Draft resolution of Georgia's European People's Party calls for sanctions against Ivanishvili

Sanctions against Ivanishvili

According to Radio Liberty, the draft resolution of the European People’s Party (EPP), which is due to be considered by the European Parliament on June 9, contains a proposal to impose targeted sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, as well as several judges.

According to the statement, the fifth paragraph of the resolution calls on EU member states to take into account the fact that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream, “undermines the democratic system of the country, along with judges and prosecutors who enthusiastically use the selectivity of the law”. “They should be subject to targeted personal sanctions”, the EPP said.

The resolution also calls on the European institutions to work to help Georgia achieve EU candidate status.

According to Radio Liberty, the EPP resolution calls on the Georgian authorities to release former President Mikheil Saakashvili from prison on humanitarian grounds.

The document expresses concern about the deep political polarization in Georgia and denounces personal attacks by high-ranking representatives of the Georgian Dream on members of the European Parliament cooperating with Georgia.

Radio Liberty has also reported today that the leaders of the political groups of the European Parliament are in favor of granting the status of an EU candidate to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

Yesterday, a joint appeal of MEPs Rasa Yuknevichien and Andrey Kubilius to the Georgian people was published, where the deputies said that if earlier Georgia occupied a leading position on the path of integration into the EU, now the situation has changed.

The same statement claims that everything can come to the point where the Georgian people will have to decide what to choose – the current political system with Bidzina Ivanishvili and the Georgian Dream at the head of the country or the European future of Georgia.

Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are waiting for the EU candidate status. All three countries simultaneously applied for EU membership. This process was accelerated by the war in Ukraine.

Georgia applied for EU membership on 3 March. On April 11, the country received the first part of the questionnaire with questions from the EU. Questionnaires were also received by Ukraine and Moldova. All countries have already filled them.

The chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party says that Georgia is ahead of Ukraine and Moldova on the way to the EU in all respects.