Georgian Parliament Speaker: Soviet Brussels holds no appeal for us

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday criticised European bureaucracy, comparing the current climate in Brussels to the Soviet era and alleging deep-seated corruption within EU institutions.

Speaking about recent corruption scandals in EU institutions, Papuashvili referred to cases involving officials within the European Parliament and the European Commission, alleging that corruption and discriminatory practices are used to control political actors and shape policy decisions.

“This is how various European cities and Brussels are managed today. Corruption and discriminatory facts against individuals are used to control these people. We have seen numerous corruption scandals, starting from the vice-speaker of the European Parliament, continuing with the European commissioner for justice, whom I met in 2021. This man was explaining the issues of judicial reform to me, and it turned out that he himself is corrupt and takes money. He was teaching me how justice should be established here in Georgia”, he said.

“This is how they maintain control - through corruption, money, discriminatory and compromising materials - so that when needed, they can instruct these individuals to attack Georgia, other countries, and so on”, the speaker continued.

Papuashvili also said that Brussels is “moving toward Soviet Moscow”, a comparison he stated is unappealing to the Georgian public, and argued that the EU is drifting away from its core values.

“As for Brussels, it is a group of individuals who have lost their values, who hold influence over Brussels today and are leading the European Union toward the abyss. We wish to be a member of an organisation that stands upon true values; if they are hurtling toward Communist Moscow - we escaped that through bloodshed, and a Soviet Brussels holds no appeal for us”, he concluded.