Paweł Herczyński, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, expressed concerns over the weak and ineffective parliamentary and judicial oversight of Georgia's security services, stressing its importance for Georgia's path to EU membership.

During the conference titled "Democratic Control of the Security Sector: Challenges and Prospects for Reform," Herczyński noted that effective oversight of the security system is one of the key steps required for Georgia's EU candidate status. He stated that despite past reforms, the oversight remains insufficient.

"The parliamentary and judicial supervision of the security services in Georgia is still very weak and ineffective," said Herczyński, stressing that improvements are necessary for Georgia's EU aspirations.

The ambassador highlighted that civil society organizations, including "Social Justice Center," "CRRC Georgia," and "Georgian Young Lawyers Association," have worked on a European Union-funded project to improve oversight of the security sector. However, he pointed out that in the last three years, the environment has become increasingly hostile toward civil society.

"These three years have been characterized by an increasingly hostile environment for civil society oversight," Herczyński remarked.

Herczyński emphasized that at a crucial moment for Georgia's future, civil society has faced disinformation and propaganda campaigns, making effective oversight even more difficult. He warned that these conditions are incompatible with Georgia's EU aspirations and signal a move toward authoritarianism.

"These are signals of a shift towards authoritarianism, which keeps Georgia away from EU membership," Herczyński said, expressing hope for reforms that will bring Georgia's security system in line with international and European standards.