'Course of action taken by Georgian authorities' hinders Georgia's entry into EU - European Commission

BRUSSELS. Oct 31 (Interfax) - The process of Georgia's entry into the European Union "has been de facto halted due to the course of action taken by the Georgian government," the European Commission said in the annual report on progress of EU candidate states.

"While in December 2023 the European Council granted candidate status to Georgia, its EU accession process has been meanwhile de facto halted due to the course of action taken by the Georgian government since spring 2024," the European Commission said in a communique published on Wednesday.

The shortcomings include "the recent legislative amendments to the election process," the communique said.

Georgia needs "a comprehensive electoral reform that was already highlighted in past key recommendations," it said.

On Wednesday, the European Commission approved its annual Enlargement Package, a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Montenegro on their path to EU membership.