Georgian PM: European bureaucracy lost sovereignty, independence

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said European institutions, as well as the governments of several EU member states, had “completely lost their sovereignty and independence,” claiming they are controlled by “informal, oligarchic and corporate interests”.

Speaking on Adjara TV’s programme Free Space Kobakhidze commented on a document recently made public, which he said proves that Georgia’s EU integration process was halted on June 27, 2024 by a decision of the “European bureaucracy”. According to him, this contradicts subsequent statements from Brussels suggesting that the suspension occurred on November 27 at Georgia’s initiative.

“When you enter such an absurd situation - where you are told our EU integration was suspended on November 27, even though they themselves halted it on June 27 - it means everything is operating under informal governance”, he said.

Responding to a question regarding the EU Ambassador’s June 2024 comments about the suspension, Kobakhidze noted that the Ambassador had repeatedly stated before the elections that Georgia’s EU integration had been paused. He said the newly published document served as additional written evidence of this claim.

He further argued that the EU’s bureaucratic structures are influenced by “large oligarchic and corporate interests”, adding that only a few countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, maintain full independence.

“Today everyone knows that European bureaucracy is governed by informal influences. European structures and some national governments have completely lost their sovereignty and independence”, the Prime Minister stated.