The European Parliament has adopted a resolution stating that Georgia’s progress toward European Union membership cannot continue without democratic reforms, citing what lawmakers describe as ongoing democratic backsliding under the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The resolution, adopted on Wednesday by 436 votes to 145, with 47 abstentions, urges the EU and its member states to make engagement with the Georgian authorities conditional on “tangible and verifiable” steps to reverse democratic regression and what it describes as Russian-style anti-EU disinformation.
MEPs also reaffirmed the Parliament’s position that it does not recognize the legitimacy of Georgia’s parliament or the president elected by it.
The resolution expresses solidarity with the Georgian people, stating they continue to strive for “a European and democratic Georgia.”
“The Georgian Dream regime continues to dismantle democratic institutions, silence independent media and hold one of the highest numbers of political prisoners in the region, including Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaghlobeli,” said the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Georgia, Rasa Juknevičienė. “This is unacceptable for an EU candidate country. We must now move towards imposing coordinated EU-wide sanctions against those responsible for repression and state capture.”
In a separate resolution on Türkiye, adopted by 381 votes to 107 with 171 abstentions, MEPs said the country’s EU accession process remains stalled due to a lack of democratic reforms.
Lawmakers called on the Turkish government to address shortcomings related to the rule of law, human rights, democratic standards, media freedom and fundamental freedoms. They also criticized Türkiye over what they described as violations of the sovereign rights of EU member states Greece and Cyprus.
The Parliament said that although Türkiye’s accession negotiations have been effectively frozen since 2018, the country remains a strategically important NATO ally.
