The European Union Ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, has described the latest EU enlargement report as the “last wake-up call” for Georgia to reverse its course and return to the path of European integration.
Speaking about the current state of EU–Georgia relations, Herczyński reiterated that while Georgia is free to choose its own laws as a sovereign country, it is the EU’s duty to point out which laws contradict the EU acquis — the body of common European rights and obligations.
“It was the Georgian authorities who decided to apply for EU membership in March 2022. It was the European Union that granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023. Georgia is an independent country; it can have any laws it wants. But it is my role, it is our role as the European Union, to tell Georgians which laws are not compatible with the EU acquis,” Herczyński stated.
“The last wake-up call”
The Ambassador reminded that the June 2024 European Council conclusion served as the first warning after the Georgian Parliament adopted the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, widely referred to as the “foreign agents” law.
“In spring 2024, we said loud and clear: please do not adopt the foreign agents legislation, because this will have consequences. And in fact, in June 2024, as a result of its adoption, the European Council decided to de facto hold Georgia’s accession process, asking the authorities to reverse the course,” he noted.
Herczyński emphasized that the latest enlargement report, published last week, delivered an even stronger message to Tbilisi, describing it as “probably the final wake-up call” for the country’s EU aspirations.
“The June 2024 European Council conclusion was the first wake-up call. Last week, we had the final, probably the final wake-up call, in the form of the enlargement report, which was devastating for Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union,” the Ambassador said.
Call for urgent action
Herczyński expressed hope that Georgian lawmakers would act swiftly to realign the country with its European commitments.
“I sincerely hope that it will take less than 18 months for Georgian parliamentarians to learn and take action. Because if Georgia and the Georgian authorities are serious about ever joining the European Union, they urgently need to reverse the course and go back to the EU integration track,” he concluded.
The European Commission’s 2025 enlargement report, released on November 4, stated that Georgia has “de facto halted its pre-accession process” and referred to the country as a “candidate in name only.” The report urged the government to reverse democratic backsliding and make tangible progress on reforms aligned with EU values and principles.
Image source: Business Media Georgia
