“What is happening in Georgia, in terms of democratic backsliding, is unprecedented. Over such a short period, we’ve never seen anything like it”. Having recently returned from a two-day visit to Georgia, Nacho Sánchez Amor, coordinator of the S&D group in the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Spanish), makes no secret of his bitterness.
Not so long ago, he says, the country was at the “front of the line” in the race to join the EU. Georgia’s governing bodies are now speaking in a way that is far removed from the EU, to the point of communicating disinformation straight from the Kremlin, he believes (see EUROPE 13688/4).
Like him, Kathleen Van Brempt, vice-president of the S&D group responsible for EU enlargement (Belgian), and Tobias Cremer (S&D, German) did not mince their words about the excesses of the Georgian government.
For the three S&D MEPs, who have just returned from a two-day visit to Tbilisi, where they held talks with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, the EU must now “adopt stronger sanctions against the politicians in power”, starting with “a total visa ban” (see EUROPE 13681/14).
“That’s the only thing they really fear: not being able to use the money they steal from the State and society to spend abroad”, Nacho Sánchez Amor insisted. “This government is doing everything in its power to prevent the Georgian people from moving towards the EU”, added Tobias Cremer. “We must extend our sanctions and call on the Commission to use all the tools in its power”.
On the question of enlargement, the three MEPs are clearly in favour of European integration - but this can only ultimately be achieved at the cost of treaty reform, particularly to incorporate safeguards enabling the EU to punish anyone within it who shows too much disrespect for its values, as Hungary has done.
On Saturday 4 October, demonstrations rippled through the country after local elections deemed rigged by the opposition (see EUROPE 13724/15). The EU, which has criticised the lack of transparency, has been accused by the country’s authorities of “spreading lies”. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)