“Georgia cannot join the EU until its government changes its authoritarian course. The European Parliament stands with the Georgian people. Parliament does not recognise Georgia’s current government and says its EU path is effectively suspended until fair elections happen,” the statement reads.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the bloc may suspend visa-free travel with Georgia in response to the government’s crackdown on peaceful protesters.
“Options on the table include sanctions and suspension of the visa-free regime,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels on July 15.
She said the EU will send a letter to Tbilisi outlining the conditions the Georgian government must meet.
“If those conditions are not fulfilled within a set timeframe, we will have to suspend visa processing,” Kallas added.
On May 14, 2024, Georgia’s parliament passed the controversial “foreign agents” law in its final reading, with 84 MPs voting in favor and 30 opposition lawmakers voting against. The law triggered sharp criticism from the West.
That same day, police began violently dispersing protesters outside the parliament building.
On May 28, the legislature overrode a presidential veto by Salome Zourabichvili, clearing the way for the law to take effect.
Officially titled the Law on the Transparency of Foreign Influence, the legislation requires media and NGOs receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.” It closely resembles Russia’s own foreign agent law.
On May 31, the EU condemned the law’s passage, calling it a serious step backward for Georgia’s democratic development.