EU Declares Georgia's Accession Process “De Facto Halted” as Tbilisi Rejects Enlargement Report
The European Commission that Georgia's EU accession process remains “de facto halted” and that the country is an EU candidate “in name only” in its 2026 Enlargement Report, published on 4 November. Covering developments between September 2025 and September 2026, the assessment identified further deterioration in democratic standards, the rule of law and fundamental rights, alongside restrictions on civil society, independent media and political opposition. The Commission warned that Georgia was continuing to move away from the political criteria required for EU membership and risked losing further benefits associated with candidate status.
The Commission found that the ruling Georgian Dream party had continued to undermine the country's European integration path through attacks on democratic institutions, the rule of law and fundamental rights, while facilitating further state capture. It noted that Georgia had failed to fulfil the nine steps attached to its candidate status, granted in December 2023, and that increasingly restrictive legislation had severely curtailed civic space. The report also highlighted the concentration of political power, weakening parliamentary oversight and the deteriorating independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The document identified Georgia, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Türkiye, as a country where the risk of state capture remained particularly pronounced.
The Commission expressed particular concern over the government's legal initiative to ban five major opposition parties through proceedings before the Constitutional Court, describing the attempt as a threat to the foundations of democracy. It also criticised the political and electoral environment surrounding the October 2025 local elections, which it assessed as highly polarised and repressive, with intimidation and pressure on independent media and civil society undermining electoral competitiveness and transparency. According to the report, most opposition leaders were either facing criminal charges, living in exile, or imprisoned.
The assessment also documented further restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association, as well as a deteriorating environment for independent journalists. It called for the release of all arbitrarily detained politicians, journalists and activists, the repeal of legislation restricting fundamental rights, and comprehensive investigations into allegations of excessive force, torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement. Among the legislation specifically criticised were the 2024 Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, the 2025 Foreign Agents Registration Act, amendments to the Law on Grants, restrictions on demonstrations and political associations, and the 2024 legislation on family values and the protection of minors. The Commission described the deterioration in freedom of expression as continuing for a third consecutive year.
EU also warns of wider visa restrictions and declining foreign-policy alignment. The Commission cautioned that Georgia's failure to address concerns over democracy and fundamental rights could put the wider visa-free travel regime at risk. The EU had already suspended visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports. Citing its Visa Suspension Mechanism assessment, the Commission pointed out that Georgia had implemented almost none of the previous recommendations and had further deteriorated in governance and rule-of-law benchmarks.
The report also recorded a decline in Georgia's alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, from 40% in 2025 to 38% as of 1 September 2026. Georgia had not fully aligned with most EU sanctions against Russia, Belarus and Iran, or with several EU foreign-policy statements concerning Iran, Russia's cyber activities and Israel and Lebanon. Political dialogue between the EU and Georgia on foreign and security policy had not taken place, and security and defence cooperation had made no progress, with Georgia not participating in EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions since 2023.
On the economic front, however, the Commission acknowledged that Georgia maintained strong economic growth of 7.5% and had made some progress towards establishing a functioning market economy. Nevertheless, it said that job creation remained limited despite economic expansion and that structural weaknesses persisted. Given the continued deterioration in fundamental reforms, the Commission announced that it would not issue new recommendations for the other accession negotiation chapters, concentrating instead on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. The Commission nevertheless reaffirmed its support for Georgia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and European aspirations, stressing that accession could resume if the government changed course and recommitted to the principles underpinning EU membership.
EU officials call for a change of course and consider further measures. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that Georgia's accession process remained “de facto on hold” and that the situation had worsened, citing democratic backsliding, the erosion of the rule of law and restrictions on fundamental rights. Kos stressed that the EU's door remained open but that the Georgian authorities would have to change course and return to democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights. Kos also reiterated that the EU continued to support the European aspirations of the Georgian population.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas that EU foreign ministers would hold a more comprehensive discussion on Georgia in January 2027 to determine how best to support the country's population and its European aspirations. Kallas described the Georgian government as being on a “collision course” with the EU because of democratic regression and indicated that further measures remained under consideration. Asked about possible sanctions against officials responsible for the violent dispersal of peaceful demonstrations, Kallas explained that several member states had previously opposed the initiative, but discussions were continuing. “There are different opinions,” she noted, adding that the EU needed to send a clear message to the government while maintaining support for Georgian citizens who wanted European integration.
