Georgian Dream Suspends EU Membership Talks and Refuses EU Budget Grants Until 2028
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, November 29, 2024
The ruling Georgian Dream party has decided to suspend efforts to open negotiations for Georgia's EU membership until the end of 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made the announcement at a special briefing, stating that the issue of starting negotiations would not be put on the agenda until then. Kobakhidze also confirmed that Georgia would refuse any EU budget grants during this period.
"Today we decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028," Kobakhidze said. "Also, until the end of 2028, we refuse any budget grant from the European Union."
According to Kobakhidze, the decision is based on the belief that Georgia will be fully prepared for EU membership by 2030, both economically and institutionally. "The end of 2028 is the time when Georgia will be properly prepared from an economic point of view to open negotiations to join the European Union in 2030," he said.
Kobakhidze assured the public that Georgia would continue fulfilling its obligations under the EU's Association Agenda and the Free Trade Agreement. "We are not stopping and will continue to fulfill our obligations under the Association Agenda and the Free Trade Agreement," he stated. "As indicated in the government program approved today, by 2028 we will have fulfilled more than 90 percent of these obligations."
Kobakhidze emphasized that Georgia would fulfill these obligations without financial assistance from the EU. "We will fulfill all these obligations with our own financing, without any financial assistance from the European Union," he said. "We are not going to join the European Union by begging and standing on one leg, but to join the European Union with dignity, with a sound democratic system and a strong economy."
He further criticized the EU for what he described as manipulative tactics regarding the membership process. "We will continue to move towards the European Union, however, we will not allow anyone to leave us in a mode of constant blackmail and manipulation, which is completely insulting to our country and society," Kobakhidze said. "We believe that our today's decision will make a significant contribution to improving relations between Georgia and the European Union."
Kobakhidze warned that using the issue of opening negotiations as a tool to manipulate public opinion was damaging to the EU's reputation in Georgia. "Using the issue of opening negotiations as a tool to divide and manipulate the society causes serious damage to the EU's reputation in Georgia," he said. "Our decision today will prevent this reputational damage to the EU in the future."
The Prime Minister also emphasized that Georgia's relationship with the EU should be based on mutual respect, not as a favor. "It should be emphasized that Georgia-EU relations, by their content, are bilateral and can only be bilateral," Kobakhidze stated. "We are a proud and self-respecting nation with a long history. Therefore, it is categorically unacceptable for us to consider integration into the European Union as a mercy that the European Union should give us."
Kobakhidze concluded with a statement about Georgia's future in the EU. "We believe that Georgia, with its rich culture and potential, can enrich the European Union just as much as the European Union can enrich Georgia," he said. "By 2030, Georgia will be more ready to join the European Union than all the candidate countries. Georgia will become a member state of the European Union only with peace, dignity, and prosperity. This is our promise to the Georgian people, which we will definitely fulfill."
