“I sincerely hope that the Georgian authorities will make some clarity of their intention if they want to get closer to the EU if they want to join the EU. They have to respect the principles of the rule of law and democracy,” said Charles Michel, President of the European Council, at the 2024 Democracy Summit in Copenhagen.

Charles Michel said he was personally disappointed about the developments in Georgia.

“I am personally disappointed, why? Because a few years ago, I had the occasion to play the role, to help the political system to unblock. Also, a few months ago, I can tell you that in the European Council, in 27 member states, there was no majority to support the candidate status for Georgia but together with some European leaders, we were convinced that for many reasons, it was the right choice to grant the candidate status to Georgia.

We were working a lot, including with the Georgian authorities, to convince them to implement reforms that were absolutely needed, to make steps. Lat year and by the end of last year, we granted candidate status to Georgia. A few weeks later, we are observing this attempt to pass this legislation. We will see what will be done by the president because she has the veto right.

We are also observing some rhetoric, which is not positive. We are in contact with the Georgian authorities. I sincerely hope that the Georgian authorities will make some clarity of their intention if they want to get closer to the EU if they want to join the EU. They have to respect the principles of the rule of law and democracy. We have to be clear and we are clear. I sincerely hope that we will succeed to convince them to fulfill the conditions that are needed to join the EU,” he said.

According to Charles Michel, Russia’s purpose is to undermine democratic principles.

“This is very clear, Russian purpose is to undermine everywhere where possible the democratic principles and the attempts to strengthen the rule of law. That is why we need to support all those in Georgia and I know that the vast majority of Georgian people want to get closer to the EU, they want to join the EU and they should feel that we are supporting them, doing everything possible to counter their attempts to undermine the Georgian dream to become a member of the EU.

Answering the question about the Georgian youth protesting against the bill in the streets, Charles Michel said:

“We are on the side of the rule of law, freedom, and democratic principles, and we intend to use the tools in our possession to convince the Georgian authorities to do what is needed. There will be elections in Georgia in the months to come and I hope that these elections will be also the occasion to give legitimacy, a clear signal what is the direction they want for their country,” he said.