The French National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, adopted a resolution on Georgia condemning what it described as “illiberal and authoritarian drift” of the Georgian Dream government and calling for sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, while reaffirming support for the Georgian people and the country’s European future.
The resolution, proposed on September 24, 2025, was adopted on May 12, 2026, with 68 votes in favor, 28 against, and one abstention. Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, attended the debate on the resolution.
The resolution comes amid strained relations between Georgia and its traditional Western partners, including France, over the Georgian Dream government’s anti-democratic actions and anti-EU rhetoric. It also follows a broader push within the EU to impose sanctions on Georgian Dream officials, including party founder and Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili, who reportedly holds French citizenship.
According to the adopted document, the French National Assembly “condemns the authoritarian drift of the Georgian government, violations of fundamental rights, restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, and the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators.”
The resolution “calls on the European institutions to maintain the de facto suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process as long as political criteria are not met, in particular respect for political pluralism and fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, association and assembly, and the holding of free and fair parliamentary elections in line with international standards.”
While urging the French government to “actively support democratic forces” in Georgia, including non-governmental organizations, independent media, and academic institutions, the resolution also called on it to “publicly denounce foreign interference, in particular the influence exerted by the Russian regime over Georgian political institutions and over oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.”
The National Assembly further called on the French government to “support, in coordination with its European partners, the adoption of targeted individual sanctions against the persons mentioned in the European Parliament resolution of February 13, 2025, […] in particular Bidzina Ivanishvili and his close associates.” It additionally called on Paris to “review the conditions under which Bidzina Ivanishvili was awarded the Legion of Honour” and to “consider withdrawing this distinction in light of actions contrary to the values of the Republic.”
The resolution also called on the French government to “demand the immediate release of all political prisoners, in particular opposition leaders and young peaceful demonstrators convicted for their democratic engagement.”
The National Assembly “reaffirms that Georgia’s European future cannot be compromised by the actions of its current government and calls for the [EU] accession perspective to remain open, provided that the political conditions are met and that violations of the rule of law and fundamental rights perpetrated by the current government cease.”
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