European Parliament adopts Georgia resolution, calls for sanctions over opposition party ban

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Georgian Dream’s attempt to ban opposition parties and calling for targeted sanctions against senior Georgian officials. 

The resolution, titled “On attempts by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, to ban opposition parties in Georgia,” passed on Thursday with 445 votes in favour, 37 against and 97 abstentions.

MEPs are demanding the immediate withdrawal of the constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties and reiterate calls for targeted sanctions and visa restrictions against Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

Criticism of EU 

The resolution also turns criticism towards the EU itself, arguing that Brussels and member states have failed to impose sufficiently tangible consequences in response to developments in Georgia. That issue was central to a three-hour debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday, where MEPs clashed over Georgia’s political direction and the EU’s response.

European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told MEPs that EU foreign ministers will hold a dedicated discussion on Georgia at the Foreign Affairs Council next week. Asked about expanding the suspension of visa-free travel and introducing targeted sanctions, Kos said the EU could only act as far as member states were prepared to go. 

The debate also produced a sharp counterargument from German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party MEP Tomasz Froelich. He accused the EU of double standards, arguing that MEPs were criticising Georgia over plans to ban opposition parties while there are also calls in Germany to ban the AfD.

He pointed to the banning of more than 20 political parties in Ukraine and questioned why the EU had responded differently in that case. Other MEPs took a sharply different position, arguing that the attempt to ban opposition parties further distances Georgia from the EU.

European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair David McAllister described the move as another step towards authoritarianism and referred to the European Commission’s description of Georgia as a “candidate country in name only”.

German MEP Tobias Cremer called for sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, while Lithuanian MEP Dainius Žalimas argued that the EU’s response had been inadequate and urged Brussels to match sanctions already imposed by the U.S., UK and some individual EU member states.

Another German MEP, Lukas Sieper, also argued that Georgia’s EU membership could remain decades away under the current government, putting the timeline at around 20 years, or 10 “if everything goes well”.

Georgian government rejects criticism

Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Archil Gorduladze described the European Parliament’s resolution as politically motivated and accused Brussels of repeatedly attempting to pressure Georgia’s government and supporters into changing course.

Gorduladze said the European Parliament had adopted nine previous resolutions targeting Georgia which, in his view, had failed to change the government’s position. He also accused the EU of seeking to turn Georgia into a “proxy state” and said such resolutions challenged the country’s sovereignty.

The latest confrontation comes as Georgia’s EU accession process remains effectively halted.

In November 2024, Georgian Dream announced that the government would not pursue the opening of EU accession negotiations until 2028. The decision triggered mass pro-European protests across Georgia and deepened an already serious dispute between Tbilisi and Brussels.

The EU has since said Georgia’s accession process has been de facto halted, citing concerns over the government’s course and democratic reforms. The European Parliament’s resolution now moves the focus to EU member states.

Its calls for sanctions are not binding on national governments, while Marta Kos’s remarks underlined that further measures will depend on whether member states agree to take them. With Georgia set to be discussed by EU foreign ministers next week, the question now is whether the Parliament’s demands will translate into concrete action by the bloc’s governments. 

Read more: 

• German foundations halt Georgia work as grants law deepens EU rift
• Georgia’s Kobakhidze explains why he will not call Russia an ‘enemy’
• Fortress Georgia: Why EU Pressure May Strengthen the Ruling System Before It Weakens It

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Georgian Dream European Parliament Democracy