The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a report warning of democratic backsliding in Georgia and raising the possibility of suspending visa-free travel if the government fails to change course.
The committee voted on 5 May to adopt what it described as a landmark report on Georgia. Drafted by Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė, the report passed by 53 votes to 14.
The document is the second such report since Georgia was granted EU candidate status and draws on the European Commission’s 2025 assessment of the country.
It expresses solidarity with the Georgian people, who it says “continue to fight for a European and democratic Georgia”, amid concerns over growing repression, disinformation and democratic decline.
The report welcomes the launch of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Moscow Mechanism, under which an expert monitoring mission has been deployed to Georgia.
However, it warns that unless Tbilisi alters its course, visa-free travel for Georgian citizens to the EU could be suspended.
It also notes that an EU-wide visa ban targeting Georgian officials was blocked by Hungary and Slovakia.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking from Yerevan ahead of a regional summit, said:
“We have certain issues with Georgia - the government is not taking real steps when they say they want to join the EU. We see them moving in the wrong direction.”
She added that these developments are affecting EU funding to Georgia.
Georgian authorities rejected the criticism. Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili dismissed concerns over EU funding, describing it as a political instrument used by Brussels bureaucrats.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze went further, accusing external actors of financing five attempted revolutions in Georgia over the past four years. He also insisted that recent legislation is intended to safeguard national sovereignty.
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