Parliament Legal Affairs Committee to create 5 working groups for EU conditions for candidate status
The meeting of the working group on the issue of deoligarchisation is scheduled for today with the ruling team waiting for the proposals of the opposition over the matter to be submitted. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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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.
The meeting of the working group on the issue of deoligarchisation is scheduled for today with the ruling team waiting for the proposals of the opposition over the matter to be submitted.
At the previous meeting, the ruling Georgian Dream party presented the Ukrainian model on the issue of deoligarchisation, on which the positions between the political parties had been divided.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament, said the political parties had asked for time to work out the issues on the Ukrainian model and present their proposals.
We are meeting today to exchange these proposals. Hopefully, the representatives of the opposition have worked out these issues and will present their positions”, Okhanashvili said.
The ruling party has called on the opposition to cooperate following the June decision of the European Council to grant Georgia European perspective and to address several issues to receive membership candidacy status.
Georgian Dream representatives have said that fulfilling the conditions, which cover moves for depolarising the domestic political environment, “deoligarchisation”, judiciary reforms and other issues, require the opposition's involvement.
The ruling party published an action plan to address the EU conditions on July 1 and called on the opposition to cooperate to address several issues to receive the membership candidacy status.
Michael Rupp, a representative of the European Commission, on July 13 said that the European Commision would present a report on the priorities in the enlargement package in 2023 to give the Georgian political system “sufficient time” to “thoroughly work” on the priorities for membership candidate status.
The progress in the implementation of the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status was discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and diplomatic representatives of EU member states in Tbilisi.
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.
The European Commision will present a report on the priorities in the enlargement package in 2023 to give the Georgian political system “sufficient time” to “thoroughly work” on the priorities for the European Union membership candidate status, Michael Rupp, a representative of the European Commission, said on Wednesday.
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.
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 activities of the parliamentary working groups, created to review the judicial reforms for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status, and the progress in the implementation process were discussed on Tuesday by Anri Okhanashvili, the Head of Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee from the Georgian Dream ruling party and Julien Crampes, the Acting Head of the European Union Delegation to Georgia.
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.
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.
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 head of Georgia’s special state protection service will participate in the work of the country’s national security council as a permanent member.