Georgia's ruling party questions EU membership after Hungarian election defeat

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili publicly suggested that remaining outside the European Union could be advantageous for Georgia, marking a notable shift in the Georgian Dream party’s anti‑European rhetoric. The party, which has long promoted EU accession, is now openly debating the benefits of staying out of the bloc.

The shift follows Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s loss in Hungary’s parliamentary election. Orbán, a long‑time ally of Georgian Dream and a model for illiberal movements, saw his defeat described as a blow to right‑wing populism in Europe. Georgian opposition figures view the Hungarian outcome as potential encouragement for domestic protests against the ruling party’s increasingly autocratic tendencies.