EU accession talks with Georgia and Turkey will not move forward without democratic reforms, the European Parliament said after MEPs adopted two resolutions on Wednesday.
MEPs said EU and member state engagement with the Georgian authorities should be “strictly conditional” on “tangible and verifiable steps” to reverse what they described as democratic regression and anti-EU disinformation.
The Georgia resolution was adopted by 436 votes in favour, 145 against and 47 abstentions.
The Parliament also reaffirmed its earlier position that it does not recognise the legitimacy of Georgia’s parliament and the president appointed by it.
Rasa Juknevičienė, the Parliament’s rapporteur on Georgia, said the ruling Georgian Dream party was dismantling democratic institutions, silencing independent media and holding “one of the highest numbers of political prisoners in the region”, including Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli.
She called for coordinated EU-wide sanctions against those “responsible for repression and state capture.”
Turkey accession process “at a standstill” since 2018
MEPs said Turkey was “missing” a current opportunity in EU enlargement because of a lack of democratic reforms, even as the country’s government repeatedly reaffirms its commitment to EU membership, the Parliament said.
The resolution on Turkey was adopted by 381 votes in favour, 107 against and 171 abstentions.
MEPs called on Ankara to address shortcomings in areas including the rule of law, human rights, democratic standards and press freedom, and to respect good neighbourly relations and international law.
The Parliament said it “deplores” that Turkey continues to violate the sovereign rights of EU member states, naming Greece and Cyprus.
The accession process has been at a standstill since 2018, but Turkey remains strategically and geopolitically important for the EU and is a NATO ally.
Sancho Sánchez Amor, the Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, said a recent case targeting the main opposition party, the CHP, and its leadership was the latest example of an erosion of democratic pluralism and the rule of law, and he criticised what he described as a muted response from the European Commission, the European External Action Service and EU member states.
