BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Georgia's EU accession process is stopped for now, said EU Ambassador to the country Pawel Herczynski, Trend reports.
"Regrettably, Georgia’s EU accession process is stopped for now – this has been decided by EU leaders during the last European Council. It is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low point when they could have been at an all-time high," he told reporters.
Moreover, the ambassador added that the EU has frozen its support for Georgia from the European Peace Facility - 30 million euros for 2024. "Other measures are being considered if the situation further deteriorates".
On May 1, the Georgian Parliament gave its nod to the draft law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" in the second reading. It faced pushback from President Salome Zourabichvili, the opposition, and Western diplomats, who saw it as a stumbling block to the country's integration into the European Union.
The leaders of the ruling party, "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia," argue that it only aims to ensure transparency in foreign funding for the non-governmental sector and media. Zourabichvili declared her intention to veto the draft law if it passes all three readings.