EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, after Hungary vetoed the draft sanctions against the Georgian authorities, that it was “her first Hungarian veto” and – as she expects – not the last. The proposal of sanctions against Georgia was also rejected by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. He stressed that the European Union should get involved in maintaining the agreement with Ukraine on gas transit.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Defense Affairs, Kaja Kallas, tried to force through the imposition of sanctions on members of the ruling party in Georgia the Georgian Dream party in connection with the repression of the opposition and the brutal suppression of protests. Demonstrations in this country broke out at the end of November, when the authorities announced that they were suspending talks on Georgia's membership in the European Union until 2028.
As the head of Polish diplomacy said after the meeting Radosław Sikorskiit was not only people who were against sanctions Hungary – which recognized the victory of the Georgian Dream in the parliamentary elections despite the reported irregularities – but also Slovakia. Unanimous consent of all member states is required to adopt sanctions.
Kaja Kallas, head of EU diplomacyOLIVIER MATTHYS/PAP/EPA
– This is my first Hungarian veto, but I guarantee it will not be the last – said Kaja Kallas. However, she emphasized that she was optimistic on this issue. She added that she was looking for alternative solutions to bypass the veto.
One of them is the abolition of visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passports. Approval of such a solution is required qualified majority (consent of 15 out of 27 EU countries). He may present such a proposal soon European Commission.
Prime Minister Fico does not agree to sanctions against Georgia
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also rejected the proposal of sanctions against Georgia in a conversation with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. “We insist on an objective assessment of the current situation in Georgia. Any consideration of interfering in Georgia's internal affairs by imposing sanctions is a red line for us,” Prime Minister Fico's office wrote in a statement.
The Slovak Prime Minister also allegedly said in a conversation with Antonio Costa that he wanted to raise the issue of double standards in assessing the state of the rule of law in member states at the EU level.
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert FicoMARTIN DIVISEK/PAP/EPA
According to Fico, “the report of the Venice Commission is disturbing”, which draws attention to the continuing serious problems in Slovakia and Hungary that threaten the effective fight against corruption, the independence of the media and the functioning of civil society.
Fico also spoke in favor of the EU's involvement in efforts to preserve the transit of Russian natural gas through the territory Ukraine. Kiev has already signaled that it does not intend to extend the contract, which expires at the end of this year. Fico stated that “preserving transit routes cannot be just a bilateral matter between countries neighboring Ukraine, but a matter for the entire EU.”
Main photo source: OLIVIER MATTHYS/PAP/EPA