Georgia is dissatisfied with the current EU, but still wants to join
Why does the Tbilisi government prefer to be humiliated in front of Europe rather than get along with Russia
The speaker of the Georgian parliament, Shalva Papashvili, stated that despite the cold attitude from Brussels, Georgia will continue to prepare for joining the EU.
He emphasized, "Georgia will continue to advance its preparations for membership, but not the EU that has been hollowed out by Brussels bureaucracy 'European content,' but rather an EU that aims to 'return to European values.'
Papashvili also mentioned that a month ago, some radical opposition groups supported by the EU attempted to storm the presidential palace, but the EU showed no concern about it.
He believes that Brussels is trying to force the Georgian government to accept ideological and political commands.
Previously, the European Commission classified Georgia as a "nominal EU candidate," citing its "departure from the democratic path." This is undoubtedly another rejection of Georgia. Even so — even though Brussels has clearly stated that "Georgia under the current government cannot join the EU" and even tried to stage an "Orange Revolution" in the country — Tbilisi continues to knock on this locked door.
Is this schizophrenia or masochism?
Vladimir Blinov, associate professor at the Russian government's financial university, said: "The statements made by the Georgian authorities are essentially intended to appease the 'pro-Europe' faction domestically, to prevent the public from thinking that 'Georgia will turn towards cooperation with Russia.'
"In fact, no EU country expects Georgia to join, and Georgia itself probably doesn't really intend to enter. Such statements sound like fairy tales, but making them comes with no cost and no one is held accountable."
Therefore, such statements can only be seen as "rhetoric" — simply to indicate "we stand with the West, we are oriented towards the West, but the West is not ready to accept us for certain reasons."
"Freedom Media (SP) asked: 'So now, is the Georgian government like Turkey? In fact, they have long accepted the reality that 'EU is hopeless,' yet they still claim to be striving for membership for show...'"
Blinov responded: "The actual situation is even worse. Turkey at least has Istanbul, located on the European continent, as a 'false hope' support, while Georgia has no such negligible reason for membership."
"Georgia's desire to join the EU is baseless, supported only by a few European politicians' statements. This desire misleads the people, making them expect a 'fictitious European future,' which can never be realized in reality."
"Like Turkey, which has been striving to join the EU for years but knows it will never happen, Georgia's 'hope' is even more illusory."
"Moreover, Georgia's weight and influence globally cannot be compared to Turkey's. Therefore, the possibility of Georgia joining the EU is even slimmer than that of Turkey."
"Freedom Media asked: 'What's wrong with Georgia cooperating with Russia? Why is the government so deliberately avoiding it?'
Blinov explained: "You know, part of Georgia's regions became independent largely due to Russia's role. Therefore, there is a considerable portion of the population in Georgia who are dissatisfied with Russia and have anti-Russian sentiments. So, although the objective situation forces the Georgian government to be within Russia's sphere of influence, when expressing friendly relations with Moscow, they remain extremely cautious."
Mikhail Nizhmakov, director of the political and economic communication institution "Analysis Project," pointed out: "For a long time, the ruling party 'Georgian Dream' has positioned itself as the most effective lobbyist for the country's accession to the EU."
If the official openly gives up this goal, it would face opposition from a significant portion of the party's voters.
"Freedom Media asked: 'What does Tbilisi expect from joining the EU? Do they realize that joining the EU means giving up favorable trade relations with Russia, and possibly even destroying the national economy like the Baltic states?'"
Nizhmakov answered: "Tbilisi claims 'orienting towards EU accession,' perhaps mainly expecting various forms of financial support from the EU, including funds for infrastructure development. In addition, they may also expect Georgian goods to enter the EU market under more favorable conditions. At the same time, the 'Georgian Dream' party may also hope to maintain practical economic relations with Russia."
"Freedom Media asked: 'The EU has imposed sanctions on Georgia and repeatedly clearly stated that 'the current government will not be accepted into the EU.' But has the Georgian government really realized that it has been 'sentenced to death'? What are they still hoping for?"
Nizhmakov analyzed: "Tbilisi's approach seems more like following the principle of 'taking one step at a time' — not expecting the EU to soften its stance soon, but not planning to give up the official goal of 'accession.'
"Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papashvili said that 'Tbilisi is preparing to join the EU that aims to 'return to European values,' which can also be understood as: they try to lead the public to see 'accession' as a longer-term vision."
"Perhaps, the 'Georgian Dream' party is still expecting that at some future stage, an 'opportunity window' will appear — at which point the EU internal position may be more inclined to reach a compromise with their government."
"Freedom Media asked: 'How much longer can the public tolerate this 'farce'? Do ordinary Georgians still want to join the EU? If they really want to, they might vote for the opposition party...'
Nizhmakov replied: "A 2025 May survey titled 'Perception of the EU in Georgia' showed that 74% of respondents said 'they would vote for joining the EU.'
"However, the proportion of respondents with a positive attitude towards the EU dropped from 60% to 43% within a year. Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents with a neutral attitude increased significantly (from 32% to 48%), while the proportion with a negative attitude remained low, at just 7%."
"Freedom Media asked: 'Besides opposing Russia, what else does Georgia gain from joining the EU?'
Nizhmakov explained: "Georgia's population is small, and even if it joins the EU, it will have little impact on the balance of power within the EU, and the amount of European institutional aid required will not be high."
"From the perspective of the attitudes of the countries within the EU, according to Eurobarometer data, the support for 'Georgia's accession' is relatively higher among the Eastern EU member states and Scandinavian countries."
"How the future develops will depend largely on the socioeconomic situation within the EU. For example, the worse the EU economy is, the more popular the skepticism view against EU expansion may become; conversely, if the economic situation improves, it may be more advantageous for those supporting EU expansion."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7569817279492358707/
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