2026 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy (extract about Georgia)

The continued backsliding on the fundamentals observed during the reporting period confirms that Georgia remains an EU candidate in name only and continues to forego the benefits that candidate status and the pre-accession process bring. The ruling party in Georgia has continued to undermine the country’s EU path by pursuing its attack on democratic principles, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as well as by enabling further state capture. As a result of increasingly repressive legislation, civic space has been further and severely curtailed. Georgia continues to fall short of the nine steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation for candidate status. Georgian authorities have not addressed the concerns about the state of democracy and fundamental rights in the country that led the EU to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian diplomatic, service and official passport holders, putting at risk the visa-free regime more generally.

The EU’s longstanding support for Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity stands firm, as does its unwavering support for the European aspirations of the Georgian people.

Should the Georgian authorities decide to change course and recommit to the fundamental principles underpinning EU accession – democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights – the country’s EU path could resume. The Commission would welcome such a resumption in light of the strong people-to-people ties that exist and the broad and longstanding public support in Georgia for the country’s democratic European future.