Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia’s prime minister and head of the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority, has announced that his country is postponing its EU membership bid “until the end of 2028”, marking a dramatic departure from Georgia’s decades-long pro-EU foreign policy.

At a press briefing on November 28, Kobakhidze announced that his government has “decided not to put the matter of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda” of the current parliament.

The Georgian PM also declared that for the next four years the country would be “refusing any budget grants from the European Union”, stating that 2028 would mark Georgia's economic readiness to commence EU accession negotiations with the goal of membership by 2030.

This move comes just three days after the inauguration of the new Georgian parliament, in which the Georgian Dream party holds 89 seats out of 150. Georgia’s pro-Western opposition forces were absent from the inauguration, claiming the parliament to be illegitimate in light of mass allegations of fraud in the October 26 parliamentary elections in which GD won 54% of the vote.

The 72 hours since the ruling party convened the parliament have seen a rapid sequence of steps by GD to consolidate their power before the opposition has time to act, including the nomination of a loyal puppet figure, ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, for the presidency. Kavelashvili will likely become the next Georgian president on December 14.

Despite a suspension of formal talks and financial assistance, the prime minister claimed that his government would continue to “fulfil the obligations outlined in the Association Agenda and the Free Trade Agreement”, vowing to meet “over 90%” of these by 2028 using solely domestic financing.

Until now, in response to opposition accusations they are pursuing an increasingly anti-Western course in favour of closer ties with Russia, ruling party officials have insisted that EU integration by 2030 remains a key goal for Georgia, a county in which nearly three quarters of people support membership.

Opening negotiations would be the next step for Georgia’s EU membership bid, which stalled earlier this year following controversial legislation by GD, namely an illiberal “foreign agent law”. Georgia was granted EU candidate country status in December 2023, but, whilst negotiations were opened with candidates Ukraine and Moldova, the EU held off on advancing Georgia’s membership process, citing democratic backsliding. 

Protesters gather 

Footage shared on social media and local news outlets on the evening of November 28 show Georgians beginning to gather at the Georgian Dream party offices in downtown Tbilisi and outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue to protest the decision to halt their country’s EU accession process. Police cordons have already been mobilised. 

Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili, who, like Georgia’s pro-Western opposition, has declared the newly elected GD parliament illegitimate and unconstitutional, has scheduled an emergency briefing with representatives of the diplomatic corps in Georgia, after which she is expected to meet with opposition leaders before addressing the nation.

Kobakhidze’s announcement came hours after the adoption of a scathing resolution by the European Parliament on the “worsening democratic crisis in Georgia”. MEPs rejected the legitimacy of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary election, declaring it “neither free nor fair” and an example of continued democratic backsliding in Georgia “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible”. 

The document slammed GD for its recent “authoritarian shift” and a “betrayal of the pro-European aspirations of the Georgian people”, stating GD’s current policies are “incompatible with Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration” and reiterating “unwavering support” for those in Georgia with legitimate EU aspirations.

MEPs called for a new round of elections and appealed to EU states to sanction certain GD officials, deeming them responsible not only for democratic backsliding, but also “violations of electoral laws and standards, and the misuse of state institutions”. These officials include Kobakhidze, mayor of Tbilisi and secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party Kakha Kaladze, speaker of the Georgian parliament Shalva Papuashvili and former prime minister and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.

No begging 

"We do not intend to join the European Union by begging, but to join with dignity, with a functioning democratic system and a strong economy," Kobakhidze declared at the November 28 briefing, in response to the European Parliament’s criticism. 

This argument flips the logic of EU accession, where the EU Copenhagen Criteria for functioning democracy and free market, the common regulatory framework and the EU Council dictate the accession conditions.

The ruling party’s decision to refuse to work towards integration with the EU is a major u-turn for GD’s foreign policy. Statements from ruling party officials throughout the day on November 28 suggested the government may indeed be on the verge of abandoning Georgia’s EU integration path.

At a meeting of the newly elected parliament on November 28, where only GD MPs where present, Papuashvili warned that joining a large-scale alliance like the European Union will bring “certain limitations” for Georgia, namely compromises on sovereignty and economic freedoms, and that the EU ought to “beg [Georgia] to join”. 

Specifically, the speaker highlighted that Georgia’s membership in the European bloc would result in the forced cancellation of multiple free trade agreements with Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and China, among others, and the termination of visa-free regimes with numerous non-Schengen nations.

"On one side is integration with the EU, and on the other is disintegration with many countries," said Papuashvili, likely alluding to how Georgia actively seeking closer alignment with the West could trigger an aggressive reaction from the country’s northern neighbour, Russia.

Papuashvili also claimed that joining the EU would destroy various sectors in Georgia, namely the alcohol industry. “If we join the EU today, consider our wine sector finished,” the speaker said. 

The speaker’s repudiation of EU membership appeared to signal a major digression from GD’s recent foreign policy rhetoric, although his comments can now be viewed as a precursor to the PM’s later decision to halt the accession process.

Comments by Kobakhidze during the November 28 meeting backed Papuashvili’s remarks, highlighting the conditional nature of Georgia’s entry into the EU. While he reiterated the 2030 target, he stated that the EU would need to “prove that that they respect our dignity … that their goal is the well-being of our country and its people, and that its aim is to respect our traditional values and maintain peace in our country”. 

Furthermore, on November 28 Kobakhidze hit out at German ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer, who criticised GD’s recent rhetoric and actions in an interview with the platform Business Media Georgia on November 27. The diplomat expressed concern about the Georgian government’s commitment to European integration and stated that Georgia may have “missed its opportunity” to join the EU.

Specifically, Fischer highlighted the impact of Georgia’s drift away from the EU on the country’s economy and investment attractiveness, highlighting the recent exit of the leading German cement manufacturer, Heidelberg Cement, from the Georgian market, signalling the start of a “concerning trend”.

Fisher also expressed concern about the October 26 parliamentary vote, stating that “the way the election was conducted is not compatible with what we expect from a candidate country”. 

In response, Kobakhidze suggested that Germany “has no ambassador in Georgia”, asserting that this “most accurately reflects the ambassador’s current role”. The PM accused Fischer of overstepping the mark of diplomatic norms and being ignorant with regard to Georgia’s internal dynamics. “Diplomats are expected to engage in constructive dialogue, not to lecture sovereign states," Kobakhidze said.

Ruling party MP Irakli Zarkua escalated the attack, calling on Georgia’s foreign ministry to expel the ambassador and claiming his remarks undermined Georgia’s sovereignty and constituted “unacceptable interference” in the country’s domestic affairs.