Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union have been stalled, Politico reports on July 9th. The bloc’s ambassador announced this development just months after the South Caucasus nation was designated as a candidate.
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At an EU enlargement event in Tbilisi on Tuesday, Brussels’ envoy Paweł Herczyński announced that “regrettably, Georgia’s EU accession process is stopped for now” following a decision by the leaders of member countries last month. This decision follows widespread condemnation of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s introduction of a controversial new law labeling Western-backed NGOs and media outlets as “foreign agents.” Critics and legal experts argue that the legislation mirrors measures used by Russia to suppress dissent and close civil society groups.
It is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low point, when they could have been at an all-time high,
-Paweł Herczyński said.
Herczyński stated that the decision to halt Georgia’s membership process will also suspend financial assistance from the European Peace Facility, freezing €30 million in payments. Key sectors such as agriculture, winemaking, and other industries rely heavily on support from EU and U.S. aid agencies.
Politico and agencies