Analysts assess chances of Georgia's joining EU

Georgia fails to meet the requirements for obtaining the status of a candidate member of the European Union (EU) due to a number of unresolved problems existent in the country, but new geopolitical realities may contribute to the positive decision, the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted in their comments on the application for the membership in the EU signed by the country's prime minister.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 3 it became known that the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, had signed an application for the country's entry into the EU.

Georgia fails to meet the conditions for obtaining the status of a candidate member of the EU, said Kakha Gogolashvili, an analyst at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. In particular, the judicial reform has not been carried out in the country; the reform of the electoral legislation has not been completed; the country is politically polarized; and there is discrimination against sexual minorities, the analyst has noted.

Georgia will have serious problems with obtaining the status of a candidate member of the EU, Valery Chechelashvili, another analyst at the above Foundation, believes. "The EU will consider applications lodged by three countries – Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Ukraine is leading in this process, since the overwhelming majority of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have supported the resolution on granting this status to the country," Mr Chechelashvili told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He has drawn attention to the fact that the military special operation in Ukraine changed the geopolitics of the region. He believes that the consideration of the issue of granting Georgia the status of a candidate member of the EU will also depend on the development of the situation in Ukraine.

"I don't consider this issue from the viewpoint of procedural perspectives; this is a political decision that can be made and will be dictated by the new geopolitical realities," the analyst has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 5, 2022 at 06:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.