EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee adops report on Georgia: ‘upcoming elections will be pivotal’
The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a report on the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee adopted its new report on the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, saying that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia in October will be ‘pivotal’ in confirming the country’s democratic credentials.
The report was approved by 56 votes in favour, eight against with six abstentions.
The report welcomed the ‘continuous deepening’ of EU-Georgia relations and acknowledges the ‘country's recent progress in implementing comprehensive overall reforms, which has made Georgia a key partner of the EU in the region.’
The report also says that ‘enhanced cooperation and EU assistance are conditional on continued reform progress on, in particular, democracy and rule of law, including checks and balances in the institutions, independence of the judiciary and electoral reform.’
In the text, MEPs commended the “internationally praised response of the Georgian people and public authorities to the COVID-19 outbreak”, as well as the effective work of the country’s medical workers and authorities during the pandemic.
The report condemned Russia's actions in Georgia. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The report praised the recent adoption of constitutional amendments ahead of the upcoming elections.
With regard to Georgia’s media landscape, the report views it as ‘dynamic and pluralistic, but also polarised’.
The report urged the Georgian authorities to refrain from interfering in media freedom, pursuing politically motivated judicial cases against media owners and take steps to prevent disinformation campaigns by both foreign and domestic actors.
The report said that the recent selection of Supreme Court judges in Georgia was not “entirely in line” with the recommendations by the Venice Commission and suffered from serious shortcomings.
The report condemned the ‘constant violations by Russia, which is currently exercising effective control over the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia’, of the fundamental rights of the people living in these regions, ‘who are being deprived of both their liberties and rights’.
The report will now be submitted for approval by the European Parliament as a whole. The plenary vote is currently scheduled to be held in September.
Georgia is opening its borders for travellers from five countries, announces PM Spokesman Irakli Chikovani after a meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council today. The government of Georgia is also negotiating with international airline companies to resume direct flights in Georgia. So far an agreement has been reached with Lufthansa which will start flights between Munich and Tbilisi starting August.
Georgia is on a draft list of countries that will be allowed to enter the European Union starting July 1 when the bloc's international borders are scheduled to open, reports Euronews.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili will participate in the European Union (EU) and Georgia Association Council meeting tomorrow which will be held in Brussels, Belgium. The progress achieved through the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and the Free and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) will be discussed at the meeting.
Co-chair of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, a body which provides scrutiny of the implementation of the Georgia-EU Association Agreement, states that MEPs in the European Parliament recognize Georgia’s progress to the EU.