We, the Baltic States and the Nordic countries, have supported the democratic and economic development of Georgia since the restoration of its independence.
By granting Georgia EU candidate status last December, the EU showed that it supports the efforts of the Georgian people. The path was clearly marked for Georgia to start accession negotiations and later join the European Union. However, recently, the Georgian authorities have chosen a course that raises concerns about Georgia’s future in Europe and puts obstacles to it.
The draft law “On the transparency of foreign influence”, which is currently under consideration in the Georgian parliament, is incompatible with European norms and values. If passed, the law could be used to silence the media and civil society organizations that play a vital role in helping Georgia move towards EU membership. The Georgian authorities’ claims that the proposal is similar to EU draft legislation are unfounded and misleading. We invite the political leaders of Georgia to change their position on the adoption of the draft law.
The decision to join the EU is the sovereign choice of Georgia and its people. It is the duty of the Georgian authorities to fulfill the prerequisites if the country wants to join the European Union. The anti-Western rhetoric of the Georgian authorities seriously threatens the European choice made by Georgia. The status of EU candidate country was granted to Georgia on the condition that the nine will be implemented [Eiropas Komisijas] recommendations. Currently, the Georgian authorities have not made general progress in implementing these recommendations.
We really want Georgia to succeed on the path to European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as the majority of Georgians want. We hope that the Georgian government will take advantage of this historic opportunity created by the EU enlargement process and return to the EU accession process.
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