DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, November 5 – Georgia’s prime minister took fresh aim at European Union institutions on Wednesday, accusing “European bureaucracy” of double standards and defending Tbilisi’s decision to avoid recent Euronest sessions, the EU’s parliamentary forum for Eastern Partnership states. Speaking to Georgian reporters during a visit to Shanghai, Irakli Kobakhidze said the situation inside EU … Read more
TBILISI, November 5 – Tbilisi has fired back at Brussels over the European Commission’s latest enlargement report, accusing the EU of political bias, disrespect, and interference in Georgia’s domestic affairs. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Tuesday that if there is any “backsliding,” it is in Brussels, not in Georgia. In a series of statements responding … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – The European Union has declared Georgia’s membership process “practically frozen,” citing what it calls unprecedented democratic backsliding, repression of dissent, and a breakdown in the rule of law. The announcement came Tuesday as Brussels released its 2025 Enlargement Report, marking the sharpest downturn yet in relations between the bloc and the … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – A Georgian court has released 19-year-old British national Bella May Culley, who was convicted of smuggling large quantities of marijuana and hashish into the country, after she reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Culley, who is 35 weeks pregnant, was sentenced to five months and 24 days in prison, time she … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – Georgia’s Constitutional Court has begun reviewing a petition filed by 88 members of parliament that seeks to outlaw three major opposition political parties, accusing them of acting against the country’s constitutional order. The case, announced Monday and published on the court’s official website, will be handled by the court’s First Collegium. … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi-based watchdog Transparency International Georgia (TIG) has sharply condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party’s latest amendments to Georgia’s protest laws, calling them “repressive” and a de facto abolition of citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of assembly. The group says the legal changes, adopted over the past two years, amount to a … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi City Court held a preliminary hearing Tuesday in a new criminal case against Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Georgia’s Co-Investment Fund, over alleged mismanagement connected to the Mtkvari hydropower plant project. At the hearing, the court reviewed the admissibility of evidence and is expected to decide whether the case … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – Georgia’s government is launching a new education reform that will allow public schools to switch from a 12-year to an 11-year system, letting students graduate and enter the workforce one year earlier. Those who wish to continue studying abroad or pursue a full 12-year education will still be able to do … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – European Union leaders and candidate countries are gathering in Brussels today, Tuesday, November 4, for an “Enlargement Summit” focused on the bloc’s next wave of potential members. The summit coincides with the release of the European Commission’s 2025 enlargement package, which assesses the progress of aspiring member states, including Georgia, Ukraine, … Read more
TBILISI, November 3 – Swiss-based trading company Gunvor has agreed to purchase the foreign assets of Russian oil major Lukoil, according to Reuters via BPN. The deal comes just days after the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on Lukoil, Rosneft, and dozens of their subsidiaries. Lukoil said in a statement that it had received and … Read more