The European Commission’s 2025 Enlargement Report delivers a sharp assessment of Georgia’s political trajectory, warning that the country’s EU candidate status is now ‘in name only’ due to democratic decline and open defiance of European values.
The report states that Georgia has experienced severe democratic backsliding since the October 2024 parliamentary elections, with repressive laws, weakened institutions and growing anti-EU rhetoric. The Commission mentioned that the government’s decision to suspend the EU accession process until 2028 represents a direct deviation from the European course outlined in Georgia’s constitution.
Brussels expressed deep concern over the arrest of opposition leaders, pressure on civil society groups, attacks on journalists and the abolition of the Special Investigation Service, an institution responsible for investigating abuses by law enforcement. The Commission also urged the repeal of the controversial Law on Foreign Agents, describing it as incompatible with democratic standards and civic freedoms.
While Georgia continues to record economic growth, the report warns that political instability and institutional uncertainty are undermining investor confidence. It also highlights threats to the independence of the National Bank and structural issues in the labor market.
The Commission concluded that Georgia has failed to meet any of the nine main priorities required to begin accession negotiations. “Georgia’s democratic deterioration has accelerated, with serious erosion of the rule of law and restrictions on fundamental rights,” the report states, calling on the government to ‘urgently reverse course.’
