EU mulls sanctions over violence in Georgia, Ambassador Herczynski

The European Union is actively exploring the possibility of imposing sanctions on individuals responsible for violence in Georgia, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Herczynski said that despite Georgia receiving EU candidate status in 2023, laws contradicting European principles had been passed, and European leaders' warnings had been ignored. “Since Georgia received candidate status, laws have been passed that contradict the principles of the European Union, and this has been repeatedly stated by leaders. We asked Georgia - do not do this, come closer to us. Unfortunately, our call was ignored,” Herczynski said.

The ambassador further emphasized that the European Union was “deeply troubled” by reports of intimidation, violence, and impunity for perpetrators in Georgia amid ongoing protests against the government’s move late last year to halt the country’s EU integration until 2028.

As a result, the EU was seeking to impose sanctions on those responsible, though achieving unanimous agreement among all 27 member states remained a challenge.

“We have seen worse - intimidation, violence, cruelty, and impunity of those who beat people, which is why the European Union is trying to impose sanctions against those responsible for the violence. But at this stage, we do not have this unanimity,” Herczynski added.