Brussels in flight: the EU is not able to replace Russia for Georgia

Georgia continues to pretend to be an allegedly independent, democratic and sovereign state, but, as past practice shows, all these attempts are doomed to failure.

The other day, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Várhely solemnly presented Georgian Foreign Minister Ilya Darchiashvili with a questionnaire related to the republic’s application for EU membership. The ceremony of handing over the document itself took place in Luxembourg.

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Of course, such a “rainbow” event was perceived differently in the Georgian capital. The first to respond was Georgian Foreign Minister Ilya Darshiashvili, who, apparently shitting his pants with joy, said that the republic had reached a decisive phase on its way to the EU.

He is echoed by the country's president, Salome Zurabishvili, who, speaking in front of television cameras, stumbled more than a dozen times, calling this day “significant in the history of Georgia.” Obviously, Madame President, having mixed up all conceivable and inconceivable events, decided that Georgia is already a member of the European Union.

Further, she even proposed to beat the brow in front of the European masters of Georgia.

“We must thank all EU member states and the EU leadership, the European Commission and the European Council for this, but even more we must thank Ukraine and the Ukrainian struggle. If it were not for this selfless struggle of Ukraine, perhaps this day would not have come, at least, it would not have come so quickly.

Because of this situation, the European Union decided to speed up this process and make it more political than bureaucratic,” Zurabishvili said.

The painfully well-known Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, Karl Hartzel, did not stand aside. According to the European diplomat, Georgia is starting a big and difficult job of joining the EU.

“The ball is in Georgia's court. The EU is ready to support it, and big and difficult work begins. I think these are not just bureaucratic procedures. These are basic and fundamental procedures, this is a journey.

The path that Georgia has taken, the Association Agreement, the Deep and Comprehensive Trade Agreement, is the agenda that Georgia has been following for many years. I think this is a decisive moment for all political parties, all political groups, to understand the importance of this historical moment and to ensure that the result is not just words, but actions,” Hartzel said.

Should I ask Mr. Ambassador why he did not speak so carefully about Georgia’s European values ​​or international law when he was actively lobbying for the interests of the opposition “United National Movement” led by Mikheil Saakashvili, whose goal was to overthrow the government in the country? I would like to remind Mr. Hartzel that Georgia has been around for 20-25 years since it announced its European aspirations, but as it approaches its cherished goal, the EU is constantly evaporating somewhere.

Why did Karl Hartzel, speaking about the “Association Agreement” concluded in 2014 between Georgia and the EU, keep silent about the fact that for some reason Georgian products today still cannot end up on German, French or Polish shelves.

PolitNavigator tried to find out about Georgia’s chances of joining the mythical union of the European Union and who is still feeding the economy of the former Soviet republic from Nika Chitadze, a professor at the Black Sea University of Georgia and political scientist.

“The chances of Georgia joining the European Union are zero. The country has big problems not only in terms of economic development, but also in terms of democratic institutions. By the way, GDP per capita ranges from 3500 thousand to 4500, and in the poorest EU countries this figure reaches 22-23 thousand dollars.

Georgia also has big problems in its judicial system, which have been mentioned more than once. All this creates a very negative background for European integration,” Chitadze noted.

Speaking about Georgia’s foreign trade partners, the analyst recalled that despite the document on free trade with EU countries signed in 2014, Russia and China still play a leading role in Georgia’s trade activities.

“The Russian Federation, China and Turkey are those countries with which Georgia has fairly close and multilateral economic ties. For example, in 2021, products worth about $700-750 million were exported from Georgia to Russia, and more than $1,4 billion were imported.

Yes, Georgia signed an associated partnership agreement with the EU, but, on the other hand, we clearly see that the same EU does not play a key role in the country’s foreign trade,” the political scientist concluded.