Georgia's ruling party announced today that the country will suspend negotiations with the EU until 2028 and reject European funding, effectively halting its bid for membership.

In a statement, the ruling Georgian Dream party accused the EU of a "cascade of insults", of using the accession negotiations for "blackmail" and "organising a revolution in the country".

"We have decided that until the end of 2028, we will not put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda. We also reject any budget funding from the EU until the end of 2028."

Georgia, with a population of 3.7 million, has EU membership in its constitution and is traditionally the most pro-Western of all the former Soviet republics, but relations with Brussels have deteriorated in recent months.

The EU previously announced that Georgia's application for membership had been frozen. Polls show that around 80 percent of Georgians support EU membership.

The Georgian Dream has been repeatedly embroiled in diplomatic disputes with Brussels and has deepened relations with neighboring Russia.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters today that EU membership could hurt Georgia's economy, as Tbilisi would have to cancel visa deals and trade deals with other countries.

The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023, but has criticized some laws such as those on "foreign agents", LGBTQ rights, as inspired by Russia and as a barrier to membership.

Western countries also assessed the October election, in which the Georgian Dream bloc won 54 percent of the vote, as irregular. Opposition parties said the election was rigged and refused to take their seats in parliament.

The European Parliament passed a resolution calling for the annulment of the elections and their re-announcement, as well as the imposition of sanctions against key officials of the Georgian Dream.