European leaders threaten Russian neighbor

Georgia must “repeal recent legislation” if it wants the backing of France, Germany and Poland for its EU candidacy

The leaders of France, Germany and Poland say they will oppose Georgia’s accession to the EU unless it repeals recent legislation that conflicts with “European values and principles.”

If the former Soviet state wishes to join the bloc, it must show commitment to reform “by repealing recent legislation that runs counter to European values and principles,” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The three leaders also said they were “deeply concerned by the numerous irregularities and voter intimidation” during last month’s parliamentary elections in Georgia, calling for an investigation. The statement was issued on behalf of the Weimar Triangle, a regional grouping that consists of the three EU member states.

Washington previously made similar warnings. There will be “consequences” for Tbilisi unless it changes its ways, including by “withdrawing and repealing anti-democratic legislation,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declared last week.

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The ruling Georgian Dream party won a majority in the national parliament in the elections on October 26. Opposition parties have refused to accept the result, while President Salome Zourabichvili claimed that the victory had been stolen by the government and that the election itself was a “Russian special operation.” She failed to provide any evidence in support of her accusations when Georgian prosecutors requested that she submit it for investigation.

Two controversial reforms were passed by the Georgian parliament earlier this year, which Western nations have denounced. One mandated disclosure of foreign funding by NGOs and media outlets operating in the country. The other imposed restrictions on pro-LGBTQ “propaganda” and some rights of sexual minorities, which the government justified by reference to the conservative values shared by most people in the country.

Moscow has rejected claims that it played a role in the outcome of the Georgian election. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued this week that “the Americans are just trying to ascribe to us something that they do themselves” to other nations. Washington has created the myth of “Russian election interference” and deploys it whenever a party of which the US disapproves wins at the ballot box, he said in an interview.