Ruling party presents strategy for EU membership candidate status
The ruling Georgian Dream party on Friday presented its strategy for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status later this year. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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The ruling Georgian Dream party on Friday presented its strategy for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
The Political Council of the party met on Friday to discuss the matter of fulfilling the conditions, with Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze vowing the ruling team would ensure their fulfillment in “appropriate time and manner”, in accordance with the following plan:
- Point 1. Reducing political polarisation
In order to promote domestic political depolarisation, a Polarisation Monitoring Group will be set up under the Parliament of Georgia with the participation of all parliamentary parties, civil society representatives, and international partners. The group will carry out constant monitoring and present a weekly report to the public about the polarisation-related situation and trends in the country. The report will reflect recommendations for political parties, media outlets, nongovernmental organisations, and other entities involved in political processes. The composition and work format of the monitoring group will be specified on the basis of consultations with parliamentary political parties and civil sector representatives. The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament will ensure the coordination of the implementation of item 1.
- Point 2. Ensuring effective functioning of state institutions, parliamentary oversight, and election legislation
A working group will be established under the Procedural Issues and Rules Committee of the Georgian Parliament with the participation of representatives of all Parliamentary parties and the civil sector. It will provide a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the Parliament’s regulations in the field of parliamentary oversight and will prepare a legislative initiative to correct any shortcomings identified. The corresponding bill will be submitted to the Parliament as an initiative no later than September 21 and will be adopted no later than November 1.
A working group for the revision of the Election Code will be created under the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, which will include Parliamentary deputies from all parliamentary political parties as well as representatives of the Central Election Commission, the State Audit Service, and the civil sector. Amendments to the Election Code of Georgia will reflect, as appropriate, the recommendations provided by OSCE-ODIHR and the Venice Commission.
A corresponding bill will be submitted to the Parliament of Georgia no later than September 21 and will be adopted by the lawmaking body no later than December 13. The bill will be sent to the Venice Commission and OSCE-ODIHR for an opinion prior to passing its second hearing.
- Point 3. Judicial reform, changing the procedure for the election of Prosecutor General, and election of non-judge members of the High Council of Justice
The Judicial Reform Working Group under the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament will “actively resume” its work in the coming days and prepare a strategy and action plan for judicial reform, as well as a package of relevant bills on the basis of an “in-depth analysis” of the current situation in the judicial system.
The judicial reform strategy and action plan will be prepared and published by October 1. Legislative amendments will be prepared on its basis and submitted to the Parliament as an initiative by November 1. As soon as the bill is initiated, it will be sent to the Venice Commission and OSCE-ODIHR for an opinion. The discussion of the draft law in Parliament will begin as soon as the opinions from the Venice Commission and OSCE-ODIHR are received.
The draft constitutional law on the procedure for the election of the Prosecutor General will be submitted to the Parliament by September 1 and will be adopted by the Parliament no later than November 29. The Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament will coordinate the adoption of the constitutional law.
The Parliament of Georgia will begin the selection process of non-judge members of the High Council of Justice no later than September 30, with voting for the election of Council members set to take place no later than November 15.
- Point 4. Anti-corruption measures
A working group will be created under the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament that will prepare the concept of the consolidation of anti-corruption functions, as well as proposals for the further institutional strengthening of the Special Investigation Service and the Personal Data Protection Service.
The composition of the working group will include deputies from all parliamentary parties as well as representatives of the Administration of the Government, the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Security Service, and the civil sector.
The relevant bills will be submitted to the Parliament no later than October 19, and adopted by the legislative body by December 1.
- Point 5. De-oligarchisation
A working group will be created under the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament that will include representatives of all parliamentary parties as well as the civil sector. The working group will work on a draft law on de-oligarchisation, which will be submitted to the Parliament of Georgia no later than October 5, and adopted by no later than November 29.
- Point 6. Combating organised crime and ensuring oversight of law enforcement
A working group will be created under the Defence and Security Committee of the Parliament that will include deputies from all Parliamentary parties as well as representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, the High Council of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Service, and the civil sector.
By November 1, the working group will prepare an “in-depth assessment” of the current situation and develop proposals to “remedy shortcomings and further strengthen” the fight against organised crime.
- Points 7 and 8. Ensuring an appropriate media environment, effective investigation of crimes targeting journalists, and effective response to violence against vulnerable groups
The Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament, in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will ensure the public availability of information about the investigation of all relevant cases.
