Georgia celebrates 6th anniversary of signing Association Agreement with EU
The EU-Georgia Association Agreement fully came into force on July 1, 2016 after the national parliaments of all EU member countries had ratified the document. Photo: Georgian PM's press office/archive
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Six years ago on June 27, Georgia signed the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union in Brussels, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has tweeted:
On June 27, 2014 EU & Georgia signed Association Agreement - Georgia’s most significant international agreement putting it firmly and irreversibly on the path of European integration. Our commitment as strong as ever to keep effective and speedy implementation ????????@GakhariaGiorgi pic.twitter.com/RKC4ibAsod
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) June 27, 2020
Georgia began negotiating with the EU on its AA deal in July 2010; negotiations on the DCFTA started later in December 2011. The final deal was initialled at the Vilnius Summit in November 2013, when the negotiations had already ended.
Although the essential elements of the AA partially came into force from September 1, 2014, the agreement fully came into force on July 1, 2016 after the national parliaments of all EU member countries had ratified the agreement.
Last night the EU Foreign Affairs Council announced its decision to end the procedures needed for ratification of the EU-Georgia AA deal. The Council said the Agreement would come into force on the first day of July 2016.
This afternoon Usupashvili announced Belgium – the final EU state to sign the Georgia-EU deal – had penned the agreement this morning. Through this step, the Georgia-EU AA ratification process was completed.
Today Parliament ratified the AA with 123 votes in favour and 0 against.
Georgian, Moldavian and Ukrainian Embassies across the globe are celebrating the signature of a "watershed” agreement with the European Union.
Georgian and foreign officials, including President Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, have joined in celebrating of the 6th anniversary of the signing of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.
The European Commission said in its recent report on the fulfilment of the visa liberalisation requirements that Georgia continues to fulfil the benchmarks. The Commission notes in its introduction that this report focuses on specific areas where further action is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the progress achieved; therefore, benchmarks 'with a stable implementation record are not covered'.
The report on the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, which has been approved by the European Parliament with 552 for and 61 against, says that Georgia has remained committed to the implementation of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and is continuing its alignment with the EU standards,’ which is bringing increasing benefits.’
Georgia will introduce additional verification at Georgian border checkpoints for Georgian citizens travelling to Schengen countries from January 1, 2021 to make sure they fulfil the existing Schengen entry criteria.EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell visited Tbilisi International Airport earlier today to see how these checks will be implemented and what Georgian citizens can expect.
Seven years ago on June 27, Georgia signed the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union in Brussels, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell congratulated Georgia on the anniversary, calling the Association Agreement ‘the anchor of our close relationship’.