Georgia makes “major step forward” on EU integration path - FM
Darchiashvili said by receiving the questionnaire the country had made “another major step forward” on the path of EU integration. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Georgia will “spare no effort” to fill out the European Union membership questionnaire and proceed to the next stages of the application process, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili said on Monday.
Darchiashvili said by receiving the questionnaire the country had made “another major step forward” on the path of EU integration.
By receiving the questionnaire, we have made another major step forward on the path of our people's national choice - ???????? integration! Many thanks, Commissioner @OliverVarhelyi.
— Ilia Darchiashvili (@iliadarch) April 11, 2022
???????? will spare no efforts to timely fill in the document and proceed to the next stages! pic.twitter.com/XL7Kpy4YEL
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, handed over the questionnaire to Darchiashvili on Monday.
The questionnaire contains 369 questions, significantly less than ones received by other EU partners. Previously, forms including about 2,000-5,000 questions were received by countries aspiring to join the Union.
After the Georgian authorities respond to the questionnaire, the European Commission will prepare its report and forward it to the European Council. Georgia has 1.5 months to complete the questionnaire.
The Georgian Parliament has approved the resolution on the country’s European Union integration during the plenary session on Tuesday.
A total of 111 MPs voted in favour of the resolution, with no votes against.
The European Council on Friday invited the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to submit its opinions on the EU membership applications of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, handed over the European Union membership questionnaire to the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday.
Irakli Garibashvili, the Georgian Prime Minister, has noted an “important day” for the country with the Foreign Minister set to receive the questionnaire for European Union membership from the European Commissioner.
The questionnaire handed to Georgian authorities as part of the country’s European Union membership bid is the “first step” on Georgia’s European path, Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, said on Monday.
Georgia's official application for European Union membership, and the European Parliament's support for the country were discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and a delegation of the European Parliament in Tbilisi on Monday.
Georgia has made tangible progress toward European Union integration, Parliament Vice Speaker Archil Talakvadze said on Monday as Georgian authorities received the questionnaire for the country’s EU membership.
The “ball is in Georgia's court” on the “big and difficult” job on the path of the country’s European Union membership process, Carl Hartzell, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, said at a press conference on the handover of the membership questionnaire to Georgian authorities on Monday.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has called on “everyone” in the country to unite, making the plea in a briefing over Georgian authorities receiving the questionnaire for European Union membership on Monday.
The timeframe of the reform for the judiciary system of Georgia has been agreed, with both development of the package and its approval possible before the end of 2022, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Monday.
The reception of the European Union membership questionnaire by Georgian authorities marks an “important and historic” step on the country’s path to EU integration, Maka Botchorishvili, the Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, said on Tuesday.
The Government of Georgia has published the second part of the European Commission questionnaire for Georgia’s European Union membership on Friday, following a decision by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to make the document public.