Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has described the assessment of Georgia in the European Commission’s new enlargement report as shameful. According to the head of government, the accusations leveled against the ruling “Georgian Dream” party in the European Commission’s report are completely baseless.
“We can plainly see what the European bureaucracy has come to. When it comes to judges being appointed from the outside, it means precisely what we have been saying all along: the European bureaucracy does not understand the meaning of the rule of law and democracy. That is why it puts forward such proposals, which, I must tell you, is simply shameful.
When they speak of arbitrarily detained individuals, I would like to remind you that these are the very people who threw Molotov cocktails and took part in other forms of violence. Let them provide us with a list of names specifying exactly whom they mean. We have repeatedly requested this list, yet they have never been able to produce it. And what would come to light if they did? They would have to present a list of individuals who insulted police officers, engaged in acts of violence, and organized the overthrow of the government—which is precisely why they cannot hand over any list to us. This once again exposes the grim face of the European bureaucracy.
None of this has any foundation—neither the vetting of judges, which directly implies an infringement upon judicial independence, nor the release of prisoners. How can the European bureaucracy demand the release of perpetrators of violence? This in itself proves what we have maintained: the European bureaucracy itself stood behind this violence, funding the Molotov cocktail campaign. Specifically, it was funded by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED), which is directly financed by the European Union,” Kobakhidze stated.