One of the most intriguing parts of living in Georgia has been the flags that are commonly found in the country. Besides the expected Georgian and Ukrainian flags, European Union flags are extremely common despite Georgia not being a member of the E.U. Georgia does maintain close relations with the E.U., but since it’s independence it has failed to become a full member. Joining the E.U. is clearly a major goal of Georgia as a very pro-western nation located in the shadow of the Russian Caucasus.
Georgian, Ukrainian, European Union, and Ajarian flags in a courtyard at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
I asked three Georgians about their country’s efforts to join the E.U. First I spoke to Vazha, my host father who is around age 50 and watches some Russian news. He explained that Georgians very much want to join the European Union and have the support of some Scandinavian E.U. member states, but France, Germany, and previously the U.K. oppose their membership. He said membership is difficult because Georgia is a very small nation with many issues common in developing nations. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgians expected to become a great western nation, but they still have a long way to go. To put the difference between a country like the United States and Georgia into perspective, he told me that some people still starve to death in Georgia. He believes the education gap between Georgia and countries like the U.S. is the biggest challenge Georgia must overcome to start to resemble western nations and join the E.U.
I again spoke to Aleksandre and Mary to get the perspective of young adult Georgians. Aleksandre was even less interested in talking about the E.U. than he was about Ukraine and simply said “I don’t know” when asked if he believes Georgia will be allowed to join. Young people like Aleksandre may simply be uninterested in the politics around joining the E.U.
Mary, on the other hand, gave a very comprehensive answer with a unique point that I have not encountered anywhere else in Georgia. While everyone in Georgia wants to join the European Union, most people neglect to consider how Russia may respond. Ukraine’s attempts to join the E.U. (and NATO) violated Russia’s perceived sphere of influence and security, leading to the invasion. The same thing could very well happen in Georgia if their membership became imminent, but due to the extremely small military Georgia possesses compared to Russia it is extremely unlikely they could hope to fight a war similar to the one in Ukraine. She then added that Georgia also faces legal challenges to joining, such as their lack of sanctions against Russia. Therefore, she believes that joining the E.U. would be good for Georgia’s future, but only if joining would not lead to a war with Russia.
Georgians very much desire E.U. membership as they develop into a western nation. However, they face many obstacles that will take time to overcome or are out of their control entirely. Time will tell whether or not Georgia can expect to graduate from a close partner of the E.U. to a full-fledged member state.