Georgia needs EU membership — despite its government

There is widespread public support in Georgia for joining the European Union, as evidenced again this weekend when hundreds turned out in Tbilisi to unfurl what might well be the world's largest EU flag.

Yet, while the government professes an interest in joining the EU, it has done little to advance membership. It even tried to sabotage the entire process by failing to meet two of the 12 requirements set out for it by the EU — de-oligarchization and media freedom.

Following the ...