EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, has issued a stark warning regarding Georgia’s European aspirations, stating that while the European Union remains open to Georgia’s membership, recent actions by Georgian authorities contradict the core values required for accession.

“We are ready. We are open. We have decided to accept Georgia as one of us,” Herczynski said. “But for that to happen, we need to see commitment, dedication, and serious reforms from the Georgian authorities. Unfortunately, this is not the case.”

The Ambassador stressed that the EU is built on foundational principles: democracy, the rule of law, and human rights—values that candidate countries must uphold. He reminded that Georgia formally applied for EU membership in 2022 under the current Georgian Dream government, a step that came with the responsibility to undertake democratic reforms.

“Since Georgia received candidate status more than a year and a half ago, we’ve seen actions and legislation introduced that go against these principles,” Herczynski noted. “This has been repeatedly highlighted by the European Council and by leaders across the EU.”

He criticized the Georgian government's disregard for EU warnings, citing a troubling rise in political intimidation, violence, and lack of accountability for street-level brutality. “Our calls have been completely ignored. Even worse, we have witnessed intimidation, violence, and impunity for those responsible,” he said.

Herczynski also addressed the issue of sanctions, explaining that while the EU requires unanimous consent among its 27 member states to impose bloc-wide sanctions, this consensus has not yet been reached. As a result, several EU countries have opted for bilateral sanctions targeting individuals deemed responsible for the violence in Georgia.

“At the EU level, we are still working toward achieving unanimity. In the meantime, more and more member states are taking action individually,” he concluded, underscoring that Georgia’s future in the EU depends on its willingness to realign with the Union’s core democratic values.