- Point 9. Gender equality and violence against women
The Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia and the Gender Equality Council will “work actively” toward preparing legislative proposals to promote gender equality and ensure an “even more effective” fight against violence targeting women.
A relevant package of bills will be submitted to the Parliament no later than October 5 and will be adopted by the lawmaking body no later than November 15.
- Point 10. Ensuring involvement of civil society in decision-making process
The Speaker of the Parliament will coordinate effective involvement of civil society representatives in all processes related to the fulfilment of conditions for the European Union membership candidate status. Additionally, mechanisms of involvement will be retained after the completion of work on the conditions.
- Point 11. Proactive consideration of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg by the Georgian court
Taking into account the enforcement procedures of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia will prepare a relevant bill and submit it to the Parliament as an initiative by September 1. The Parliament will consider and adopt the bill no later than October 18.
- Point 12. Election of the Public Defender
The Parliamentary majority will offer the Parliamentary opposition an “inclusive procedure” for the selection of candidates for the position of the Public Defender until September 1. This should ensure the nomination of an individual who will be “equally acceptable” to the majority and the opposition and, accordingly, will be elected to the position of the Public Defender with a “high degree of legitimacy”. Voting to elect the Public Defender will take place no later than December 1.
The ruling Georgian Dream party will publish its judicial reform strategy and action plan by October 1, with relevant legislative amendments to be submitted to the Parliament by November 1, party Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said on Friday.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said that a working group would be created with the Parliament’s Legal Issues Committee to work on a bill intended to address the European Council’s requirement for the country to curb “excessive influence of vested interests in economic, political, and public life”.
The ruling Georgian Dream party will offer the parliamentary opposition an “inclusive procedure” for selection of candidates for the position of the Georgian Public Defender before September 1, party Head Irakli Kobakhidze said on Friday.
The ruling Georgian Dream party will set up a group tasked with monitoring political polarisation in the country, following the inclusion of the challenge of overcoming division on the domestic political field in the conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
Hubert Knirsch, the German Ambassador to Georgia, on Sunday welcomed the Georgian Government’s initiation of work on a strategy to fulfil the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status, and said “all parties” should work in unison to overcome the polarised domestic political environment.
The United National Movement opposition party and its satellites have “no resources” to organise “unrest and revolution” in Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Monday.
Citizens opposition party MP Aleko Elisashvili on Monday said the idea of a “technical government” in the country had “failed” as he accused non-governmental organisation representatives of “turning into politicians” and deciding to “overthrow the Government” before “declaring themselves ministers” in a rally held in Tbilisi on Sunday.
Member of the European Parliament Marketa Gregorova on Monday said she was “very happy” that there was a plan and a will from the Georgian Government for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status later this year.
Levan Ioseliani, a member of the Citizens opposition party and the Vice Speaker of the Parliament, on Tuesday said the domestic opposition should work with the proposals presented by the ruling Georgian Dream party for fulfilling the European Union’s conditions for obtaining the membership candidate status later this year in addition to presenting its own vision.
Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chairman of the Rules and Procedural Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, on Tuesday called on the domestic opposition to “abandon” its “revolutionary scenario”, recognise the results of the recent elections and stop using “political slogans that torpedo the political process” in the country.
Viola von Cramon, a Member of the European Parliament, on Tuesday called the ruling Georgian Dream party’s proposal for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status later this year a “great signal”.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said if the European Council did not grant the country the European Union membership candidate status later this year, the decision would “contribute to the polarisation” of the domestic political environment.
A “certain part” of the domestic opposition is using the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status later this year for the objective of “deepening polarisation” in the domestic political environment, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Wednesday.
The Georgian Parliament is set to start the early work for fulfilling the 12-point outline established by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status, with relevant sessions of the lawmaking body scheduled on Thursday.
Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chairman of the Rules and Procedural Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, on Thursday called on the domestic opposition, non-governmental organisations and experts to get involved in the work process on fulfilling the 12-point conditions established by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday criticised the move of three Parliamentary opposition parties to boycott a working group initiated by GD for joint work for the country’s European Union membership candidate status and instead launch a separate format last week.
An alternative working format proposed by three Parliamentary opposition parties for work on Georgia’s European Union membership candidate status “will not benefit” the country’s European prospects, and the opposition should work together with the ruling party for the objective, Nika Simonishvili, the head of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association non-governmental organisation, said on Monday.
Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee will create five working groups today to address the conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country membership candidate status, with the issues of deoligarchisation, judicial reform, electoral code and creation of an anti-corruption agency, a special investigative service and a personal data protection service in particular focus, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) said.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the lawmaking body would “further strengthen” legislative activities directed against corruption.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has sued three opposition-minded channels - Mtavari Arkhi, TV Pirveli and Formula - for releasing a political ad in non-election period with “misleading and slanderous” content ahead of the June 24 pro-European rally organised by groups critical of the Government, the channels confirmed on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and Committee on Human Rights, along with the representatives of partner organisations, discussed the 9th recommendation, concerning gender equality, of the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status.
The United National Movement party, the largest opposition group in the state legislature, may join the parliamentary format proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party for addressing the 12-point conditions set by the European Commission in June for Georgia to obtain European Union membership candidate status by the end of this year, UNM MP Levan Bezhashvili said on Thursday.
The working group proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament and tasked with revising domestic electoral laws in line with the European Commission conditions for the country’s EU membership candidacy held its first meeting on Thursday.
Electoral amendments necessary for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status for Georgia will be proposed in September by the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, with the bill drafted in line with recommendations of the Parliamentary working group set up earlier this month to address electoral issues, ruling Georgian Dream party MP Givi Mikanadze said on Thursday.
The Georgian Government will officially unveil its 2030 development strategy for the country in the coming days after approving the document, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said while announcing the document involved focus on healthcare, education, strengthening of democracy and other areas.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, on Tuesday said Georgia was a “country with a recognised European perspective” and called for a “message of encouragement” in comments following the EU-Georgia Association Council meeting in Brussels.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday addressed citizens in countries of the Western Balkans as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia by telling them “you are part of our family, your future is in our Union, and our Union is not complete without you”.
Nacho Sánchez Amor, a member of the European parliament, on Wednesday said it was “good news” to see the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, put Georgia “on the same level as Ukraine and Moldova” in her recent address to the parliament.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s European Union integration committee, on Tuesday said it was important to hear a “strong and unequivocal” message that the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia were “parts of the European family”.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday discussed the implementation of the European Union’s 12-point conditions for the country’s membership candidate status and bilateral parliamentary cooperation in a Tbilisi meeting with members of the EU-Georgia parliamentary association committee.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said he had explained to the members of the EU-Georgia parliamentary association committee that the ruling party had offered “all parliamentary parties” to participate in the process of implementation of the 12-point conditions for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status.
A delegation of the ruling Georgian Dream party chaired by head Irakli Kobakhidze is expected to raise topics related to the country’s European integration process, including the implementation of the European Union’s conditions for Georgia’s membership candidate status, at the Party of European Socialists congress in Berlin between Friday and Saturday.
Germany's role and support for Georgia's EU integration process, and a deepening of mutual cooperation were discussed on Friday in a meeting between Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and Lars Klingbeil, the co-leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s European Union integration committee, on Friday said it was “important” that European counterparts were informed about what the Georgian government was doing to fulfil European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili on Monday said meeting the European Union’s 12-point conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was a “challenge” for the country, adding Georgia was not competing with “anyone but itself” in the process.
The ruling Georgian Dream party on Wednesday initiated a bill proposing the creation of an anti-corruption bureau, as part of efforts to fulfil the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
The Georgian office of the Transparency International anti-corruption watchdog on Tuesday called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to amend its recently proposed bill on establishing the national anti-corruption bureau, saying the document “does not correspond” to the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Pawel Herczynski, the ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, on Tuesday said “constructive” involvement of the country’s opposition parties, along with the government, was “critically important” for the fulfillment of the 12-point conditions set by the bloc to grant the country its membership candidate status.
The conference of parliamentary committees for union affairs of parliaments of the European Union on Tuesday adopted a declaration welcoming the June decision of the European Council to grant the EU membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and a European perspective to Georgia.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday called on domestic opposition groups and lawmakers to end “destructive actions and sabotage” against “national interests” and join the work for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status for the country.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday signed a decree opening the call for the position of the Chief of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, a newly created office the Government has initiated as part of efforts to fulfil the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
French and German ambassadors to Georgia, Sheraz Gasri and Peter Fischer, on Friday said the European Union had “opened its arms” to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova in last year’s decisions on the Associated Trio countries’ aspirations for joining the bloc, in a joint statement released on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday told the Parliament “internal hostile forces had “harmed the national interests most” over the past three decades, in comments that alleged “betrayal” of the country by the former United National Movement Government and said some of the domestic opposition was lobbying for Georgia not to be granted the European Union membership candidate status.