Georgia's Path to Europe: Challenges and Obstacles

The Russian aggressive war in Ukraine has drawn attention to potential conflict areas in nearby regions. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are occupied territories in Georgia, which shares genuine security concerns with the European Union. Over the years, the EU has been involved in political cooperation with Georgia, focusing on promoting democracy, resolving conflicts, and enhancing security. It's 2023 call for Georgia to be a candidate for accession after completing political reforms, such as reducing political polarisation, electoral and judicial reform, strengthening anti-corruption institutions, improving gender equality, and enhancing civil society, underlined the profound potential for Georgia's EU membership and its impact on security and democratisation. In November 2024, the Georgian government unilaterally froze steps toward accession until 2028 and this month, the EU stated that Georgia's accession process is stalled due to continued democratic backsliding and concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights. Recent contributions by Lomia, Gabrichidze, and Smolnik have been valuable, and this paper aims to build on this literature by researching primary data, as well as published materials in English, Russian, and Georgian, and conducting interviews with Georgian policymakers and academics. The primary argument is that security and democratisation both remain priorities in the bilateral relationship. This paper offers a unique perspective by evaluating the role of EU membership in the bilateral relationship, additionally, examining the developments made to extend the Global Gateway strategy to the Caucasus. It assesses the EU's recent actions in Georgia in terms of the balance between values and interests, coherence, consistency, normative stability, and external legitimacy. This in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Georgia's declining EU membership prospects and their implications for security and democratisation will interest scholars seeking to understand the foreign policy of an international actor in an increasingly authoritarian neighbouring state, as well as the policy domains of democratisation and security.