Georgia’s EU accession process remained de facto halted in the European Commission’s 2026 assessment, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said foreign ministers would discuss the country’s future in January.
The report said democratic institutions weakened during the period from Sept. 1, 2025, to Sept. 1, 2026. It cited more concentrated power, tighter restrictions on civil and political freedoms, less room for civic activity and hostile rhetoric toward the European Union.
The Commission warned that a Constitutional Court case seeking to ban five opposition parties could further undermine Georgia’s democratic system. Because of continued backsliding, the report limited its recommendations to core accession requirements.
Georgia applied for EU membership in March 2022 and became a candidate in December 2023. The Commission report also recalled that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced in November 2024 that his government would not pursue opening accession negotiations until 2028. EconoTimes previously covered Georgia’s stalled EU bid.
Kallas said the January discussion would consider how to support Georgians’ aspirations for EU membership while making clear to the government that the bloc does not support its policies. She said member states had differing views and that it was “early to tell” what response might follow. At the Commission’s Nov. 4 press conference, Kallas said “everything is on the table.”
Separately, the EU suspended visa-free travel for Georgian holders of diplomatic, service and official passports for 12 months starting March 6, 2026. If the grounds persist, EU rules require the Commission to adopt a delegated act extending the suspension no later than Jan. 6, 2027. That legal timetable is separate from the planned January ministerial discussion.
