“All conditions” for Georgia’s EU candidacy will be met by end of June - ruling party head

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday claimed all 12 conditions outlined by the European Council last year for granting the European Union membership candidate status to Georgia would be fulfilled by the end of June. 

In his press comments, Kobakhidze said the country would receive the status in December in the case of a “merit-based decision” being applied by the EU, reiterating the bloc’s move last year to grant Georgia a European perspective, instead of full candidacy, had been “unfair”. 

Expectations are positive. However, it is a political decision and chances are 50/50”, Kobakhidze said. 

Tbilisi officially applied for EU membership in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, along with Ukraine and Moldova. 

The European Council in June granted Ukraine and Moldova its candidate status with conditions, while Georgia received a European perspective and a reform agenda to obtain the status later. 

The Georgian Government’s original plans involved applying for the membership in 2024, before the launch of hostilities in Ukraine accelerated the process. The authorities called the granting of a European perspective a “historic decision” for the country, while also claiming Georgia’s democratic development merited full status as it placed the country ahead of Moldova and Ukraine.