EU report calls bloc’s cooperation with Georgia “strategically sound”

The European Union on Monday published an evaluation on the effectiveness and impact of the bloc’s cooperation with Georgia between 2014-2020, with the document noting the partnership “has been strategically sound and has benefitted from a strong institutional setup in its design and implementation”. 

Stressing that “a wide range of instruments, modalities and funding channels” had been employed in the cooperation with Georgia, the document said there had been progress contributing to “increased accountability and transparency and the visa liberalisation has worked well”. 

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The evaluation highlights that the [Georgian] population’s trust in the European Union has remained high”, the document notes. 

Pointing to shortcomings, the report said the visibility of EU programmes had been an issue in the early stages of the evaluated period, but the EU representation to Georgia “has improved its approach”. 

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Also, among the shortcomings, limited progress in the reform of the judiciary as well as in human rights, have been noted”, it points out. 

The report said that "visa liberalisation has worked well”. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge. 

An independent team of evaluators working on the document over the past two years looked into 2,000 documents and held interviews with close to 100 stakeholders. They have recommended that the EU continue to use the wide range of instruments, modalities, and channels, including policy and political dialogue, but with closer attention to effectiveness.

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The recommendations also include adoption of a “critical approach to assessing the need for capacity building and technical assistance to ensure sustainability”, while “[r]esults of interventions should be closely monitored”. 

The EU should continue to improve the quality of mainstreaming cross-cutting issues, particularly gender equality and women’s empowerment. The European Union’s cooperation portfolio should be positioned strategically to reflect the evolving geopolitical context”, the document highlights. 

The evaluation also provides recommendations on six priority sectors of EU-Georgia cooperation in 2014-2020, which included agriculture, rural and regional development; public administration reform and public finance management; justice, rule of law and democratic governance; economic development, market opportunities and skills; connectivity; mobility and people-to-people contacts.