Kobakhidze Criticizes European Bureaucracy, Calls for Change in EU Attitudes Toward Georgia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze sharply criticized what he described as bias within the European Union's bureaucracy, saying it continues to favor the opposition United National Movement and undermines democratic choice in Georgia. Speaking to journalists during his visit to China, Kobakhidze said the government remains hopeful that attitudes in Brussels will eventually shift.
"In this situation, of course, it is very difficult to even think about any kind of breakthrough," he said. "However, we will wait for the development of events. We hope that in the future, the European bureaucracy's attitude toward the Georgian people and the government elected by the Georgian people will change. In that case, it will be possible to bring about a breakthrough in relations."
Kobakhidze accused European officials of applying double standards, claiming that EU representatives dismiss Georgian elections unless they result in a victory for the opposition. "We see that today's European bureaucracy has a simple standard: if elections do not return the collective National Movement to power, such elections have no value for them," he said.
The Prime Minister argued that EU officials also reject judicial reforms that prevent the opposition from regaining influence over the courts and the prosecutor's office. "We remember very well what happened when the 'National Movement' had influence over the judiciary and the prosecutor's office," he said. "It was precisely thanks to that influence that the National Movement once formed a bloody regime, which the same European bureaucracy strongly protected. We do not want that to return to our country."
Kobakhidze called on EU officials to "cease their patronage" of the opposition and accept the political will of the Georgian electorate. "The collective National Movement must never return in Georgia, neither to the courts, nor to the prosecutor's office, nor to parliament, nor to the government," he said.
Commenting on the latest EU enlargement report, Kobakhidze said it reflects "large-scale injustice and distortion of facts" by European bureaucrats. "The European bureaucracy represents the European Union, and in such cases, not only the reputation of the bureaucracy itself but also that of the entire EU is endangered and damaged," he told reporters.
He said the government remains committed to joining the EU by 2030 and hopes that by then the political climate in Brussels will have changed. "We want to become a member of the European Union by 2030, and I hope that by then the situation within the EU will have changed radically," he said. "Today, the work of the European bureaucracy has sunk to the level of Soviet standards, which is very regrettable and unfortunate."
Responding to remarks by European Commissioner Marta Kos, Kobakhidze described the situation within the EU institutions as "tragic." He said Georgia remains a leader among candidate countries in terms of democracy, human rights, and low corruption.
"The situation that has developed within the European bureaucracy is tragic, and Ms. Kos's statements confirm this," he said. "Georgia is a leading, outstanding country among candidate states in every respect. The Georgian people have expressed their will, and I advise everyone to listen carefully to that will and accept the choice made by the Georgian people, the one made in October 2024 and the one to be made in October 2025."
