Georgia follows Putin’s lead, new report says

Vladimir Putin’s conflict on Ukraine is dividing Europe’s japanese neighborhood — with some international locations transferring nearer to the European Union however others, together with Georgia, gladly following Russia’s path to authoritarianism, a report revealed Wednesday mentioned.

The report by Jap Partnership Civil Society Discussion board famous that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine boosted relations between some japanese states and the EU on vitality, commerce and transport. However whereas public administration elevated in Ukraine and Moldova, issues are trending downward in “politically polarised Georgia,” the report finds.

“Dictatorships or autocratic regimes, they be taught from one another. And I believe there may be positively a studying curve that we see in among the international locations. We additionally noticed it in Georgia,” Alexandra Sabou of the partnership instructed POLITICO.

Georgia tried to put in a Putin-style overseas agent legislation in March 2023, which led to main home protests. The legislation was “type of a copy-paste from Russia, with some … native components — however the similarity was apparent,” Sabou mentioned.

Georgia additionally skilled a plunge in democracy, good governance and coverage convergence — which mirrors the nation’s political polarization, the Jap Partnership Index 2023 discovered. “Mainly in each space, there was a lower regardless of the truth that the EU rewarded it with the candidate standing,” Sabou mentioned.

Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia all utilized for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However now, the trio has turn into “a much less distinct entity and the strains between EU neighbourhood coverage and EU enlargement coverage have blurred,” the report mentioned. 

Whereas Georgia slowly drifts away, Ukraine and Moldova “are steadily making the sorts of systemic modifications that Brussels expects them to do to proceed alongside the accession path,” in keeping with the report. 

The EU took the subsequent step with Ukraine and Moldova, agreeing to open accession talks after a summit of European leaders in December. Georgia has thus far solely been granted candidate standing.