Some political groups against Georgia receiving EU candidate status as result would imply “good job” by Gov’t - Parliament Speaker

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said there were domestic political groups that did not want the country to receive the European Union membership candidate status as the result would “automatically imply that the Government has done a good job”.

This [receiving EU membership candidate status] automatically implies that the Government, including [the ruling] Georgian Dream party and the [political] parties participating in [the process of implementing EU conditions for granting the country candidate status], will have an advantage”, Papuashvili said.

The head of the legislative body stressed the interest of the United National Movement, Lelo and the Strategy Agmashenebeli opposition parties was to "discredit" the process over the matter. 

They don't get involved in the work of the Parliament, they announce rallies, they clearly and openly say that they are against the European future of Georgia”, he concluded in his comments.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the domestic opposition was “doing everything” to prevent the country from receiving the European Union membership candidate status as it believed the outcome would boost the Government’s position.

• MEP disapproves Georgian opposition’s plans to boycott ruling party’s working format for EU candidacy

MEP Viola von Cramon on July 22 said she disapproved of the plans of a part of the Georgian opposition to create parallel groups and boycott a working format proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party for the country to fulfil the European Union's 12-point conditions and obtain the membership candidate status.