German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer commented on the European Commission's enlargement report in an interview with Radio Free Europe's Georgian Service and urged Georgians to read it.
"If you are Georgian and your aspiration is to join the European Union, this report is a disaster. I have said publicly many times that the European Union is governed by written documents. I urge people to read this report," the diplomat stated.
He noted that Germany supports this document, emphasizing that Georgia's deviation from the EU accession path "is not our responsibility – it is Georgia's responsibility."
"If I say that Germany supports the report and agrees with it, that means the matter is closed for us. Not because we don't want Georgia. We want Georgia; we offered it candidate status and granted it it on the basis of trust. But under the current circumstances and on the current course, Germany is no longer working on enlargement." In fact, no one in the EU is doing this anymore. It's highly likely that this will be confirmed in December, when the European Council meets. The dossier will be closed due to the actions of the Georgian side," the ambassador predicted.
He recalled that in Georgia, "non-governmental organizations have been destroyed, the rights of demonstrators are being violated, political parties are being destroyed, some have been imprisoned; plans include a law banning the political activity of those who have ever been associated with a banned political party, and a law banning individual political parties is also on the agenda... The free press is under great pressure."
The ambassador added that, according to the European Commission's report, Georgia's candidate status remains the same as Turkey's—that is, deferred—"because the European Union is a union founded on hope."
"We are idealists; we never lose hope that perhaps something will change radically, and countries like Turkey and Georgia will turn to us again and do what is necessary to join. We are ready to start from scratch, but right now the facts speak to the contrary. No one is blackmailing or pressuring anyone to join the EU; no one is being forced. The EU is an invitation. If you don't want to or can't, you won't become a member," Peter Fischer concluded.
