'Heart breaking' - Brussels dashes Georgia's hopes of timely EU accession

euronews.com:

Lawmakers in Georgia have been left heartbroken after Brussels dashed the country's hopes of a quick entry into the European Union (EU).

European Commission president Ursula von der Layen announced Friday that Georgia would only move to EU membership candidate status after addressing certain priorities. 

The Commission instead recommended a "European perspective" for the small Black Sea nation, unlike Ukraine and Moldova which were awarded candidacy status. 

"Georgia shares the same aspirations and potential as Ukraine and Moldova," said von der Layen. "Its application has strengths, in particular the market orientation of its economy, with a strong private sector.

"To succeed, the country must now come together politically to design a clear path towards structural reform and the European Union," she added.

The Commission would "come back and access" whether Georgia had met "a number of conditions before granting it candidate status," said von der Layen, without specifying when this would be. 

According to a European Commission document, the country must address internal political polarisation, commit to “de-oligarchisation” and carry out judicial reforms before it can join the bloc. 

Press freedoms and the accountability and transparency of state institutions also need to be improved, added the EU's executive body. 

Leader of the 'Georgian Dream' party, which holds the majority in Georgia's parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze described the Commission's decision as "heart-breaking".

"We do realise that Georgia, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, has not made necessary sacrifices today," said Kobakhidze. 

"The sacrifices and bloodshed 14 years ago, or even 30 years ago and 300,000 internally displaces persons, unfortunately, have already