The European Union has warned Georgia that it needs to implement sweeping reforms in order to get the EU candidate status, which would pave the way for eventual membership in the bloc.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that the EU door is open to Georgia, but the country has to address the reform agenda criteria outlined by the European Commission. These include judicial reform, fighting corruption and organized crime, and committing to “de-oligarchization”.
Borrell also urged Georgia to reduce the political polarization that has long vexed its domestic politics, especially after the controversial parliamentary elections in 2020 that sparked mass protests and a boycott by the opposition parties.
Georgia applied for EU candidate status in 2022, along with Ukraine and Moldova, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status in June 2022, Georgia was given an EU “perspective” and a list of reforms it should implement.