Former Lithuanian FM Questions EU's Role Amid Georgia's Democratic Backslide
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, July 24, 2025
In a recent article titled "The End of the Enlargement Dream?", former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis questioned whether the European Union has done enough to support Georgia as the country faces what he describes as democratic collapse under the ruling Georgian Dream party.
"Every day, for 237 days straight, in all weathers, the Georgian people have protested against the takeover of their once-democratic and still pro-Western country," Landsbergis wrote, highlighting ongoing public resistance on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue. Despite dwindling access and mounting repression, he noted, demonstrators continue to gather.
"Nobody comes to meet them; government windows remain dark during the evening rallies. But the government hasn't been idling," he said. "First, a batch of protesters were detained and jailed. Some as young as 18 have received years-long prison sentences - for 'planning terrorist activities.' I met their parents in Tbilisi. They can hardly contain their tears, but most are proud of their children."
According to Landsbergis, the Georgian Dream government has abandoned earlier promises of pro-European reform. He recalled a 2021 meeting with Georgia's prime minister, during which the leader appeared open to reform. That openness, Landsbergis said, did not last.
"The pretense was quickly abandoned. The reforms stopped. European advice was rejected. And here we are today."
He criticized what he sees as Brussels' failure to respond meaningfully to Georgia's democratic erosion. "How much is 'candidate status' really worth, if a clampdown on democracy can barely shift the needle in Brussels?" he asked. "Maybe enlargement is not real."
Landsbergis also warned of wider consequences if the EU fails to act decisively.
"Georgians still remember the mood of 2008: Georgia was surely becoming part of NATO and the EU. Now, they feel deceived and discarded. It must be a chilling realization for pro-European communities in other aspiring countries: Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia."
He concluded with a call for stronger EU action: "Getting real about European enlargement means more than a 'very concerned' tweet once in a while. It means taking a clear position when there is progress, and taking action when there is backsliding. If the EU fails to take action now, the whole region could be lost."
