Georgian Parliament Speaker says EU accession must mean equal membership, not surrender of sovereignty

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said that the key question regarding the country’s European integration is not only when Georgia could join the European Union, but also which European Union it is being invited to join, with what rights and whether it would enjoy equal member status.

In a social media message, Papuashvili argued that EU candidate countries are being offered membership not in the Union as it currently exists, but in a reformed system under which they would assume all membership obligations while facing restrictions on their rights and influence.

He further suggested that one of the indirect aims of the ongoing debate on EU reform could be to halt further enlargement.

“It should not be ruled out that one of the indirect objectives of this discussion is to suspend enlargement. It is becoming increasingly clear that no one is considering admitting new members into the European Union as it exists today”, the Speaker noted.

“Candidate countries are being offered not equal membership in the existing Union, but accession to a system that has already been reshaped, where they would fully assume the obligations arising from membership, while their rights and instruments of influence would be limited”, Papuashvili continued.

He further added that membership that deprives a country of its sovereign state rights without providing mechanisms to protect them is not integration - it is the abolition of sovereignty.

“...Yet, it seems that, just as Jupiter may do as he pleases, Europe may also get away with abducting Europe”, Papuashvili wrote.