The former European Community and Georgia established relations in 1992. After the Maastricht Treaty on creation of the European Union, Georgia deepened its ties with the EU through a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) signed in 1996.Commission Opinion on Georgia's application for membership of the European Union, European Commission: 17 June 2022. Quote: "The European Community established relations with Georgia in 1992. In 1996, a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed (PCA), which entered into force in 1999." 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 2016, a comprehensive Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia went into force, providing Georgian citizens 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.

Georgia is a candidate for EU membership. A European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia has been operating since 2009. 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 December 2023, the EU officially granted candidate status to Georgia. This made Georgia the first country in the South Caucasus region to obtain EU candidacy status.European Council conclusions on Ukraine, enlargement and reforms, European Council, 14 December 2023

In April 2023, a nationwide poll by the International Republican Institute found that 89 percent of Georgians support joining the EU, the highest number recorded for years.

History Early developments The European Community and Georgia established relations in 1992.

The Council of the European Union's Regulation (EC) No 1975/95 of 4 August 1995 provided for food aid to be sent to the people of Georgia.EUR-Lex, Council Regulation (EC) No 1975/95 of 4 August 1995 on actions for the free supply of agricultural products to the peoples of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, accessed on 18 February 2025

Adjara crisis (2004)

In Adjara, leader Aslan Abashidze was forced to resign in May 2004 following the Rose Revolution. EU CFSP Chief Javier Solana indicated in February 2007 that the EU could send troops to Georgia alongside Russian forces.Solana raises prospect of EU soldiers in Georgia EU Observer

South Ossetia crisis (2006–08)

In July 2006 the European Union referred to then-recent developments in the South Ossetia zone of conflict and to the Resolution of the Georgian Parliament on Peacekeeping Forces Stationed in the Conflict Zones, which was adopted on 18 July 2006 as follows:

After the 2008 South Ossetia war an EU cease-fire monitoring mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia) was sent to monitor the Russian troop withdrawal from "security zones" established by Russia around South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Q&A: Conflict in Georgia, BBC News (11 November 2008) The mission started on 1 October 2008Tbilisi Must Build Closer Relationship With EU, Former Georgian Envoy Says, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (5 October 2008) and was extended by the EU in July 2009 for one year while the EU expressed concern that Russia was blocking other observers from working there.EU extends Georgia cease-fire monitor mission, Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review (27 July 2009) A United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at extending its UN Observer Mission in Georgia was vetoed by Russia on 15 June 2009.Georgia Slams Russia For Shutting Down UN Mission, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (16 June 2009 )

European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan (2006–11) On 2 October 2006, a joint statement on the agreed text of the Georgia-European Union Action Plan within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was issued. The Action Plan was formally approved at the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council session on 14 November 2006 in Brussels.EU, Georgia Sign ENP Action Plan , Civil Georgia, 2 October 2006.

Association Agreement (2013–present)

To enhance their relationship, the EU and Georgia began negotiating an Association Agreement (AA) and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. In November 2012, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Stefan Fule stated that the AA negotiations could be finalized by November 2013. In February 2013, Tamar Beruchachvili, the Deputy State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Georgia, stated that Georgia had no plans to join the Eurasian Economic Union, which Fule has warned Ukraine would be incompatible with the agreements with the EU. A ceremony on the initialling of the AA by the Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton was held at the Eastern Partnership summit on 29 November 2013. It was formally signed on 27 June 2014, and had to be ratified by the EU, Euratom, their member states and Georgia. A second agreement, governing the country's involvement in EU crisis management operations, was also signed.

The Association Agreement, much of which provisionally came into force in September, has been fully ratified by Georgia and all EU member states. On 18 December 2014 the European Parliament approved the Association Agreement. Members backed the treaty by 490 votes in favour to 76 against, with 57 abstentions. The agreement entered into force on 1 July 2016.

