European Commision recommends granting “European prospective” to Georgia
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Georgia shared the “same European aspirations and potential” as Ukraine and Moldova, the other two states that have formally applied for membership. Photo: Reuters
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The European Commission on Friday recommended the European Council to grant Georgia “European prospective” before assessing how the country meets a number of conditions for receiving the European Union membership candidate status.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Georgia shared the “same European aspirations and potential” as Ukraine and Moldova, the other two states that have formally applied for membership.
Georgia’s [membership candidate] application has strength, in particular the market orientation of its economy, strong private sector, and to succeed the country now must come together politically to design a clear path towards structural reform and the European Union”, the EU official said.
Von der Leyen also noted the outlined path for the country “concretely sets out the necessary reforms, brings on board the civil society and benefits from broad political support”.
This is why we recommend the Council to grant the European prospective and to come back and assess how Georgia meets the number of conditions before granting its candidate status”, she concluded.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said Georgia was ahead of Ukraine and Moldova, the fellow states with European Union membership bids, in “all parameters” of EU integration.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said if the opinion of the European Commission on the European Union candidacy of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia was “based on merit”, then Georgia deserved the membership candidate status.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said the European Union membership candidate status must be granted “as soon as possible” to the Associated Trio countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
A number of German political parties, including the opposition CDU/CSU faction, have launched a motion supporting a “rapid granting” of European Union membership candidate status to the Associated Trio countries Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, German media reported on Tuesday.
Georgia has been waiting for an official recognition of its European perspective for many years, and the Government is pleased that this perspective has been officially recognised by the European Commission, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Friday.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday noted the “historic” event of European Union bodies granting the three countries “European perspectives” in their membership bids.
Recognition of Georgia's European perspective through the decision of the European Commission on Friday is “undoubtedly a step forward”, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of the Georgian Dream ruling party, said on Friday.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Friday said Georgia was “firmly anchored” on its EU membership path following the recommendation of the European Commission on the country’s bid.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said he believed the country would see “even more important decisions on its European path in the near future”, following the European Commission recommendation on Georgia’s European Union membership bid.
Georgian civic initiative group Take a Step Towards Europe on Friday responded to the European Commission's recommendations on granting European Union membership candidacy to Georgia by calling on the Government to start implementing “immediate” reforms for obtaining the status.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Friday welcomed the decision of the European Commission on granting Georgia “European perspective” as a “beacon” on the “arduous road” to European integration of the country.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Friday said the European Commission had formally confirmed “for the first time” that the prospect of Georgia's accession to the European Union was an “irreversible reality” and that the country would “definitely” become a member of the EU.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said the Georgian Government was aiming not for the European Union membership candidate status, but to join the bloc.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday hailed the “historic decision” by the European Commission to grant the country “European prospective” in the process of its European Union membership application.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday credited the ruling Georgian Dream party and the former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili with “all tangible achievements” on Georgia's European integration path.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the Georgian Government would be “properly prepared” to report on its reform progress to the European Commission by the end of the year.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday pledged the Government would implement all recommendations of the European Commission on Georgia’s European Union bid.
The European Union on Monday published an evaluation on the effectiveness and impact of the bloc’s cooperation with Georgia between 2014-2020, with the document noting the partnership “has been strategically sound and has benefitted from a strong institutional setup in its design and implementation”.