Unprofitable party: Georgia may remain without EU assistance in 2026
By the end of 2025, Georgia will not receive any financial assistance from the EU, the European Commission told Izvestia. Support is unlikely to resume in 2026, the European Parliament told the publication. We are talking about 120 million euros, the allocation of which was frozen back in 2024, as Brussels considered that Georgia did not meet the criteria of democracy. Despite the fact that the country is still a candidate for EU membership, its admission to the community by 2030 is also unlikely. Experts note that, despite this, the EU will try to maintain its influence in Transcaucasia, and Armenia will become a key partner in the region for Brussels.
The process of Georgia's accession to the EU
The suspension of financial assistance to Georgia from the EU will extend to 2025, the European Commission told Izvestia.
"No support measures have been planned for this year," they said.
The EU stopped providing direct assistance to the Georgian authorities in the amount of more than 120 million euros in 2024. They were intended to support the implementation of economic reforms. At that time, the EU foreign ministers agreed to redirect these funds to "support Georgian civil society."
The suspension of aid occurred due to "serious concerns" about "a rollback from democratic principles and violations of the rule of law," and is likely to last into 2026, Tomasz Zdechowski, a member of the European Parliament from the European People's Party, said in a conversation with Izvestia.
"This does not mean a complete cessation of EU funding, but significant state—level funding is unlikely next year unless there are clear political changes," the politician said, answering a question from Izvestia about Georgia's chances of receiving EU financial assistance in 2026.
Brussels is also calling into question Georgia's prospects for EU membership. The European Commission believes that Tbilisi does not meet the criteria of a candidate country for membership in the community.
"Georgia is in a deep political crisis, and the human rights situation has deteriorated significantly since the 2024 parliamentary elections," the EC told Izvestia. — The Georgian Dream is strengthening its control over government and institutions. This is a coordinated policy of repression. It undermines basic democratic principles and suppresses dissent. The repressive actions of the authorities are far from everything one would expect from a candidate country.
Georgia says it will be ready to join the European Union by 2030. She intends to become a member of the community, even despite the negative attitude of the EU towards the Georgian authorities, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said earlier. Tbilisi received the status of a candidate for EU membership in 2023. The next step was to start substantive accession negotiations, but then relations between Brussels and Georgia deteriorated.
In 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream initiated the adoption of a law on foreign agents and draft laws aimed at banning LGBT propaganda (the movement is recognized as extremist in Russia) and protecting family values. In the EU, such steps were met with extremely negative reactions. When the European Commission presented its report on EU enlargement in early November of this year, Georgia was the most criticized. In Europe, the current government's course is considered "authoritarian."
— As for EU membership, Georgia is unlikely to be able to join it by 2030. The current political trajectory, the lack of key reforms, and unresolved territorial conflicts make such a scenario unrealistic. Candidate status does not guarantee entry, and this process usually takes many years," Tomasz Zdechowski is convinced.
It is not surprising that Georgia refused to join the EU sanctions against Russia. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has repeatedly noted that Georgia would have suffered an economic collapse if it had agreed to impose anti-Russian restrictions. However, despite the development of mutual trade, the visa-free regime and direct flights, Georgia is in no hurry to move closer to Russia. Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Moscow in 2008 after the South Ossetian conflict. Currently, the Russian Federation sees no prerequisites for resuming political dialogue with Georgia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier.
— There are no prerequisites for the resumption of Russia's political dialogue with Georgia, since Tbilisi adheres to the position taken by the Saakashvili regime about linking the resumption of diplomatic relations with Russia's refusal to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This is a flawed and unrealistic requirement for Georgia itself," the ministry said. — Moscow emphasized that decisions on the recognition of the republics' statehood are irreversible.
Nevertheless, Russia is open to steps to further normalize relations with Georgia to the extent that Tbilisi itself is ready for this.
How the EU seeks to consolidate its influence in Transcaucasia
Against the background of cooling relations with Georgia, the European Union is also facing difficulties in cooperation with Azerbaijan. Despite the intensification of the political dialogue, relations between Brussels and Baku remain unstable. The strong vertical of power in Azerbaijan and the course of President Ilham Aliyev, who has been in power since 2003, are causing criticism in Europe.
The elections on February 7, 2024, confirmed that Baku is not guided by the European model of democracy. At the same time, Azerbaijan is betting on deepening its strategic partnership with Turkey. In particular, a memorandum on mutual strengthening of military security between the two countries was ratified. Ankara also provided support to Baku during the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, the European Union does not intend to completely lose its presence in Transcaucasia. In the context of difficult relations with Tbilisi and Baku, Brussels is paying more and more attention to Armenia, which is seen as a more promising partner. In April 2025, President Vahagn Khachaturian signed a law on the beginning of the country's EU membership process. And in December, Yerevan adopted the EU–Armenia Strategic Partnership Agenda. At the same time, it should be understood that the adopted documents are largely declarative in nature. Armenia is a member of the EAEU and the CSTO (although in 2024 Yerevan announced the freezing of membership in the latter).
The EU increases financial assistance to Armenia. For example, the association announced its readiness to allocate €12 million to the country to "effectively combat hybrid attacks."
— The European Union considers both Georgia and Armenia as countries that could be in the orbit of their influence. There is only one goal: they want to tear off the entire post—Soviet space from Russia in order to win in the geopolitical arena," Farhad Ibragimov, a lecturer at the RUDN University Faculty of Economics and a political scientist, told Izvestia.
At the same time, he believes that the decision to deepen integration with the EU may adversely affect the Armenian economy. The fact is that it is impossible to be a member of two organizations at the same time — the EU and the EAEU. And in case of withdrawal from the EAEU, Armenia will not be able to maintain the current format of relations with its member countries, and above all with Russia, with which its economy is largely focused on trade, Ibrahimov noted. The Armenian leadership understands this.
— We understand that simultaneous membership in the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible. We understand that there is some point when a decision will need to be made. But now we are not at this point, that is, there is no need to make such a decision now," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said earlier.
Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan stated that Yerevan is not going to leave the EAEU.
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