Welcome to Better Europe’s weekly update on EU Affairs.
GEORGIAN ELECTIONS FURTHER COMPLICATE EU ACCESSION
Following Georgia’s legislative elections on 28 October, the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory with 54% of the vote. Amid reports of vote-buying, irregularities, and polling station violence, international observers including the OSCE declared the elections neither free nor fair. Pro-European opposition leaders, led by President Salome Zourabichvili, condemned the outcome as fraudulent and called for public protest. In a controversial move, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, visited Tbilisi to endorse Georgian Dream’s vision of “pro-European” politics, which he framed as a commitment to peace and a rejection of Western calls to confront Russia. EU leaders, however, voiced alarm over Georgia’s democratic backsliding which could lead to a slowdown of the EU accession process, and EU officials warned that membership might be more difficult unless governance standards improve. As Zourabichvili and opposition forces continue to rally to challenge the election’s legitimacy, Georgia finds itself at a decisive crossroad for its European future.
EU PUSHES FOR BIODIVERSITY FUNDING AT COP16 IN COLOMBIA
COP16 in Cali, which began on 21 October and runs until 1 November, is at a critical juncture as nations debate how to bridge the massive biodiversity funding gap that threatens the “30 by 30” target of protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030. The EU is pushing for global funding commitments to meet the target, as so far only 17.6% of land and 8.4% of marine areas are covered. Brazil, Congo and other biodiversity giants are at the same time turning up the heat, demanding fair funding that matches their needs. In line with the EU’s Green Deal and Biodiversity Strategy, biodiversity and climate action should finally be in sync, a message to be repeated at UN climate conference COP29 in Baku next month. While COP16 is a biennial biodiversity review under the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP29 will focus on emissions reduction targets under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. EU leaders however see the two as two sides of the same coin, aiming to merge the environmental agendas and trigger global action on both fronts.
NEW EU TARIFFS ON CHINESE ELECTRIC VEHICLES
In a bold move to counter a flood of subsidized imports threatening EU manufacturers, the European Commission has decided to impose import tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). The decision follows a rigorous anti-subsidy investigation which found that Beijing’s support is undermining European carmakers. The tariffs will take effect immediately and last for five years, and come on top of the existing 10% duty on Chinese electric cars, and include vehicles made in China by foreign brands such as Tesla. European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis welcomed the measures as essential for fair competition, although Member States such as Germany and Hungary fear they could escalate to a trade war with China. Beijing has already condemned the tariffs as “unfair” and signalled possible retaliation. The stakes for both Europe and China are high and could significantly slow down global electric vehicle trade.