2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Georgia

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 1Rejected

   Paragraph 1

   Tabled by Danilo Della Valle · The Left

   … with the Georgian people and its unwavering support for their legitimate European Removed: and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and wish to live in a prosperous and democratic Removed: country, as expressed in mass protests that continue despite brutal crackdowns by the authorities; remains ready to assist the Georgian people in achieving these goals; strongly condemns the violent repression, arbitrary and politically motivated detention without sufficient legal grounds and the reported systemic torture of peaceful protesters, civil society actors, political opponents and media representatives; demands that the Georgian authorities refrain from using force, respect the freedoms of assembly and of expression and annul the recently adopted draconian legislation aimed at stifling popular protests, notably through extortionate fines; expresses its particular concern regarding the growing number of political prisoners and reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all of them; calls for all acts of violence to be effectively and credibly investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable; expresses concern about the lack of independence within the judiciary, with high-placed judges with links to the Georgian Dream overseeing politically motivated court proceedings against peaceful protesters and government critics; Added: country; stresses that Georgia’s future must be determined by the will of its people, free from external pressure or interference; emphasises that Georgia’s sovereignty and political trajectory should reflect the aspirations of its citizens; condemns any attempts, whether foreign or domestic, to undermine Georgia’s democratic institutions;

2. Amendment 4Rejected

   Paragraph 23

   Tabled by Danilo Della Valle · The Left

   23. Removed: Welcomes Added: Condemns the Council’s decision to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats and Removed: officials as a first step in response to the persistent negative developments in Georgia; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to review Georgia’s visa-free status, with the possibility of suspending it if the relevant benchmarks and standards on democratic governance and freedoms are not met because of the ruling party’s actions; stresses that Georgian Dream is fully responsible for any consequences stemming from the possible suspension of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens; stresses the importance of visa-free travel for Georgian civil society actors, human rights activists and journalists, among others, both for travelling to the EU to inform European actors of developments in Georgia, but also for enabling them to quickly leave the country, as many face political persecution by the authorities; Added: officials; calls for the restoration of diplomatic relations with the political and diplomatic institutions of Georgia;

3. Amendment 16Rejected

   Paragraph 1 a (new)

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   Added: 1a. Acknowledges the decision of the Georgian authorities to temporarily pause the country’s EU accession process as a legitimate expression of national sovereignty in the face of foreign political pressure; respects Georgia’s reassessment of its strategic partnerships to protect its constitutional order and national interests;

4. Amendment 17Rejected

   Paragraph 4

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   4. Removed: Stresses the need for an immediate and comprehensive audit of the EU’s policy towards Georgia given the ongoing democratic backsliding and the increasingly repressive political and legislative environment that constitutes a regression for many of Georgia’s democratic achievements and successful EU reforms, fundamentally weakens democratic institutions and further consolidates power in the hands of the ruling party; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to review Added: Calls for the EU to respect Georgia’s constitutional system and its right to independently determine the implementation of Removed: the EU-Georgia Association Agreement Added: its Association Agreement, without political conditionalities; welcomes the opportunity to reconsider the EU’s enlargement approach in the light of Removed: the blatant breach of Georgia’s obligations regarding the general principles laid down in Article 2, namely respect for democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterates that non-fulfilment of these obligations may result in the conditional suspension of economic cooperation and the privileges afforded by the Agreement; Added: recent developments in Georgia; stresses the need to shift from a model of automatic accession to a framework of strategic cooperation agreements that respect the sovereignty and individuality of partner countries;

5. Amendment 18Rejected

   Paragraph 5

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   5. Removed: Deplores Added: Notes the fact that high-level ruling party officials, members of parliament and government-affiliated media Removed: regularly spread manipulative narratives, disinformation and conspiracy theories about the EU, its Member States, leaders and politicians, as well as European integration; stresses that the ruling party’s regime continues its purposefully deceitful and ambiguous discourse, fuelling the false belief among parts of the Georgian public that it remains in favour of European integration; regrets the fact that the media and information environment is being suppressed and dominated by TV and media outlets supported by Georgian Dream, which spread false narratives about EU integration, thereby emulating and playing into Russian-inspired propaganda and facilitating polarisation in society; Added: adopt alternative narratives about the EU and European integration;

6. Amendment 19Rejected

   Paragraph 7

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   … in Georgia can only be achieved by way of new parliamentary elections, Removed: which should be held in the next few months in an improved electoral environment, overseen by an independent and impartial election administration and monitored through diligent international and independent domestic observation to guarantee a genuinely fair, free and transparent process that would reflect the true will of the people; Added: if deemed necessary by the Georgian authorities and in accordance with its constitutional order and electoral calendar;

7. Amendment 20Rejected

   Paragraph 8

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   8. Removed: Stresses that it does not recognise the self-proclaimed authorities established by the Georgian Dream party following the rigged Added: Respects the outcome of the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 Removed: and that it considers Georgia to be a state captured by the illegitimate Georgian Dream regime; consequentially rejects any decisions taken by the body that has taken control of the country, such as the rushed adoption of amendments to the Code on Administrative Offences, the Criminal Code and the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations; regrets the fact that the parliament of Georgia is a one-party parliament formed on the basis of fraudulent elections, which is incompatible with a pluralistic parliamentary democracy and the standards expected from an EU candidate country; welcomes the rejection of Georgian Dream’s credentials in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which resulted in the withdrawal Added: as an expression of the democratic will of the Georgian Removed: delegation; Added: people; underlines the importance of all political forces working within the constitutional framework to ensure political stability and the proper functioning of democratic institutions;

8. Amendment 21Rejected

   Paragraph 25

   Tabled by Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   25. Removed: Notes that Georgia, under the current government, is moving in a direction that puts it at risk of becoming a Russian vassal state like Belarus; regrets the fact that, at a time when the democratic world is standing in strong support of Ukraine against the Russian Federation’s unprovoked war of aggression, the current Georgian authorities are increasingly aligning themselves with Kremlin policies and rhetoric, thereby contributing to historical revisionism; notes that Georgia has not aligned with the vast majority of sanctions against Russia, Belarus and Iran, but has claimed that it has cooperated with the EU to prevent sanctions circumvention; expresses its concern, however, over reports alleging Georgia’s role in facilitating the evasion of EU sanctions against Russia; calls, therefore, on the Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into such allegations; Added: Recognises the necessity for Georgia to maintain pragmatic relations with all neighbouring countries to safeguard regional stability and its own national interests;

9. Amendment 22Rejected

   Paragraph 31 a (new)

   Tabled by Sarah Knafo, Alexander Sell, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   Added: 31a. Opposes Georgia’s accession to the European Union;