EU accession is a merit-based process and what we are now seeing is that the Georgian authorities are jeopardizing this path, Anitta Hipper, the lead spokesperson for the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in response to a question from Euroscope editor Tamar Nutsubidze regarding Georgia’s European integration process.

According to Anitta Hipper, the EU has reduced political contacts in Georgia to a minimum due to the “democratic backsliding”.

“We have reduced political contacts to a minimum due to the large-scale democratic backsliding in Georgia. Accordingly, our full support goes to independent media and civil society. As for the accession process, EU leaders have made it very clear that EU accession is a merit-based process and what we are seeing is that the Georgian authorities are jeopardizing this path,” said Anita Hipper.