EU halts accession procedure for Georgia over controversial law
Due to a controversial new law in Georgia, the EU has suspended the membership process for the country. EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, announced on Tuesday that the EU heads of state and government had put the decision on the procedure on hold at the last European Council summit. Herczynski stated that a total of 30 million euros had been frozen, which were planned to be provided by the EU to the Georgian Defense Ministry this year.
EU representatives have criticized the law as undemocratic regarding "foreign influence." The law was passed despite mass protests and a presidential veto and came into effect in June. It stipulates that media, non-governmental organizations, and other non-profit organizations must register as societies if they represent the interests of a foreign power and receive more than 20% of their financial resources from abroad. The opposition refers to the law as the "Russian law," as it reminds them of Moscow's actions against independent media and Kreml critics.
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December. However, the accession talks were not initiated. At a summit on June 27, EU heads of state and government warned Georgia that it could not become an EU member if the law was not repealed.
Herczynski stated, "Suspending the membership process and cutting financial support is 'just the first step, there will be other steps.' It's sad to see the relations between the EU and Georgia at such a low point when they could have been at an all-time high."
The EU accession procedure for Georgia is currently on hold due to a controversial law, which has also led to the freezing of EU funds worth 30 million euros intended for the Georgian Defense Ministry. EU representatives have expressed concerns about the law, deeming it undemocratic in relation to "foreign influence." Moreover, also the opposition in Georgia refers to this legislation as the "Russian law."