Ratification The EU-Georgia Association Agreement was ratified by legislative bodies of every single EU member state. Detailed ratification timeline and vote counts are outlined in the below collapsible list (click the "show" button to expand the list): Full ratification timeline Signatory Date Institution AB Deposited Reference Austria 8 July 2015 National Council Approved 28 August 2015 23 July 2015 Federal Council Approved Presidential Assent Granted 23 April 2015 Chamber of Representatives 101 17 20 1 February 2016 Votes seance Pleniere du 23 Avril 2015 (in French) Royal Assent (federal law) 1 July 2015 WalloonParliament (regional)(community) 63 2 4 61 2 4 22 June 2015 German-speaking Community 1621 24 June 2015 French Community 71 0 8 20 November 2015 Brussels Regional Parliament 69 3 3 20 November 2015Brussels UnitedAssembly(FR language)(NL language) 53 3 1 Compte rendu intégral C.R.I. N° 10 – Session 2015-2016 14 0 2 17 June 2015 FlemishParliament (regional)(community) 82 18 87 19 24 June 2015 COCOF Assembly 71 0 8 Bulgaria 24 July 2014 National Assembly 91 0 0 9 September 2014 28 July 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Croatia 12 December 2014 Parliament 116 0 1 24 March 2015 18 December 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Cyprus 7 May 2015 House of Representatives Approved 18 August 2015 22 May 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Czech Republic 18 March 2015 Senate 56 0 6 12 June 2015 29 April 2015 Chamber of Deputies 116 1 51 19 May 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Denmark 18 December 2014 Parliament 101 7 0 18 February 2015 Estonia 4 November 2014 Assembly 66 0 0 12 January 2015 Ühelt poolt Euroopa Liidu, Euroopa Aatomienergiaühenduse ja nende liikmesriikide ning teiselt poolt Gruusia vahelise assotsieerimislepingu ratifitseerimise seadus 705 SE Riigikogu (in Estonian) 13 November 2014 Presidential Assent Granted European Union and EAEC 18 December 2014 European Parliament 490 76 57 19 April 2016 (EAEC)23 May 2016 (EU) Council of the European Union Finland 10 March 2015 Parliament Approved 6 May 2015 24 April 2015 Presidential Assent Granted France 29 October 2015 Senate Approved 15 December 2015 25 June 2015 National AssemblyApproved 9 November 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Germany 8 May 2015 Bundesrat Approved 22 July 2015 26 March 2015 Bundestag Approved 27 May 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Georgia 18 July 2014 Parliament 123 0 0 25 July 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Greece 18 November 2015 Parliament Approved 14 December 2015 24 November 2015 Presidential Promulgation Granted Hungary 25 November 2014 National Assembly 127 6 0 7 April 2015 5 December 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Ireland 27 January 2015 Dáil Éireann 58 19 0 17 April 2015 Italy 26 November 2015 Senate 202 37 10 3 February 2016 29 July 2015 Chamber of Deputies 310 93 34 7 December 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Latvia 14 July 2014 Parliament 81 0 0 2 October 2014 18 July 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Lithuania 8 July 2014 Parliament 84 0 1 29 July 2014 11 July 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Luxembourg 18 March 2015 Chamber of Deputies 55 2 0 12 May 2015 12 April 2015 Grand Ducal Promulgation Granted Malta 21 August 2014 House of Representatives Approved 29 August 2014 Netherlands 7 July 2015 Senate Adopted 21 September 2015 7 April 2015 House of Representatives 119 31 0 28 July 2015 Royal Promulgation Granted Poland 5 March 2015 Senate 75 0 0 22 May 2015 6 February 2015 Sejm 439 0 1 26 March 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Portugal 2 April 2015 National Assembly Approved 8 October 2015 19 May 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Decreto do Presidente da República n.º 32/2015 Diário da República, 1.ª série — N.º 99 — 22 de maio de 2015 Romania 2 July 2014 Chamber of Deputies 298 0 0 14 July 2014 3 July 2014 Senate 111 0 2 9 July 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Slovakia 23 September 2014 National Council 117 0 1 21 October 2014 16 October 2014 Presidential Assent Granted Slovenia 13 May 2015 National Assembly 69 3 0 27 July 2015 21 May 2015 Presidential Assent Granted Zakon o ratifikaciji Pridružitvenega sporazuma med Evropsko unijo in Evropsko skupnostjo za atomsko energijo in njunimi državami članicami na eni strani ter Republiko Moldavijo na drugi strani (MPSAEMD) (Uradni list Spain 27 May 2015 Senate Approved 28 July 2015 30 April 2015 Congress of Deputies 303 0 1 Royal Assent Granted Sweden 26 November 2014 Parliament 249 44 0 9 January 2015 United Kingdom 23 February 2015 House of Commons Approved 8 April 2015 9 March 2015 House of Lords Approved 19 March 2015 Royal Assent Granted

Accession of Georgia to the European Union

On 12 January 2002, the European Parliament noted that Georgia may enter the EU in the future. The European Parliament passed a resolution in 2014 stating that "in accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as any other European country, have a European perspective and can apply for EU membership in compliance with the principles of democracy, respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights, minority rights and ensuring the rule of rights." Membership is welcomed by Georgians, with 77% of the population approving the government's goal to join the EU and only 11% opposing it.

Georgia's former President Mikheil Saakashvili has expressed a desire for Georgia to join the EU. This view has been explicitly expressed on several occasions as links to the United States, EU and NATO have been strengthened in an attempt to move away from the Russian sphere of influence. Territorial integrity issues in Ajaria were dealt with after the Rose Revolution, when leader Aslan Abashidze was forced to resign in May 2004. However, unresolved territorial integrity issues have again risen to the forefront in South Ossetia and Abkhazia as a result of the 2008 South Ossetia War. On 11 November 2010, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Giorgi Baramidze announced that Georgia wants to cooperate with Ukraine in their attempt to join the European Union.