On May 24, the official Facebook page of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party published the statement of the political council of the party, in which they respond to the visa restrictions imposed by the US to the representatives of the Georgian government. The statement notes that “the top officials of the two EU candidate countries – Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina – have sanctions imposed by the US, although both countries continue the process of joining the EU and there are no delays in this regard.”
The statement of the political council of the “Georgian Dream” also states that Europe has refused to extend sanctions to family members since the 40s of the last century.
The claim that Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are continuing the process of joining the European Union amid US sanctions is manipulative. In the case of Serbia, sanctions have been imposed on two high-ranking officials, and there has been no significant progress in the country’s European integration process since 2021. In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, sanctions have been imposed not on the federal government, but on the leaders of the political unit of the Republika Srpska, and along with the decision to open negotiations for Bosnia-Herzegovina, the European Union also critically assesses the actions of the government of the Republika Srpska. In addition, the claim that the EU has refused to sanction family members is also false, as evidenced by the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus.
Currently, there are two persons on the US sanctions list in the government of Serbia – Aleksandar Vulin and Nenad Popović. Vulin, who served as director of the Security and Intelligence Agency, was sanctioned by the US in July 2023 for corruption and undermining the rule of law in the Western Balkans. After the confirmation, Vulin resigned from his position, however, he took the post of one of the vice prime ministers in the new government formed in 2024. As for Nenad Popović, who was sanctioned by the US in November 2023 due to his ties with Russia, he will again serve as a minister without portfolio in the new government (as in 2017-2022).
Notably, Serbia was granted EU candidate status in 2011, and accession negotiations began in 2013, although no significant progress has been made after 2021. In its latest 2023 report, the European Commission notes that progress in many important areas is limited and requires reforms. The report also states that the normalization of relations with Kosovo is a necessary condition on the path to accession. The Commission also highlighted in the 2023 enlargement package that another area where Serbia needs to correct its lapses with the EU is its foreign and security policy, including Russia.
As for Bosnia-Herzegovina, in this case, sanctions have been imposed on the persons in power of one of the three political entities, the Republika Srpska. The list of sanctioned people includes President Milorad Dodik, members of his family, and representatives of his network for corruption, as well as Dodik’s party executive council member Savo Cvietinovic, Industry Minister Petar Jokic, and the head of the Republika Srpska mission in Moscow, Dusko Perovic, for their ties with Russia. The US has also imposed sanctions on Republika Srpska officials responsible for violations of the Dayton Agreement and the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sanctions do not apply to members of the federal government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia-Herzegovina was granted candidate status in 2022, and the European Council decided to open negotiations in December 2023, according to which negotiations will begin after the country meets the necessary level of membership criteria. The European Commission’s assessment notes that Bosnia-Herzegovina has carried out significant reforms and emphasizes that the secessionist and authoritarian measures adopted in the Republika Srpska are out of line with the EU.
Unlike Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the sanctions imposed by the US on the government of Georgia will not affect a few representatives of the government or any single political unit of the country, but all those officials who are responsible for undermining democracy in the country.
It should be noted that the EU accession negotiations cannot begin without the consent of all countries, and the ambassadors of Germany and Estonia have already announced that their countries will not support the start of negotiations with Georgia if the authorities overcome the veto placed by President Zourabichvili.
As for the sanctions imposed on family members, the claim that Europe refused to extend sanctions to family members in the last century is not true. In fact, if we look at the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, we find that in 2023, the Council of the European Union adopted an amendment to the 2014 regulation concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. With this amendment, the sanctions will also apply to the family members of those Russian businessmen who are sanctioned for providing a significant part of their income to the Russian government. The reason for this was the fact that often sanctioned persons transfer their property to family members in order to avoid sanctions. It is also worth noting that in 2022, the EU froze the assets of 65 individuals, including the Russian military, representatives of the government and propaganda media, businessmen, and their family members. Identical sanctions, including family members, were also imposed in the case of Belarus.
The statement of the political council of “Georgian Dream” also states that “no one has been able to present any argument against the law on the transparency of foreign influence”, while similar laws are in place in the US and France and are being considered for adoption in the European Union. This disinformation was debunked by “Myth Detector” in the past. You can read more about the legal arguments made by the Venice Commission against the law in the article below:
For more details about the difference between the “Georgian Dream” law and the French and EU bills, see:
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