"We are disappointed" - European Parliament on media freedom in Georgia

Freedom of media in Georgia

“We are disappointed”, “Nika Gvaramia”, “Sanctions”, “Bidzina Ivanishvili”, “July 5”, “Georgia has retreated” – these words were mainly heard today in the European Parliament, where freedom of media and the safety of journalists in Georgia were discussed.

Why is conclusion of European Commission on Georgian EU candidate status so important?

Georgia is waiting for the conclusion of the European Commission. Based on it, the decision will be made on whether to grant Georgia a status of the EU candidate

Speaking at the European Parliament, MP Anna Fotyga said that “the most prominent people” such as the third president Mikheil Saakashvili and Nika Gvaramia are currently in prison in Georgia, which is one of the subjects of today’s debate. According to the MP, “Georgians are turning to us, the best friends of Georgia”, despite the criticism of the current government, and demand that the status of a candidate be granted so that the Georgian people are not punished and abandoned:

“Look what is happening in Ukraine. I myself fought against the communist regime and I feel the same as every Georgian. Give status to Georgia, as well as to Ukraine and Moldova”.

Czech representative Marketa Gregorova says she is disappointed with the involvement of the Georgian government in the persecution of the media.

According to her, the media situation in Georgia is very difficult, as journalists are victims of violent attacks, intimidation, and threats. As the deputy notes, there are many cases of persecution of journalists and initiation of criminal cases against media owners or media workers.

Former Lithuanian Prime Minister and MEP Andrius Kubilius believe media freedom is a victim of the Georgian government’s policies.

According to Kubilius, the Georgian people deserve to be part of the European family, but for this, the will of the people is not enough, it is necessary that the country meets the requirements – democracy, freedom of the media, the rule of law.

“This is not the first time that post-communist states have faced such a problem: in 1999 Slovakia did not participate in the negotiations because the populist former prime minister Vladimir Meciar was destroying media freedom and democratic values. The Slovak people elected this government. I advise the Georgian authorities not to repeat the mistakes of Vladimir Mechyar”.

MEP Miriam Lexmann demands sanctions against Bidizina Ivanishvili to support Georgia’s European path.

“An independent judiciary needs to carry out appropriate reforms to stop political polarization and the rollback of democracy. It is important to impose sanctions against the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili for his destructive role in Georgian politics and economy”, Lexmann said.

According to MP from Estonia Marina Kaljurand, Georgia has lost momentum for democratic reforms.

“I urge Georgian politicians from both the ruling party and the opposition to take today’s debate as the final wake-up call”, Kaljurand said.

In her speech, Swedish MEP Karin Karlsbro noted that Georgia wanted to be part of the European family, but the country’s leadership changed its approach.

“The candidate country must take on a very serious responsibility. Nobody denies that Georgia’s place is in Europe. But freedom of speech is one of the fundamental issues in the European Union, and the Georgian government is well aware of this”.

What’s in the EU membership questionnaire and what are the chances for Tbilisi?

Georgia’s EU membership questionnaire – who is filling it in and how and why is it important. What should the authorities do in order for Georgia to be able to get the status of an EU candidate?

On June 17, the European Commission will publish its assessment of Georgia. It is on the basis of this conclusion that on June 24-25 the leaders of the EU member states will decide on granting Georgia the status of a candidate country.

The European Commission prepares an opinion based on the EU questionnaire. Georgia has already completed both parts of the questionnaire and sent it. In total, the country answered 2,700 questions of the European Commission. In the first part of the questionnaire, there were 369 questions, in the second – more than 2,300.

Experts expect the resolution to be critical and today this was the first topic discussed by MEPs.

Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are waiting for the status of a candidate member of the European Union. All three countries applied for EU membership at the same time. This process was accelerated by the war in Ukraine. Georgia applied for EU membership on March 3.

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.