EU ‘respects’ Georgian gov’t decision not to take EU loan, but notes Georgia may not have been eligible
The EU has pointed at ‘shortcomings’ in Georgia’s judiciary field. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The EU delegation to Georgia has responded to the Georgian government’s recent refusal to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan, stating that they ‘respect’ the decision, but noting that the country has been unable to completely fulfil preconditions that would have been needed to receive the second instalment.
At a briefing late yesterday, the EU embassy said that the Georgian government has not yet taken genuine steps to improve issues in the country’s judiciary, increase its accountability and quality.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated yesterday that the reasons behind the refusal were the positive moves in the state economy and the government’s intention to gradually pay the country’s more than 20 billion USD foreign debt.
The Georgian NGOs have stated that the government’s refusal to take the loan amid the ‘severe epidemiological and economic situation’ in the country equalled the ‘deviation from the country’s Euro-Atlantic course’.
The opposition parties claimed that the EU would not have issued the loan at all because of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s withdrawal from the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement and that the Georgian government ‘just made the statement on the refusal to take the loan before the EU announced its denial.’
???????? Preparing for an interview on #EU's €150 million assistance to #Georgia. Unfortunately @GovernmentGeo didn't fulfill conditions listed in #MoU for the second tranche (€75mill): judicial reform, etc. You can't decline what you were not eligible for. We stand with people of ???????? pic.twitter.com/kMEzTyKctH
— Viola von Cramon (@ViolavonCramon) August 31, 2021
The ruling Georgian Dream MP Archil Talakvadze says that “statements that the Georgian government is refusing to carry out some reforms through not-taking the EU-loan or it is the signal that the country is changing its course are absurd and speculations.’
- The EU-mediated agreement, which was signed by the ruling party and the majority of opposition parties back in April 2021, aimed to resolve a six-month political standoff in the country which began after the 2020 parliamentary elections.
- Per the agreement the signatories took on responsibility to ensure large-scale electoral and judicial reforms in the country.
- The ruling party withdrew from the agreement in July 2021 ‘because of the refusal of the main opposition party, the UNM, to join the agreement and consistent violation of the agreement by other opposition parties.’
- However, the GD vowed to implement all the reforms stipulated in the agreement.
- The initiator of the agreement, European Council President Charles Michel, met with Georgian PM Garibashvili earlier this month, at which time he stated that the ‘deadline for the disbursement of macro financial assistance is looming and it is time for the Georgian government to demonstrate its commitment to the agreements and notably the reform agenda.’
- Garibashvili responded that the Georgian government remained committed to the agreement and that a big portion of the reforms have already been carried out.
The United National Movement (UNM) and the European Georgia opposition party leaders say that the Georgian government has refused to take the second part of the EU’s €75 million euro loan because the EU was likely to impose sanctions against Georgia for the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s withdrawal from the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced that the government has decided not to take the second tranche of an EU loan as 'we are trying to reduce foreign debt'. In 2020 the EU disbursed a €60 million grant as part of its €75 million Covid-19 Resilience Contract for Georgia to assist in the implementation of the government’s Anti-Crisis Economic Plan.
European Council President Charles Michel has tweeted that the deadline for disbursement of macro financial assistance is looming and ‘it is time for the Georgian government to demonstrate its commitment to the agreements and notably the reform agenda.’ Michel’s tweet comes after yesterday’s meeting with Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili during the Crimea Platform forum in Kyiv.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has annulled its signatory status to the April 19 EU-mediated agreement which resolved a six-month political crisis in the country following the 2020 parliamentary elections and proposed large-scale electoral and judiciary reforms.Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze stated earlier today that the agreement initiated by the European Council President Charles Michel ‘had completed its mission’ and accused opposition parties of non-fulfilment of the agreement.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has responded to recent statements of local and foreign politicians on the connection between EU financial aid and judicial reforms in the country. Garibashvili said that the Georgian Dream government has already carried out ‘fundamental reforms’ in the judiciary and remains committed to the tenets of the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement to proceed with court reforms.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated that taking the 75 million euro EU loan by the Georgian government would be unjustified when the state economy has increased by 12 per cent over the past six-seven months.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has stated it is unclear for her and the public why the Georgian Dream government has refused to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan which should have been addressed to decrease 'the social and human damage that COVID has done to our population'.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili ‘seems not to be well-informed’ about the EU loan and that is why she criticized the government yesterday for its refusal to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan.
Head of the European Union delegation to Georgia Carl Hartzell said the recent appointments of two new judge members to the High Council of Justice, was ‘hasty, non-transparent and non-competitive’. Ambassador Hartzell said that these appointments took place on the day after local elections they were therefore ‘at odds with Georgia’s commitments aimed at increasing the independence, accountability, quality and trust in the judiciary’, in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement
The United States Embassy to Georgia has stated that the selection of two new members to the High Council of Justice on October 31 was ‘neither competitive nor transparent’. It further noted that the US ‘has long sought to build the capacity of qualified and dedicated judges while calling for reforms that would allow for accountability for judges who undermine the legitimacy of the judicial system’.