The new European Commission slams Georgian Dream, as protests in Tbilisi enter their fourth night

Brussels – The four nights of protests in Tbilisi and across Georgia are beginning to take their toll. The ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to halt efforts to move closer to the European Union until “at least the end of 2028” has triggered nightly demonstrations, with hundreds of thousands gathering at Freedom Square and Rustaveli Avenue. Outside the Parliament—currently boycotted by opposition parties—protesters have rallied to oppose what they view as a betrayal of the popular will. Meanwhile, stern reactions from Brussels are further straining relations with national authorities.

“We regret the Georgian leadership’s shift away from the EU and its values,” stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 1 December, the first day of her new cabinet’s term. “The EU stands with the people of Georgia and their choice for a European future. The door to the EU remains open.” However, her decision to emphasise that “the return of Georgia on the EU path is in the hands of the Georgian leadership” has sparked debate among pro-EU activists in Tbilisi.

Opposition parties, President Salomé Zourabichvili, and protesters in the capital and across the country argue that the Parliament and government elected on 26 October lack legitimacy. The President herself filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court to annul the election results. Until the Court issues its ruling, the 11th Legislature of Parliament is prohibited from holding its inaugural session. However, on 25 November, the ruling party violated the law by convening the first session, during which it unilaterally declared its legitimacy.

The EU new leadership in foreign affairs and enlargement policy has also made clear that Tbilisi is under close scrutiny. High Representative Kaja Kallas criticised Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement to stall EU accession, describing it as “a shift from the policies of all previous Georgian governments and the European aspirations of the vast majority of the Georgian people, as enshrined in the Constitution.” Addressing citizens, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stressed that “you were given a constitutional promise of Europe and clearly wish to keep it,” echoing Kallas’ condemn of “any violence against peaceful protesters” and the “grave concerns over the backsliding of democratic standards.”

While the European Parliament has already passed a resolution calling on EU institutions to impose sanctions on those responsible for Georgia’s democratic regression—including Prime Minister Kobakhidze—some Member States have begun taking action. On 1 December, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced national sanctions against those involved in suppressing legitimate protests in Georgia, especially “opponents of democracy and violators of human rights are not welcome in our countries.”

These developments have intensified speculation that the topic will feature at the European Council’s first meeting under António Costa’s presidency on 19–20 December. The situation has been further complicated by the resignation of several Georgian ambassadors to EU Member States—including those in the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Italy, and Lithuania—in formal protest against the ruling party’s new direction.

The aftermath of the contested vote in Georgia

One month after the controversial elections on 26 October—marred by electoral fraud, as denounced by President Zourabichvili, opposition parties, and civil society—Prime Minister Kobakhidze announced that the ruling party Georgian Dream will not put “the opening of accession negotiations with the EU on the agenda before the end of 2028.” During this period, the government also plans to “reject any EU budget support grants.”

The ruling party’s rhetoric highlights its unwillingness to engage with the EU’s foundational principles, since the European Council has already “de facto” paused the process in June 2024, citing “democratic backsliding” in the country, and €121.3 million (out of €255 million allocated for 2022–2024 period) in financial assistance have been frozen. As the new European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos pointed out, the withdrawal of the foreign agents law and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is a “precondition” for reopening negotiations.

Meanwhile, the decision of the new government has sparked a wave of strong protests from the citizens, who are overwhelmingly pro-EU and consider the departure from the European family as a theft of their future. For four consecutive nights, protests have been taking place in Tbilisi (the estimate in the capital is around 200,000 people) and almost all cities in Georgia (Batumi, Kutaisi, Gori, Zugdidi, Rustavi, and more) against the “illegitimate government.” Peaceful protesters have been facing increasing violence from the special police forces, who are using water cannons mixed with pepper spray to try to disperse the crowd, while protesters are organising to resist through barricades and fireworks.

However, as shown by many videos published on social media, the special police forces are becoming more and more violent with the protesters, chasing and beating people even far from the place of the protest (such as in metro stations). On the morning of 2 December, the police detained Girchi-More Freedom party’s leader (part of the Coalition 4 Change) Zurab Girchi Japaridze, while he was fleeing from Rustaveli Avenue, breaking “the decades-long gentlemen’s agreement of borders of protests and crackdowns,” as Marika Mikiashvili, Head of Foreign Affairs for the Droa party (part of the same opposition coalition), pointed out.

President Zourabichvili has expressed her support for the civil protests, describing herself as “the only legitimate representative” still leading the country. With her term set to end in December, Zourabichvili has announced that she will not leave office until new elections are held and a “legitimate successor” is appointed. Under the 2017 constitutional reform, her successor will be selected by an electoral college of 300 members (150 MPs and 150 representatives of regional and local administrations). Georgian Dream has nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili—a former footballer, co-founder of the Power to the People party, and a staunchly anti-Western politician—who is almost certain to be elected on 14 December. An institutional crisis appears imminent in Georgia.