European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Marta Kos has said she hopes the Georgian government will recommit to the country’s European course, stressing that recent assessments show Georgia has significantly backslidden.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Kos said that the latest enlargement report paints a particularly negative picture of Georgia. “The recommendations and conclusions from the enlargement report say that Georgia has backslidden as no other country,” she stated.
Kos underlined that any further progress on the European path depends on changes in the government’s approach. “We expect that if the country wants to move further on the European path, it has to do it differently. This is for the government,” she said.
She also emphasized the EU’s continued support for Georgian civil society and independent media, describing them as crucial both for maintaining hope among the population and for signaling to the authorities the importance of public will. “We will continue to support civil society and independent media, because this is very important—not just to give hope to the people, but also to tell the government that it is not right if they don’t consider what the people want,” Kos noted.
Concluding her remarks, the Commissioner said she hopes Georgian authorities will return to the European path with the backing of the public. “With the support of your people, I really hope that the Georgian authorities will come back on the European path. Of course, it is in their hands,” she said.
