The
European Union and
Georgia have maintained relations since 1992, following an agreement between the former
European Community and the newly independent Georgia. In April 1996, Georgia, along with
Armenia and
Azerbaijan, signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the European Union. On 12 January 2002, the
European Parliament noted that Georgia may enter the EU in the future. In 2006, a five-year "Action Plan" of rapprochement was implemented in the context of the
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In 2009, relations between the two were further upgraded under the auspices of
Eastern Partnership. In March 2013, the
Parliament of Georgia passed a bipartisan resolution supporting the integration into the European Union and NATO. The resolution was drafted jointly by the two largest political parties,
Georgian Dream and
United National Movement, and was voted by 96 deputies. In 2016, a comprehensive
Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia went into force, providing Georgia with visa-free travel to the EU, as well as access to some sectors of the
European Single Market. Following
Brexit, most of the existing EU-Georgia agreements applicable to the
United Kingdom were renegotiated and agreed upon in 2019
bilaterally with the United Kingdom. In January 2021, Georgia was preparing to formally apply for EU membership in 2024. However, on 3 March 2022, Georgia submitted its membership application ahead of schedule, following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. In June 2022, the
European Commission established Georgia's eligibility to become a member of the EU, but deferred giving it official candidate status until after certain conditions were met. Later that month, the
European Council expressed readiness to grant Georgia the status of a candidate after completing a set of reforms recommended by the commission. On 8 November 2023, the
European Commission recommended giving candidate status to Georgia. Following the Georgian government's approval of legislation which would require
non-governmental organizations to register as
foreign agents or "organizations carrying the interests of a foreign power" and disclose the sources of their income if the funds they receive from abroad amount to more than 20% of their total revenue, which led to
widespread protests in the country, the
European Council stated in June 2024 that this represented "backsliding on the steps set out in the Commission's recommendation for candidate status" and that the accession process would be
de facto on hold until the government changes course. On 9 July 2024, the EU ambassador in Georgia announced that the European Union had suspended the country's accession process as a result of the legislation. The European Union threatened Georgia with sanctions and suspension of relations if the country becomes a "one-party state" without political opposition following parliamentary elections in October 2024. The
2024 Georgian parliamentary election resulted in Georgian Dream (GD) retaining power, but was disputed by opposition parties which claimed that the vote was not free and fair and was subject to widespread voter fraud. The
European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution which rejected the validity of the results, and called for the vote to be repeated within a year. On 28 November 2024, Georgian Prime Minister
Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia's EU accession negotiations had been suspended until the end of 2028, ==Treaties==