Contemporary trends in Georgia-EU relations and the russian factor

Abstract

The presented article provides an analysis of Georgia-EU relations and the impact of Russian military interventions in Georgia and Ukraine in accelerating the process of Georgia’s European integration. This topic is a defining issue of Georgia’s political agenda at the modern stage, as integration into the main European institutional structure is a political priority for Georgia which has no other alternative, that, accordingly, is reflected not only in the resolution of the Parliament of Georgia and the government program, but it has also become a constitutional obligation.
The paper briefly discusses the dynamics of the development of Georgia – EU relations – starting with agreements on partnership and cooperation and ending with giving Georgia a European perspective, and identifies the factors causing the problems during Georgia’s relationship with the European Union;
Difficulties in the process of Georgia’s European integration are highlighted and Georgia’s efforts are presented to ensure that the European Union pursues an individual policy towards itself.
When the European Union defined priorities in the Transcaucasus, Georgia’s self-identification, according to which it culturally and historically belongs to Europe, was not taken into account.
Georgia has always distinguished itself among the states of the South Caucasus with its European aspirations, and since the day of independence, the European idea has never devalued; While the other two states of the South Caucasus – Armenia and Azerbaijan – were very inconsistent in defining their self-identification: Armenia was officially a strategic partner of Russia, and Azerbaijan maintained balanced relations with both Russia and the West. Among the modern challenges of Georgia’s integration into the European Union, in addition to the Russian factor, such issues as the absence of a single consensus in the European Union, and the current inefficient format, which needs to be replaced by more flexible mechanisms, are discussed;
The role of Russia’s military intervention in Georgia and Ukraine in increasing the degree of "securitization" of foreign policy in the European Union and promoting geopolitical priorities is evaluated;
The prediction of new perspectives on Georgia’s European integration related to the Russia-Ukraine war is given, which is linked with the further evolution of the European Union and the possible impact of this evolution on Georgia’s EU accession policy.