Georgian Parliament Speaker demands clarification from Sweden on LGBT marriage as EU accession criterion

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday called on the Swedish Ambassador to Georgia to clarify whether legalising same-sex marriage was a criterion for Sweden when making decisions about a candidate country's European Union membership.

Papuashvili’s remarks came in response to a statement by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who had previously stated that as part of its EU integration process, Ukraine should regulate same-sex partnerships and ensure full legal protection for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Speaker expressed concern over what he called an “unfortunate trend”, where some EU member states were bypassing the common rules and procedures for accession and were instead applying their own national agendas and preferences.

“You know that the EU has 27 members, and the vote of each of these 27 countries is decisive at any stage of European integration”, Papuashvili said.

The Speaker highlighted a pattern initiated by Baltic states, where EU members prioritise their own preferences over standardised procedures.

“We have been witnessing a regrettable trend in recent times, and it was started by the Baltic states. They do not look at the common rules, procedures, and criteria for advancing but instead, each state adopts its own agenda and adjusts European integration to its own taste. For some reason, for the Swedish Prime Minister, the legalisation of same-sex marriage stands out, while for someone else, it will be something different. Should candidate countries cater to the tastes of 27 countries? Is this the procedure they want to establish for EU integration?” he noted.

Papuashvili criticised this “procedural arbitrariness", arguing that certain countries introduce additional criteria aligned with their domestic political agendas, complicating the accession process.

“Beyond the substance, the main issue is the procedural arbitrariness we are now witnessing, where certain countries invent additional criteria that are part of their political agenda and impose them on the accession process”, he said.

He further referenced a recent European Commission letter demanding the repeal of Georgia’s law on family values, followed by a Georgian Orthodox Church statement noting that EU representatives had previously assured no requirements would contradict traditional European values.

“After the European Commission’s letter demanding the repeal of the law on family values, there was a statement from the Georgian Orthodox Church addressing precisely these issues. They stated that on every occasion, EU representatives promised that there would be no requirements on the path to EU integration that contradict the traditional values on which Europe is founded”, Papuashvili noted.

“Following that statement, their own NGOs attacked the Georgian Patriarchate, claiming that no one is demanding anything. Now, we hear again that the Swedish Prime Minister is making demands. What is the issue here? Let the Swedish Ambassador come forward and clarify whether this is a criterion of the Swedish Government - whether allowing same-sex marriage is a criterion for Sweden when making decisions regarding candidate countries”, he concluded.