Helsinki Commission urges European Council to grant Georgia EU candidate status
The Helsinki Commission, a United States Government agency monitoring security in Europe, on Wednesday urged the European Council to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status. Photo: Anadolu
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The Helsinki Commission, a United States Government agency monitoring security in Europe, on Wednesday urged the European Council to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status.
The joint statement by the United States Congress members Ben Cardin, Roger Wicker, Steve Cohen and Joe Wilson stressed Georgian citizens had “sacrificed much” for their “European identity” over decades in the face of “Russian warmongering and the challenges of painful reforms”.
They have demonstrated that they can rise to the challenge if and when the path is clear. We believe they too should be offered an equally concrete roadmap to EU membership”, the statement said.
It also stressed the EU membership candidate status would give the Associated Trio countries of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova a “fighting chance” in their common “European dream”.
The European Commission on Friday recommended to the Council that Georgia should be given the perspective to become a member of the European Union. The Commission recommended that Georgia be granted candidate status once the certain priorities in different areas of the reform agenda are addressed.
The European Commission will monitor Georgia's progress to address these priorities and report on them by the end of 2022.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said he was “convinced” the country would receive the European Union membership candidate status “in the near future”.
The United States supports the further integration of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia with their European neighbours, Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing on Tuesday.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, on Tuesday said the European Commission’s recommendation to grant the country “European prospective” was “undoubtedly” an “important step forward” on the country’s path to EU integration.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said if the European Commission had adopted a “merit-based approach” in its decision on Georgia’s membership bid, the country would have been “the first” to receive the candidate status for European Union membership.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said the body would recognise the “European perspective” of the Associated Trio countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia on Thursday.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Thursday said Georgia would be “automatically” granted the EU membership candidate status once the reform agenda criteria outlined by the European Commission are addressed.
Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, the head of the Georgian mission to the European Union, on Wednesday said the European Commission’s granting of “European perspective” to Georgia was “one of the most significant” achievements of the country’s foreign policy.
Ukrainians, Moldovans and Georgians deserve to live in “free, democratic and prosperous” countries that are “proud and committed members” of the European family, a resolution approved by the European Parliament said on Thursday.
Lorinc Nacsa, a member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Hungary, said on Wednesday Hungary would support granting Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina the European Union membership candidate status alongside Ukraine and Moldova.