Georgian Prime Minister hopes European bureaucracy will change by 2030, making EU membership beneficial for Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday expressed hope that by 2030 the European bureaucracy itself would undergo significant changes, which, in his view, would make potential membership in the European Union more beneficial for the country.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze asserted that Georgia prioritised national interests and would not yield to external pressure disguised as EU requirements.

“We are responsible for protecting our national interests. As for the European Union, where was it on November 28, when, earlier in the summer, it suspended the strategic dialogue with Georgia? That decision was made because of the Transparency of Foreign Influence Law. If someone wanted to organize a revolution, that’s another matter - but the essence of this law was simply to ensure that if anyone plans a revolution, they do it transparently. There was no real basis for their reaction”, he said.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that by 2030, pragmatic politics would replace current ideological rigidity, enabling fair conditions for Georgia’s EU accession.

“If they switch to pragmatic politics, that will be very good. We are waiting for 2030 and hope that by then, approaches in European bureaucracy will change. The same thing is happening in the German Parliament - they either respond with lies or don't respond at all. How can European bureaucracy work like this? We hope that by 2030, European bureaucracy itself will change, and in that case, Georgia's accession to the European Union will be beneficial”, the PM continued.

Kobakhidze further accused Brussels of demanding the return of the United National Movement to power and judicial control under the guise of reforms.

“If the bureaucracy changes, the conditions will change too, and there will no longer be conditions like, for example, returning the United National Movement to power. What they called judicial reform also meant returning control over the judiciary to the United National Movement. That's what they were actually demanding. If the approaches change, the conditions will change as well”, he concluded.