“We support the Georgian citizens to continue to demand a democratic European future. They are defending their fundamental rights and freedoms despite the dangers that they could face,” said Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, in the European Parliament during the debates on Deepening Democratic Crisis in Georgia.

According to the Commisioner, under the Georgian Dream, Georgia is “drifting away from democratic norms.”

“What we are witnessing is a systematic attack on democratic institutions and fundamental rights,” he said.

He said that the EU’s enlargement report of the 4th of November provided a clear assessment of Georgia’s democratic regression as well as the authorities’ anti-EU rhetoric.

“This is unprecedented indeed for an EU candidate country. Rapid erosion of the rule of law, adoption of restrictive legislation, instrumentalization of the judiciary, and the closing of civic space all fall short of EU expectations from a candidate country. When Georgia was granted EU candidate status, we hoped that this would be a strong incentive for the authorities to undertake significant reforms towards opening EU negotiations. But instead, the authorities seem to have done everything they can to deprive the Georgian citizens of a European future. I urge the Georgian authorities to see the enlargement report as an opportunity to reflect, to change their course, to rebuild trust, and to return to the EU path. Georgia’s future ultimately rests in their hands,” he said.

Michael McGrath remarked that regrettably, recent events have only confirmed negative trends.

“Last month, the ruling party filed a constitutional lawsuit against three opposition parties and brought criminal charges against opposition figures. The crackdown on civil society has intensified, while the ruling majority has taken further steps to criminalize participation in protests. Meanwhile, high-level officials have joined the ruling party and its affiliated media in intensifying the anti-EU rhetoric and disinformation, clearly aiming to undermine the image and credibility of the European Union among Georgian citizens. Distinguished members of Parliament, in response to Georgia’s democratic backsliding, we have taken a number of important measures. We have scaled down our political engagement with authorities and suspended bilateral assistance that directly benefits them,” he said.

He went on to say that Georgia continues to breach the human rights and rule of law benchmarks that condition its visa-free regime. The Visa Suspension Mechanism Report will be published later this week.

“By the end of the year, the new visa suspension mechanism rules will come into force. The new rules will give us more options to take appropriate measures. Discussions on potential sanctions against those responsible for Georgia’s democratic backsliding and human rights violations are ongoing. At the same time, we have mobilized efforts to increase support for civil society. Since October of last year, an additional 24 million euros has been contracted to support civil society organizations and independent media in Georgia.

Despite the increasingly repressive context, we will continue to assist pro-democracy civil society, human rights defenders, independent media, and citizens across the country. And we will make sure that Georgian citizens are informed about the EU’s continued support to their communities, the democratic values that we stand for, and the opportunities that we are ready to offer to their country should the authorities reverse their current course.

Let me conclude by reaffirming that the EU stands behind the Georgian people. Our door remains open to Georgia should the authorities reverse the democratic backsliding and demonstrate a resolute commitment to return to the EU accession path,” he concluded.