Future of Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova “lies within European Union” - Council of the EU
The Council of the European Union has highlighted Georgia’s progress on its EU integration path. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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The future of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and of their citizens lies within the European Union, a document published on Tuesday by the Council of the EU said following a meeting of Government ministers involving the bloc’s member states.
Acknowledging “important steps” made by Georgia in its reform process, and noting the advances had been “highlighted also in the 7th EU-Georgia Association Council in September”, the Council encouraged the country to continue on its reform path and “fully address” the priorities set by the European Commission for obtaining the bloc’s membership candidate status.
Recalling the “historic decision” of the European Council in June to recognise the European perspective and grant the status of candidate countries to Ukraine and Moldova, the document said the Council “likewise recognised” the European perspective of Georgia and “confirmed its readiness” to grant the country candidate status once the conditions were addressed.
Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and the new geopolitical reality underline the paramount importance of EU enlargement policy as a strong anchor for peace, democracy, prosperity, security and stability on our continent and a strategic priority”, the Council said.
The body also called for a further deepening of the EU’s sectoral cooperation with Georgia, on the basis of an “enhanced implementation” of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area deal, signed in 2014 as part of the Association Agreement between the sides.
Georgia's submission of an official application for European Union membership marks a new stage of the country's relationship with the EU and in the process of its integration into the Union, the Head of the Georgian mission to the EU, Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, said in an interview released by Imedi channel on Thursday.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has signed the application for European Union membership on behalf of the country, noting the “historic day” in his address to citizens.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday addressed citizens in countries of the Western Balkans as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia by telling them “you are part of our family, your future is in our Union, and our Union is not complete without you”.
Georgia's accession to the European Union is a “civilisational choice” of the country’s citizens and is not simply a matter of the Government, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos on Wednesday.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Wednesday praised the recent report by the Council of the European Union that said Georgia’s future “lies with the EU” and commended the “important steps” being made by the country in its reform process.
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița on Saturday said Moldova “lagged behind” Georgia and Ukraine in harmonising legislation with European standards.
Levan Diasamidze, the Georgian Ambassador to Moldova, on Thursday said Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili would hold bilateral meetings with European partners on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Chișinău during the day.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the European Union should grant the country its membership candidate status to “end or minimise” the polarisation on the domestic political scene.