Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili has said that the country’s EU accession process is moving forward in a “very active way” despite skepticism about Tbilisi’s sincerity in implementing EU bid requirements.
“We have the only policy, which is the integration agenda. That policy is formally adopted by the government and that’s also in the process of implementation by all institutions, all government institutions, all ministries, and agencies,” Levan Davitashvili, who is also the Minister of Economy, said on Wednesday.
His statement is in stark contrast to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s earlier announcement that Tbilisi was freezing its bid for EU membership until the end of 2028.
Davitashvili stated that the Georgian government “implemented nearly 60%” of the requirements set by the EU, adding that the government was “very active in implementation”. “We have clearly declared that our target is full-fledged membership by 2030. We understand it’s a long process, but we are fully focused on implementing this significant reform and we are still loyal to this reform, and this process goes in a very active way,” the senior official explained.
In November 2024, Kobakhidze claimed Georgia would be “economically prepared” to start negotiations with the EU only by late 2028, aiming for membership by 2030. The statement was met with angry reaction in Georgia, with anti-government and pro-EU protests sweeping across the country and continuing to this date. The government’s announcement was also followed by deterioration of relations with the EU, which has been consistently critical of Tbilisi’s democratic backsliding and rapprochement with the Kremlin.
