Georgia is experiencing a significant democratic retreat and the country risks becoming an “autocracy in the sphere of influence of Russia“, like Belarus, according to a report by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons.
“The Commission is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of democracy in Georgia, which, given current developments, will lead to a firmly entrenched autocracy in the sphere of influence of Russia, like Belarus“, the report says.
The authors of the document note that the EU and the United Kingdom support Tbilisi's path towards integration with the West, including the prospect of membership in NATO and the EU, while Russia, according to The commission is trying to prevent this. These contradictions, as noted in the document, are at the heart of the political crisis after the 2024 elections. According to the official election results, the ruling party “Georgian Dream“ received 54% of the vote, but the opposition and then-President Salome Zurabishvili refused to recognize the results, which sparked mass protests.
According to the commission's report, since 2012, the “Georgian Dream“ party has consolidated its power, restricted the opposition, suspended EU accession negotiations and promoted anti-European rhetoric. Among the measures mentioned are laws restricting the activities of non-governmental organizations and the media, including the law on foreign agents. The party's founder is Bidzina Ivanishvili, who was previously sanctioned by the United States for “undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia in the interests of Russia“.
The report also highlights that, according to the OSCE, there has been a “significant deterioration in democratic standards“ in the country since spring 2024, including restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
The Commission called on the British authorities to expand sanctions against representatives of the “Georgian Dream“, business elites and media outlets that “spread disinformation“. This, according to the report, “will significantly increase the costs for those who seek to undermine the aspirations of the Georgian people for European integration and demonstrates Britain's support for Georgian democracy, not autocracy“.
In February 2025, members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the new Georgian government to be declared illegitimate and Salome Zurabishvili to continue to be considered the legitimate president of the country. Zurabishvili said she would continue to serve as the country's leader, albeit in a different capacity.
At the same time, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili claims that European politicians pushed Tbilisi into war with Russia after the start of the military operation in Ukraine. He claims that the Georgian people have helped the authorities protect the country's national interests. Kavelashvili also criticized Zurabishvili for "standing behind Moldova and Ukraine."
In the fall of the same year, a report on Georgia presented at the EU enlargement summit stated that the European Commission considered the country a "nominal" candidate for membership due to its "democratic backsliding." At the event, European Union foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas said that Georgia currently has no real path to joining the European Union "unless conditions change." "drastically."
According to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Cos, the EU plans to introduce a visa regime for Georgia in order to re-engage the country's authorities on the issue of EU integration.