EU official: Association Agreement is a future investment

The true benefits and myths surrounding the Association Agreement (AA) document was the main topic discussed at a meeting between European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule and members of Georgia’s civil society.

The meeting, that lasted for about two hours, was part of Fule’s official two-day visit to Georgia.

In his opening speech, Fule spoke about the realities of the AA - the document Georgia is expected to sign with the EU this summer.

"This agreement is not a short cut to full employment, higher wages, or instant economic success,” he said.

However he added that over time, he believed it would contribute to a significantly more prosperous Georgia. 

"But this will not happen overnight and anyone who expects this is likely to be disappointed,” Fule claimed.

The Commissioner said the AA was "far more than a set of rules and regulations" and it represented much more than a trade agreement.

"It will introduce reforms that will progressively bring Georgia to resemble the Member States of the European Union - economically, socially, and politically,” Fule said.

He claimed the document also served to embed core European values of mutual respect, tolerance, and the rule of law into Georgian public life.

"In due course, it will deliver a higher quality of life to all Georgians,” the European Commissioner said, and used Ukraine as an example to highlight his case.

"Over recent weeks we have all watched the unfolding events in Ukraine with enormous concern. One thing is clear: the Euromaidan demonstrators were not fighting for an improved trading relationship with the European Union. They were fighting for a different way of life.One where they were free of corruption, one where the citizens come first. They knew that the Association Agreement / DCFTA with the European Union, which was to have been signed at Vilnius, could help deliver this and this is why they reacted so angrily when their leaders changed their mind and broke their promise to deliver this agreement.”

Fule spoke about economic benefits of the document. He said the Agreement would give Georgia's economy an opportunity to catch up with the EU in terms of competitiveness and therefore, to expand the benefits of the new, balanced terms of trade with the EU.

He discussed the issue based on Ukrainian and Polish cases, concluding integration with the EU could benefit an economy.

"In 1990, the Polish and Ukrainian GDP per capita were largely identical,” Fule said.

Five years later, spurred on by ambitious economic reforms supported by the EU-Poland Association Agreement, the Polish figure was almost four times higher than that of Ukraine. During the same period, total foreign investment into Ukraine fell by 42 per cent, while it rose by 66 per cent in Poland.

Meantime Fule said signing the Association Agreement would not mean Georgia chooses Brussels instead of Moscow.

"No. Those who try to reduce Georgia’s choice to such a simplistic narrative are playing into the hands of those who are looking for a confrontation. There is a choice here, yes... but it is not a choice between rivalling empires. It is a choice between political cultures. The concept we offer is one of accountability, the rule of law, a functioning judiciary; a state which works in the interests of all its citizens, not just an enriched elite. In short, good governance,” the Commissioner stated.

On the other hand, some of the representatives of non-governmental sector of Georgia noted the country’s new Government had shown certain progress in a number of fields but there still remained unsolved problems.

They expressed hope that EU-Georgia relations would keep moving ahead at full speed and the country would sign the AA as soon as possible.