Georgia Responds to the Annual European Commission Report on EU Enlargement

Georgia’s parliamentary speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that Brussels is trying to subject Georgia to political dictates in its annual report. ‘Blackmailing and pressuring Georgia will not succeed. We are not backing down,’ he said. Papuashvili emphasized that Georgia will continue its path towards the European Union (EU) despite Brussels’ current attitude towards the republic. The European Commission described Georgia as a ‘nominal’ candidate country for the EU due to backsliding on democracy. The EC plans to implement a new visa mechanism to pressure Georgia into returning to the path of EU integration.