European Council President says EU “ready” to grant candidate status to Georgia once conditions are met
President of the European Council Charles Michel on Wednesday said that the European Union was ready to grant the membership candidate status to Georgia once the priorities outlined by the bloc are addressed. Photo: Reuters
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President of the European Council Charles Michel on Wednesday said that the European Union was ready to grant the membership candidate status to Georgia once the priorities outlined by the bloc are addressed.
Michel highlighted the decision of the European Council in recognising the “European perspective” of the Associated trio countries of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, stressing the future of these countries and their citizens was “in the European Union”.
We decided to recognise the European perspective of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The future of these countries and the people lies in the European Union. We decided to grant the candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. We are also ready to grant the candidate status to Georgia once the priorities in the Commission opinion have been addressed”, Michel said.
The ruling Georgian Dream party on Friday presented its strategy for fulfilling the European Council’s 12-point outline, with Kobakhidze vowing the ruling team would ensure their fulfilment in “appropriate time and manner”.
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.
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”.
Ruling Georgian Dream party MP Rati Ionatamishvili on Tuesday said “any political party or group” that refused to participate in the implementation of the European Union’s recommendations for granting the membership candidate status to Georgia would “automatically be labelled as a Russian hybrid force”.
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.
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.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday pledged that “no later than a month” after receiving the European Union membership candidate status for Georgia in December of this year, the Parliament would approve a lower two percent threshold for parliamentary elections.
Davit Matikashvili, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said a “meticulous” implementation of the 12-point conditions established by the European Union would lead to Georgia receiving the EU membership candidate status, which he said was “not in the plans” of the opposition United National Movement party.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Friday said his country was “ready to accompany” Georgia on its European integration path and assist the country in reforms related to attaining the European Union membership candidate status.
The European Council’s decision on granting the European perspective to Georgia is a “recognition of the progress” achieved by the country over the years, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday at a joint briefing with Karl Nehammer, the Federal Chancellor of Austria.