EU may consider reassessment of trade deal with Georgia

The European Union may reconsider elements of its relationship with Georgia, including its landmark trade agreement and candidate status, amid growing concerns about the country’s democratic trajectory, a senior EU official has warned.

In an interview with Radio Liberty, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said that the bloc was exploring a range of measures in response to recent actions by the Georgian government that were seen as incompatible with European values.

“Georgia’s candidate status may be frozen,” Kos stated, adding that the EU could also review the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement, a key pillar of Georgia’s integration with the EU market.

While rolling back visa liberalisation was discussed, Kos warned that such a move would disproportionately affect the Georgian population, whom she described as strongly pro-European.

“We could, say, roll back visa liberalisation, but we would harm the majority of the population,” she said. “Then, we have the DCFTA – we could review this agreement. And Georgia still has candidate status, so we could freeze it, create a deadlock like with Turkey.”

The Commissioner expressed concerns over the Georgian government’s recent legislative agenda, which she said undermined core European principles. “I don’t like it when the government doesn’t take people into account,” she said. “The people have a great desire to follow the European path.”

Although efforts to impose EU-wide sanctions on Georgia have so far failed due to a lack of consensus among member states, Kos noted that some countries have already taken unilateral measures.

“Yes, we tried that [sanctions], but it didn’t work. There is no unanimity among the member states. But there are individual member states that have imposed individual sanctions,” she confirmed.