The eu negotiations opened with ukraine and moldova

15/06/2026 - Today, the European Union opened accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, marking a major milestone for both countries. By contrast, Georgia's accession process was deliberately suspended following the decision announced on 28 November, 2024, in complete disregard to both the Constitution of Georgia and the clearly expressed will of the Georgian people. It is a sobering reminder of a historic opportunity that Georgia — once a leader in the process of European integration and one of the region's most successful reformers — has allowed to slip away.

Georgia's accession process to the European Union membership has been stalled because the country's authorities have failed to deliver the fundamental reforms expected of a candidate country. These include: strengthening democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, ensuring judicial independence, and advancing broader governance reforms and etc.

Georgia's EU accession process is further undermined by the government's persistent and public confrontations with EU member states, an approach that is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities and expectations that come with candidate status. The admission of a new member to the European Union requires the unanimous approval of all member states; for that reason and not only, it is important for a candidate country to maintain relations with each of them based on trust, mutual respect, and genuine partnership.

Furthermore, equally incompatible with the goal of EU membership is also cooperation with political forces that espouse anti-European views, as well as the political decision to align with groups that frequently cooperate closely with Russia on these matters.

Likewise, the promise of the Georgian authorities that Georgia can achieve EU membership simply by implementing the Association Agreement is misleading and false. First, the Agreement itself does not provide a pathway to membership. Second, the agreement includes many of the very fundamental obligations in relation to which Georgia has experienced democratic backsliding in recent years.

These actions are incompatible and run counter to the core values ​​and principles on which the European Union is founded. As a result, Georgia has lost the advantage it once enjoyed within the region. Today, the country has fallen significantly behind and is no longer viewed alongside those candidate countries most likely to move forward in the accession process in the near future. This is particularly striking given that only a few years ago Georgia stood alongside these same countries, enjoying equal prospects on the path towards European integration.

European integration is neither automatic nor merely procedural and a formality. It is rooted in a country’s historic choice and depends directly on the strength of its democratic institutions and the success of its reforms. For these reasons, one question stands out today more clearly than ever: can Georgia recover this missed historic opportunity and resume its path towards European Union membership?