The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has stated that the European Commission now considers Georgia a candidate country in name only, citing the government’s continued democratic backsliding and its departure from the EU reform path.
Speaking before the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) while presenting the 2025 Enlargement Report, Kos said:
“Following last year’s European Council conclusions that the Georgian government’s actions have de facto led to a halt of the accession process, and in light of Georgia’s continued backsliding on the fundamentals since then, the Commission considers Georgia a candidate country in the name only.”
Her remarks reflect the European Commission’s increasingly critical stance toward Georgia, as outlined in the 2025 Enlargement Policy Communication, which concluded that the Georgian authorities’ course of action has jeopardized the country’s EU integration process and undermined its democratic institutions.
The Commissioner’s statement underscores the growing concern in Brussels that Tbilisi’s policies have distanced the country from its pro-European commitments, despite the strong EU aspirations of the Georgian people enshrined in the Constitution.
Related story: EU Enlargement Report: Georgian government’s actions have halted the country’s EU accession process
