Georgia's government confident despite EU enlargement freeze

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said Georgia is a candidate country “only on paper,” prompting a rapid response from senior Georgian officials who rejected the characterisation and criticised Brussels. 

Speaking at a press conference, Kos said she regretted Georgia's situation and had hoped it would be at the same stage as Moldova and Ukraine.

“I would have liked for Georgia, with the immense support of the Georgian people, to be at the same stage today as Moldova and Ukraine,” she said. She added that Georgia's next steps depend largely on how EU member states assess its future.

Kos also said that “much of what is currently happening in the country” will be presented in the European Commission's enlargement reports at the end of October.

“You can imagine the direction this will take.”

Her comments came as the Commission adopted a package of documents reviewing pre-accession policy and setting out guidelines for the EU's future enlargement.

Under the package, indicative roadmaps will be presented for four candidate countries (Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine) as part of the 2026 enlargement package. Georgia is not among them.

Georgia's government responds

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the leader of the parliamentary majority, said Georgia's answer to claims that it lags behind Ukraine and Moldova is “simple: Georgia chooses dignity and peace.”

He said if progress in Brussels is measured by how readily a country meets political demands, the process is no longer merit-based. He added that Georgia wants EU membership “but not at any cost and not at the expense of Georgia's interests.” He also said those who, in his words, planned unrest and the forcible overthrow of the government “following the European Commissioner's 'roadmap'” are now serving prison sentences.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Kos could repeat her phrase as often as she liked, but that “it is better to be a candidate country, even if only on paper, than to be a state only on paper.” Papuashvili said that had Georgia followed Brussels' advice and escalated tensions with Russia, it would have been drawn into military conflict and would now be devastated by war, as Ukraine is.

Papuashvili also compared Georgia's economic record with Moldova's, citing statistics such as:

• Moldova's growth was nearly 14 per cent in 2021, compared with about 10 per cent in Georgia.

• Moldova's growth has since fluctuated between zero and two per cent, while Georgia has averaged about nine per cent.

• More than 31 per cent of Moldovans live below the poverty line, versus 7 per cent in Georgia.

“Those who heed Brussels suffer harm, while those who disregard Brussels and listen to their own people come out ahead economically,” Papuashvili said. The stated figures have not been independently verified for this report.

Papuashvili also said Brussels is “gradually backtracking” on its enlargement promises, pointing discussions of a two-tier EU, with members who would not have equal voting rights, and to possible agricultural restrictions for Ukraine if it joins. 

He argued that countries should not place goals such as NATO or EU membership above national objectives, saying such goals “can be reversed at will.” He added that national interests lie in “peaceful development, the restoration of territorial integrity and the growth of prosperity.” 

Read more: 

• German foundations halt Georgia work as grants law deepens EU rift
• Georgia pitches strategic South Caucasus role to U.S. and EU
• Georgia eyes direct electricity link to Europe through new energy corridor

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Georgia EU enlargement Marta Kos Tbilisi