Zinaida Bechná and Pavel Baev in PRIO Policy Brief on the Decline of Democracy in Georgia

Zinaida Bechná, together with Pavel Baev from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) , has co-authored a text analyzing the developments in Georgia, which has drifted away from its pro-European course.

Georgia was once the frontrunner of the Eastern Partnership. Today, the relationship with Brussels is effectively frozen. In our analysis, we argue that this isn't just a pause—it’s a “mutually agreeable deadlock.”

While the authoritarian drift in Tbilisi is the primary driver, the current impasse has become a comfortable holding pattern for both sides. We examine why this stagnation is dangerous and why the EU needs a fundamental strategic rethink to break the cycle and sustain its engagement in the region.

The text was published within the Central and Eastern European Security Cooperation Cluster project and is available here .