Croatian parliament committee chair: “very disappointed” Georgia has not been given EU membership candidate status
Hajduković stressed the “European project” was “not complete” until every country that “shares our values and wants to be a member of our Union” joined the bloc. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
Tweet 
Share
Domagoj Hajduković, the chair of the European affairs committee of the Croatian parliament who is on a visit to Georgia, on Tuesday said he was “very disappointed” that Georgia had not been granted the European Union membership candidate status in June, while expressing his confidence that once necessary reforms are implemented, the country will receive the status.
In remarks after his meeting with the speaker of the Georgian parliament Shalva Papuashvili, Hajduković noted Croatia had succeeded in its path of EU integration and was “ready to help” Georgia to speed up the process of its admission to the bloc.
I am personally very disappointed that Georgia was not given the [EU] membership candidate status like Ukraine and Moldova, but I am sure that in the near future, when you do your homework, when you implement the necessary reforms, you will be granted this status”, the Croatian parliament official said.
Hajduković stressed the “European project” was “not complete” until every country that “shares our values and wants to be a member of our Union” joined the bloc.
You should not lose momentum and faith, you should not be discouraged, because many reforms may seem painful - and in the short term they really are - but in the long run, you can benefit from it”, he concluded in his comments.
In his turn, the speaker of the Georgian parliament noted that he had held a “positive conversation” with members of the Croatian parliament delegation.
We stand ready to enhance parliamentary exchange to intensify people-to-people contacts and promote Georgia’s European integration”, Papuashvili said.
Held a positive conversation with members of the European Affairs Committee of the #Croatian Parliament. We stand ready to enhance parliamentary exchange to intensify people-to-people contacts & promote ????????'s European integration. @dhajdukovic pic.twitter.com/vSsFLfEfkf
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) October 4, 2022
Peter Fischer, the ambassador of Germany to Georgia, on Monday said his government would work “very closely” with Georgia on the country’s European integration.
Georgia’s European Union integration progress and the country’s implementation of the EU recommendations for granting it the membership candidate status were discussed on Monday in a meeting between Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s EU integration committee, and a delegation of the national security and defence committee of the Lithuanian parliament.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union ambassador to Georgia, on Friday said the “doors to the European Union” were “open” for Georgia.
Thomas Mühlmann, the ambassador of Austria to Georgia, on Thursday said he was confident that if both the government and the opposition in Georgia worked together for fulfilling conditions for European Union membership candidate status, the objective would be successfully accomplished.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said his government would fulfil all conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili will feature in the inaugural summit of the European political community, initiated by the European Union and set to be hosted in Prague between Thursday and Friday, the government administration said.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s European Union integration committee, on Thursday said the participation of the country’s prime minister in the inaugural summit of the European political community was an “opportunity” to discuss the “important idea” over the creation of the “new European community”.
Frank Schwabe, a member of the German Bundestag, on Monday said Georgia was a “part of Europe” and added his country supported European integration aspirations of the former.
The ruling Georgian Dream party will participate in the international congress of the Party of European Socialists, set to run in Berlin between Friday and Saturday and feature high-ranking European politicians marking the anniversary of the PES.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Georgian parliament's foreign affairs committee chair, on Friday said the domestic opposition should become engaged in working groups for meeting European Union conditions for granting Georgia the membership candidate status “if they want a European future” for the country.
The Ambassador of Austria to Georgia, Thomas Mühlmann on Tuesday said that the European Council’s decision to grant Georgia the European perspective pushed the country forward on the European Union integration path.