On October 30, pro-government media outlets Imedi and Radio Imedi shared a quote from Rikard Jozwiak, editor of Radio Liberty’s Europe Bureau, regarding the European Commission’s enlargement report and its assessments about Georgia. According to the media, Jozwiak stated, “Georgia also made progress on the implementation of the 9 steps set by the 2023 Enlargement Communication of the European Commission.”
Pro-government media disseminates Rikard Jozwiak’s statement manipulatively. In reality, the journalist wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Georgia had made “insignificant progress” in meeting the nine steps proposed by the EU.
On October 30, the European Commission is set to release the enlargement report, which will assess the progress of each candidate country on the path to membership, determining whether they deserve to advance to the next stage.
Journalist Rikard Jozwiak, who frequently reports on EU enlargement policy, published some key details from the report on X. Jozwiak’s posts indicate that Georgia’s efforts are not positively assessed. According to him, the report notes:
“Unless Georgia reverts the current course of action which jeopardises its EU path & demonstrates tangible efforts to address outstanding concerns & key reforms, the COM will not be in a position to consider recommending opening negotiations with Georgia.”
On November 8, 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recommended candidate status for Georgia, provided that it meets nine specific conditions. The country was granted candidate status on December 14 of the same year.
Rikard Jozwiak also shared a quote from the enlargement report assessing Georgia’s progress in meeting the nine priorities. Imedi TV manipulates this specific assessment. According to their reporting, the report states:
“Georgia also made insignificant progress on the implementation of the 9 steps set by the 2023 Enlargement Communication of the European Commission.”
Jozwiak accompanies the quote with his assessment, noting that this is “yet another damning, though not surprising key line.”
The journalist’s quote, suggesting positive commentary on Georgia’s progress in meeting the nine priorities, is misleading to readers. Jozwiak explicitly used the term “insignificant” to describe the progress, a detail Imedi omits.
Myth Detector has previously uncovered instances where government media manipulatively circulated quotes from high-level EU officials. In some cases, statements are shared out of context to imply support for the government or, conversely, to direct criticism toward the opposition and civil society.
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