“Radical opposition” acting against Georgia’s EU candidacy with proposals - ruling party MP
Rati Ionatamishvili, a ruling Georgian Dream party MP, on Monday slammed a part of the domestic opposition for their recent announcement on initiating a bill for Georgia’s European Union membership candidate status this month. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office
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The “radical part” of the domestic opposition is “acting against” the Georgian Government’s plans to receive the European Union membership candidate status next year by drafting bills as part of parallel working groups that “demonstrate their anti-Western goals”, ruling Georgian Dream party MP Rati Ionatamishvili said on Monday.
Ionatamishvili was making the comment on the recent announcement of four Parliamentary groups and five independent MPs that they would present a “bill for Georgia’s EU candidacy” this month that would act as a separate legislative initiative from the Government’s work for the goal.
In his remarks, Ionatamishvili stressed the United National Movement, Lelo, Strategy Agmashebeli and the Republican Party opposition groups, along with several opposition MPs, were “trying to create artificial barriers for Georgia’s European Integration process”.
The MP suggested both the Georgian public and international community were “well-aware” of the ruling party’s “continuous efforts” for the country to meet the 12 conditions set by the European Commission to grant it the candidate status.
“The radical part of the domestic opposition has distanced itself from the legal process which was initiated by the ruling party in June to meet the EU conditions”, Ionatamishvili said.
In their statement, released early on Monday, the opposition groups and MPs said their bill, drafted “through the cooperation with the civil sector”, would ensure the fulfilment of the EU conditions while adding the current authorities were “unwilling to take steps for Georgia’s EU integration”.
The parties refused to participate in the ruling party-proposed working groups, set up in July with the task to meet the European Union conditions after the European Council granted Georgia the European perspective and several months to meet the conditions for the candidate status.