s position
The resolution also alleges that the European Union and its member states have not taken measures with sufficiently concrete consequences in response to developments in Georgia. The issue was among the main topics of a three-hour debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday, where lawmakers disagreed over Georgia’s political direction and the EU’s response.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told lawmakers that EU foreign ministers would hold a separate discussion on Georgia at the Foreign Affairs Council next week. Asked about extending the suspension of visa-free travel and imposing targeted sanctions, Kos said the EU could act only to the extent agreed by its member states.
European Parliament member Tomaš Froelix, from Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, accused the EU of applying double standards. He said the planned ban on opposition parties in Georgia had drawn criticism, while there were also calls to ban the AfD in Germany.
Froelix cited the banning of more than 20 political parties in Ukraine and questioned why the EU responded differently to that situation. Other lawmakers said the attempt to ban opposition parties was moving Georgia further away from the EU.
David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, called the move another step towards authoritarianism. He also recalled the European Commission’s description of Georgia as a “candidate country in name only.”
German lawmaker Tobias Cremer called for sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili. Lithuanian lawmaker Dainius Žalimas said the EU response was inadequate and urged Brussels to take measures in line with sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and some EU member states.
Another German lawmaker, Lukas Sieper, said Georgia’s accession to the EU could take decades under the current government. He put the timeframe at about 20 years, or 10 “if everything goes well.”
Georgian government rejects criticism
Archil Gorduladze, chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, described the European Parliament’s resolution as politically motivated. He accused Brussels of repeatedly pressuring the Georgian government and its supporters to change their positions.
According to Gorduladze, the European Parliament has previously adopted nine resolutions against Georgia, but none changed the government’s position. He accused the EU of trying to turn Georgia into a “proxy state” and said such resolutions constituted interference in the country’s sovereignty.
The dispute comes as Georgia’s EU accession process is effectively stalled. In November 2024, the Georgian Dream government announced that it would not put the launch of EU accession talks on the agenda before 2028. The decision prompted mass pro-European protests across the country and heightened tensions between Tbilisi and Brussels.
The EU has said Georgia’s accession process is effectively halted, citing concerns over the government’s policies and democratic reforms. The European Parliament’s resolution now puts the focus on the position of EU member states.
Calls for sanctions are not binding on member-state governments. Kos’s remarks also indicate that any further measures will depend on agreement among the member states. Georgia will be discussed by EU foreign ministers next week; the key question is whether Parliament’s demands will lead to concrete decisions.
