Finland's President approves EU-Georgia Association deal

Finland has completed the ratification process of the Georgia-European Union (EU) Association Agreement (AA) thanks to the country's president signing the final document this week.

The Finish parliament ratified the document in late March but it needed to be signed by the president before it could come into force.

President Sauli Niinisto signed the EU-Georgia AA, alongside the AA deals made between the EU and Moldova and the EU and Ukraine on Friday.

The AA deal was signed by Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and the EU on June 27, 2014 in Brussels.

Georgia has already ratified its agreement. The ratification process is currently continuing in EU member states.

EU Association deals must be ratified by all 28 EU member countries before they can be fully implemented.

Countries that have ratified the Georgia-EU deal are: Finland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

European Parliament approved the EU-Georgia deal on December 18, 2014.

The agreement deepens Georgia’s political and economic cooperation with the EU and its member states.

The aim of the agreement is to gradually integrate the associated country into the EU's internal market by establishing a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between the Union and Georgia. 

The agreement supports stability and democracy in Georgia and creates a framework for further deepening of economic relations.