DISINFO: If Georgia joins the EU, it will lose 75% of its sovereignty and won't benefit economically
SUMMARY
Media and political elites propagate Georgia’s accession to the EU. If Georgia joins the EU, it will lose 75% of its sovereignty and will remain independent only in 25%. Moreover, it won’t benefit economically. Therefore, Georgia cannot join the EU.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that EU member states lose their sovereignty to the EU, consistent with another narrative about undemocratic EU. Georgia is a sovereign state recognized by the international community. The decision to join the EU is a sovereign one, made both by the candidate country and EU members. All candidate countries must fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, ie. political, economic, administrative and institutional conditions to join. The recent study by Bertelsmann Stiftung notes that the Single Market for European countries provides higher welfare, higher productivity, and lower markups to all its members. For instance, the Baltic States, which are often targeted by the same disinformation narrative, saw significant economic growth after joining the EU. After their accession to the European Union in 2004, till 2015 the Baltic countries’ GDP expanded at a record level. After 2004, all three Baltic countries have significantly reduced their level of unemployment. See similar disinformation cases here, here and here.