Georgian Parliament official slams EU criticism as biased attempt to force political shift

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, has strongly criticised the European Union’s recent evaluations of Georgia’s state institutions, accusing European partners of employing a “double standard” policy that is damaging the EU’s own reputation in the country.

Speaking on the talk show Open Air - Debates, Makhashvili clarified that the Georgian Government does not claim its judicial system is flawless, but rather objects to what it sees as inherently biased criticism.

“We are not saying that the judiciary is perfect and that we already fully meet EU standards - that is not what we are discussing. What we are talking about is that our judiciary and government institutions are being assessed unfairly”, Makhashvili stated.

To back his claims, the MP referenced global rankings and statistical data used by the European Commission itself. According to Makhashvili, reports from the World Bank, the Chandler Institute of Governance, and various EU studies place Georgia well ahead of other candidate nations, including Moldova and Ukraine.

Despite these metrics, he argued, the political attitude toward Georgia remains disproportionately harsh.

Makhashvili suggested that the critical rhetoric surrounding Georgia’s visa-free travel status is being used as political leverage rather than a reflection of technical failures. He noted that Georgia is one of 51 nations enjoying visa-free access to the EU and continues to fulfill all technical benchmarks, from border management to asylum policies.

According to Makhashvili, the threats regarding visa liberalisation are being used as a weapon of attack to force Georgia to change its political stances. He concluded that unfair assessments and accusations do not stem from actual flaws they have uncovered, but instead serve the single purpose of intentionally misrepresenting the truth - to call black white - in order to tarnish the country's image and force a change in its position.