Protests have swept across Georgia following the government’s decision to withdraw from EU accession talks. Teona Giuashvili The EU needs to send a strong signal that it stands with the people of Georgia.
On November 28, Georgia’s Prime Minister declared that Georgia would cease EU membership and reject EU financial support until 2028. This is a major reversal of the process Georgia has pursued for more than 20 years toward European integration.
Despite much political turmoil at home and successive cycles of democratic progress and regression, no government has ever challenged Georgia’s European choice. That’s because this choice was never an elite or partisan project, but a genuine and widely supported popular aspiration embedded in Georgia’s history, identity, and 2017 Constitution.
The Georgian Dream government’s destructive move to sever ties with Europe amid the country’s deep political crisis follows a seventh straight day of protests across the country following Georgia’s October parliamentary election, widely seen by international monitors as suffering from serious fraud. It sparked massive protests. . The violent crackdown on these self-organized protests underscores the increasingly authoritarian nature of Georgian Dream’s rule and demonstrates the divisions between the Georgian government and its people.
A crisis that has been going on for a long time
This crisis marks the culmination of a long-standing drift and the acceleration of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The illiberal turn of the Georgian Dream has noticeably intensified over the past three years, leading to the erosion of democratic institutions, deepening social polarization, attacks on political opponents, and “foreign agents” designed to threaten civil society organizations that receive more than 20% of taxes. It led to laws, etc. Funding from abroad, restrictive legislation on LGBTQ+ rights, and increasingly overt anti-Western rhetoric.
Particularly during the recent election campaign ahead of October’s parliamentary vote, it has become increasingly clear that while still paying lip service to the goal of EU membership, the government is making every effort to sabotage that goal. Until recently, Georgia pretended to be the victim of an incredibly global conspiracy led by Western partners who have supported Georgia for two decades.
In reality, the government has been easing its relationship with the EU and hedging risks through trading relationships with other powers. The Prime Minister’s latest statement has the illuminating merit of destroying relations with Brussels while at the same time exposing how the Georgian Dream misled the public ahead of the elections.
Why now?
Of course, it is a great paradox that right after the prospect of EU enlargement, which Brussels had long rejected and opened up, the Georgian government changed course in the EU accession process, resulting in Georgia becoming a candidate in December 2023. The change was intended by the Georgian government to strengthen its grip on power. EU member states have undertaken extensive reforms to ensure, among other things, the rule of law and separation of powers, which will directly challenge the Georgian Dream’s hereditary concept of statehood.
But additional factors may come into play to explain Georgia’s decision to publicly turn its back on Europe. Arrogance can be one of them. Having regained power through rigged elections, the Georgian Dream may have felt overly confident in its ability to simply impose its will on the country, silence its opponents, and suppress all dissent to expose the regime for what it really is. .
The ruling party may also have calculated that the West was lagging behind. At a time when Russia appears to have gained the upper hand in its war with Ukraine and incoming US President Donald Trump may seek a quick conclusion to the conflict, Europe will be ill-prepared to face another challenge in the region. There is little interest in European security.
Another explanation points to Russian pressure or possible convergence with Russia. The Georgian government’s illiberal narrative and tactics from the Russian playbook, as well as long-standing ties between Moscow and the Georgian Dream and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the oligarch who runs the government, raise suspicions of collusion. has been raised. Georgia’s exit from the EU has already earned Putin praise for the “courage and character” of the Georgian government. What is certain is that, whether by choice or necessity, authoritarian Georgia will return to Russia’s orbit.
watershed moment
The days ahead will be decisive in determining the course of events and the future of the country. The desperate struggle of the Georgian people against the government’s decision to cut ties with Brussels and in support of its European aspirations is also a serious test for the European Union and challenges the credibility of its famous “geopolitical awakening”.
EU diplomats and leaders have taken a cautious approach to the current crisis, given the volatility of the situation in the country and the wider region. But caution is not the same as inaction. The EU’s response can no longer be limited to expressing solidarity with the people and expressing ‘serious concern’ and ‘deep regret’ condemning the crackdown on protests.
Those responsible for state capture and widespread violence against the people must be held accountable. Imposing costs on them would send a visible signal that the EU stands with the people of Georgia. Senior EU and national officials also made a high-profile visit to Georgia at this watershed moment, signaling Europe’s commitment to the principle that a country’s future should be determined by and not taken away from its people. You have to do it.
Note: This article gives the views of the author and not the position of EUROPP (European Politics and Policy) or the London School of Economics. Main image source: George Kelashvili /Shutterstock.com
