Parliament EU Integration Committee Chair hails “important and historic" step on integration path

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.

One can say that Georgia, together with Ukraine and Moldova, has taken the first real step on the path to EU membership, and this is the beginning of a rather difficult process that should lead our country to the ultimate strategic goal [of] membership,” the Parliament official said.

Botchorishvili thanked Georgia’s European partners and representatives of EU institutions for “the opportunity given to our country.”

Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, handed over the EU membership questionnaire to Georgia’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday.

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.