Good morning from Tbilisi, 

European Union hopeful Georgia’s parliamentary elections on Saturday saw the pro-Russia ruling Georgian Dream party claim victory amid strong accusations by the opposition and international observers of “significant irregularities” in the polls.

The vote was described as decisive for the country’s EU path and key for Europe’s influence in the region. 

Georgia’s four opposition parties – which rejected the results and are considering boycotting the new parliament – have urged the EU to take measures. Mass protests are expected on Monday evening, with fears of a large-scale crackdown by the ruling party.

From Tbilisi, Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski reports that the victory of the Georgian Dream could turn into a Georgian 'nightmare' for Brussels. 

Several EU member states condemned the outcome, the EU Parliament election observers said the elections were “neither free nor fair”, while EU chief Charles Michel said EU leaders would discuss the bloc’s next steps in early November. See here what options could be on the table.

But for Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – who was first to congratulate the ruling Georgian Dream party – it’s business as usual, and he is set to take a diplomatic trip to Tbilisi this evening. 

Budapest currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, but Orbán has no EU mandate for this visit, just as was the case in his “peace missions” to China, the US (to meet Trump) and Russia. 

The visit comes just days before a crucial vote in the US, where Orbán wishes for Trump’s return to power.

Nasser Kamel, secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), told Euractiv in an interview that the EU’s hesitancy to wield its 'toolbox' in the Middle East could undermine its role in regional security. He also commented on the new Commission portfolio dedicated to the Mediterranean region.

In another interview, Věra Jourová spoke to Euractiv’s Nicholas Wallace about her ‘heartache’ over Poland, Thierry Breton’s meeting with Viktor Orbán, her spat with Elon Musk, life under communism and her brush with the law.

PARIS

French PM to present ‘reform plan’ inspired by Yellow Vest ‘grievances’. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier wants to show a five-year reform plan that will draw on the grievances and ideas President Emmanuel Macron asked around two million French people to share after the Yellow Vest movement in 2019. Read more.

LONDON

It is down to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tell Brussels what he means by a "reset" of relations, not the other way around, EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly co-president Sandro Gozi told Euractiv in an interview. Read more.

ROME

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MADRID

Sex scandal rocks Spanish far-left puts Sánchez coalition to the test. A sexual harassment scandal involving a former MP and ex-spokesman for the left-wing platform Sumar, a junior partner in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government, has triggered a major crisis in the country's left-wing camp, threatening its political credibility.  Read more.

VILNIUS

Centre-left opposition leads in Lithuania election. Lithuania's centre-left opposition is set win Sunday's parliamentary election, preliminary results showed, after a campaign dominated by concerns about the cost of living and social inequality. Read more.

WARSAW

Tusk government doing well amid the challenges, expert says. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government must be judged on the difficult task of restoring the rule of law in Poland after years of conservative PiS rule, despite failing to deliver on all its promises in its first year since the elections, a Polish expert told Euractiv. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria's GERB party, led by veteran ex-prime minister Boyko Borissov (EPP), won Sunday's snap parliamentary elections but faces difficult negotiations to form a government with the pro-European coalition We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and at least one other party. Read more.

• EU: High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell co-chairs 9th Union for the Mediterranean ministerial meeting, in Barcelona, Spain;
• Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson participates in EU-Western Balkans Home Affairs Ministerial Forum, in Budva, Montenegro;
• Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders holds meetings with Justice Minister of Montenegro Bojan Božović, with Justice Minister of North Macedonia Igor Filkov; Participates in Eurojust agreement signing with Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Budva, Montenegro; Participates via videoconference in “Shadow Rule of Law Report” of European Policy Centre (EPC) launch;
• Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski leads agri-food business mission, in Jakarta, Indonesia;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe]