EU report and Georgia’s poor assessment
As mentioned in the review of the Kyiv Independent article, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty reported on the full draft EU report describing the situation of all the other nine countries including Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey. The report’s coverage of the developmentss in the majority of countries was mostly positive but the issues in Georgia were very concerning, "Georgia has experienced serious democratic backsliding, with a rapid erosion of the rule of law and fundamental rights being severely restricted," it says, noting that institutions designed to uphold rule of law have been instrumentalized by the government for partisan objectives" and "judicial capture." The report also noted that there were new restrictive laws which targeted activists, civil society, and independent media. This in turn threatened the survival of democratic foundations and the EU considered this unprecedented among candidate countries.
Why do we care about this report? This report is important in setting the stage for the next steps in EU accession for all ten countries. What is does is highlight the positive, as well as emphasizing the issues that need to be addressed by the accession countries. It provides a clear way forward for civil society and international partners, hopefully reminding all countries what is at stake. In this case, the issues in Georgia almost seem insurmountable, and worrisome, yet, Georgia has not yet stepped away from accession. This report is important for all these countries and will allow all these ten countries to take the next steps towards accession.
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