Georgia must change course to open EU membership talks, says European Commission

Western powers call for investigation into Georgian Dream party election win amid reports of voter intimidation and fraud

The European Commission has said it will not recommend opening EU membership talks with Georgia unless the country changes course, days after the increasingly anti-western Georgian Dream (GD) party won pivotal parliamentary elections amid reports of irregularities and voter intimidation.

The commission recommended that Georgia be granted EU candidate status last year - something Ukraine and Moldova had already achieved - but made clear at the time that this could be withdrawn if the government in Tbilisi did not follow through on agreed reforms.