It was hoped that candidate status would become a strong incentive for the Georgian government, but in recent months, Georgian officials have come up with proposed laws that would take the country away from this goal. The Vice-President of the European Commission, Vera Yurova, announced this at the plenary session on Georgia in the European Parliament.

According to the vice president of the European Commission, the October 26 parliamentary elections are crucial for Georgia's path to the European Union."On October 26, more than 3 million Georgians will vote to elect a new parliament. These parliamentary elections are crucial for Georgia's path to the European Union. It will also be a critically important test for Georgia's democracy.

Last December, when Georgia was granted the status of a candidate country for the European Union, we hoped that this would be a strong incentive for the government to carry out important reforms, to open negotiations on accession to the European Union. Instead, administration officials in recent months have come up with proposed laws that have moved the country away from that goal. Despite mass protests, the "Foreign Transparency" law, which hinders civil society and media organizations, was reintroduced and passed.Other proposals that stigmatize the LGBTQI community and weaken the independence of state institutions have also been advanced. At the same time, the rhetoric against the European Union has become louder", said Yurova.