During a separate discussion with the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on 5 November, Kos also against Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and judges accused of issuing politically motivated verdicts. Responding to Polish MEP Krzysztof Brejza, she clarified that the European Commission could not impose sanctions independently, as the decision rested with EU member states. Kos acknowledged that there was currently no majority among the 27 member states for introducing the proposed measures. According to Kos, Georgia remained important to the EU's connectivity agenda, but invitations to Georgian representatives to participate in European initiatives had not received positive responses. Kos then underlined that even limited progress towards meeting EU requirements could help improve relations.
Following publication of the report, EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński that Brussels remained open to dialogue but argued that the Georgian authorities had undermined the conditions necessary for meaningful engagement. Referring to Kobakhidze's repeated calls for discussions with European institutions during his Euronews summit interview on 3 November, Herczyński welcomed the prime minister's references to dialogue but maintained that the ruling party had “emptied this dialogue of any substance” over the preceding three years. Herczyński cited democratic backsliding, pressure on civil society, threats to ban opposition parties, attacks on independent media and daily campaigns against the EU as obstacles to constructive engagement. Responding to Kobakhidze's proposal for a public debate with European Commission representatives, Herczyński questioned whether serious European officials were expected to discuss the Georgian government's claims concerning the “Deep State” and the “Global War Party”, or comparisons between the EU and the Soviet Union. “This smear campaign must be stopped in order for dialogue to resume,” he stated. Herczyński also indicated the proposed banning of opposition parties that had passed the parliamentary electoral threshold, including a party represented in parliament, as unprecedented in the history of the Council of Europe.
Tbilisi the report and accuses Brussels of political bias. Georgia's Foreign Ministry dismissed the Commission's assessment on 4 November, describing it as containing “factual inaccuracies” and “mistaken assessments” that reinforced what it called “anti-Georgian narratives”. The ministry argued that the absence of meetings under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement at both technical and political levels during the reporting period had significantly limited the Commission's ability to assess the country's progress objectively. It also denied the report's characterisation of state capture, claiming that governing the country was the responsibility of an administration elected by the population. Tbilisi further criticised the Commission for describing Georgian officials' responses to foreign criticism as hostile anti-EU rhetoric, calling this an infringement on freedom of expression. The ministry stated that it would examine the report in detail and submit substantiated comments to the Commission, reiterating the government's readiness for dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also the Commission's findings, calling the report unsupported by evidence and arguing that none of its critical assessments rested on solid arguments. On 5 November, he noted that the report had “zero severity” because its authors had failed to substantiate their claims. The prime minister particularly criticised recommendations concerning judicial independence and the release of detained individuals, arguing that such demands interfered with the independence of the Georgian judiciary. Kobakhidze claimed that those detained in connection with the 2024 protests had participated in violent acts, including attacks involving Molotov cocktails, and accused European institutions of supporting and financing efforts to destabilise Georgia. The disagreement into a public exchange between Georgian officials and the EU ambassador. On 5 November, Kobakhidze called Herczyński a “tragic figure”, accusing him of interfering in Georgia's democratic elections, supporting unconstitutional opposition forces and encouraging violence. Kobakhidze compared the ambassador's position with that of his predecessor, Carl Hartzell, whom he also alleged was acting against the Georgian people.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also criticised Herczyński's remarks, urging him to adopt a more appropriate diplomatic posture. Referring to the ambassador's comments that Georgia must adopt European rather than American, Russian or Chinese laws if it wishes to join the EU, Papuashvili insisted that Georgia was already European and adopted European legislation. In Papuashvili's view, Brussels' perceived demands concerning the involvement of foreign nationals in judicial appointments contradicted Georgia's Constitution and national independence. Citing the ambassador's press conference, Papuashvili that “a guest does not speak to a host in this tone” and urged him to leave his “condescending tone” at the embassy.
Opposition parties stated that the report confirmed that Georgia’s European integration had stalled under Georgian Dream. The Coalition for Change called for mass mobilisation on 28 November, saying that the government was undermining the country’s European future, while Federalists leader Tengo Kirtadze on the Commission’s assessment, describing it as “very harsh and regrettable, yet entirely expected”. Kirtadze pointed out that EU integration would remain suspended until a democratic alternative replaced the current government and warned that Georgia could eventually lose its candidate status and visa-free travel.