Parliament official: European perspective “huge step forward” in Georgia's EU accession
While noting the importance of the development, Botchorishvili also said both the European Commission and EU member states were “well aware” of the challenges facing the country and requiring “reciprocal steps from the European side”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Monday said the European perspective, granted by the European Council to Georgia in June, was “truly a huge step forward” in terms of the country’s accession to the European Union.
While noting the importance of the development, Botchorishvili also said both the European Commission and EU member states were “well aware” of the challenges facing the country and requiring “reciprocal steps from the European side”.
“Today we are talking about what can be done for the three countries [Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova], and Georgia is considered exactly [as part of] the package that refers to the enlargement of the European Union and covers the countries that are called candidate countries”, she said.
This is very important for us, but it is also politically necessary for Georgia to be granted the candidate status in time in order to continue working on the accession process”, the parliament official said.
On June 24, the European Council granted the membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and said it would be ready to grant the same status to Georgia once the outstanding priorities outlined by the European Commission would be addressed by the Georgian government.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Friday said it was “important” to know the processes and attitudes in the European Union towards the prospects of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine joining the bloc.
Irakli Chikovani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said the “absolute majority” of conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status would be implemented by December.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s European Union integration committee, on Friday said it was “important” that European counterparts were informed about what the Georgian government was doing to fulfil European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
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.
Georgian agriculture minister Otar Shamugia on Tuesday said the government was “actively working” to fulfil the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status, adding it would be “good” if the domestic opposition joined this process.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Tuesday said the progress made by Georgian authorities on the country’s European integration path was “tangible and undeniable”, adding the country had proven it was a “reliable partner” of the EU.