EU Foreign Affairs Council confirms Georgia has made “significant progress” in “many key reforms”
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili was hosted at the meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council on Monday. Photo: Foreign Ministry press office
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The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council on Monday confirmed Georgia had made “significant progress” in “many key reforms” carried out in the country’s efforts for integration into the bloc, and highlighted the roles of rule of law, human rights, media, civil society and independent state institutions as “important elements” for each country aspiring to join the bloc.
In a Council meeting in Luxembourg, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili was hosted to discuss the country’s European perspective ahead of the bloc’s forthcoming decision whether to grant it its membership candidate status by the end of this year.
The discussion also reviewed the need to “strengthen” the country’s democracy.
Glad to be participating in the EU #FAC session. This is a unique opportunity to speak with my colleagues regarding ????????'s progress in terms of implementing the EU Commission's 12 recommendations, as well as the steps ???????? gov't is taking to bring our country closer to EU Membership. pic.twitter.com/eaqijElWSR
— Ilia Darchiashvili (@iliadarch) April 24, 2023
Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Monday described Georgia as a “very important country” ahead of the meeting and pointed to the country’s “specific security challenges” - the occupation of 20 percent of its territories by Russia - on the backdrop of Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Georgia officially applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and was granted a European perspective by the bloc in June.
The authorities of the country also received 12 conditions to fulfil for gaining the candidate status, which include reforms of the judiciary, electoral system and other areas for the country’s alignment with the EU framework.
The European Council on Monday published Conclusions on European Union priorities for cooperation with the Council of Europe 2023-2024, with the document noting the future of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and their citizens "lies within the EU”.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Monday described Georgia as a “very important country” ahead of a meeting of the bloc’s Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg later today.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has praised a “historic day” for Georgia with his signing of the country’s bid for European Union membership on Thursday, saying the move “continues the efforts of our ancestors, which was aimed at unification in a common European family.”
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on Thursday said the body had granted the European Union membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and was ready to grant the same status to Georgia once the outstanding priorities outlined by the European Commission were addressed by the Georgian Government.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, was on Tuesday elected the Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Implementation of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights of the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The process of Georgia's accession to the European Union was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Charles Michel, the President of the European Council.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on Tuesday, by addressing the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, said the European Union would stand by him “every step of the way”.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Monday said the European Union had no information or evidence of Georgia assisting circumvention of the bloc’s sanctions imposed on Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian ambassadors in European Union member states, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and officials from the country’s foreign office on Wednesday gathered in Berlin to discuss coordination and efforts for Georgia’s EU membership candidate status.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday claimed all 12 conditions outlined by the European Council last year for granting the European Union membership candidate status to Georgia would be fulfilled by the end of June.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday said the radical domestic opposition was sabotaging the implementation of the 12 priorities, outlined by the European Union last year for granting its membership candidate status to Georgia.
Givi Mikanadze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Education, Science and Youth Affairs Committee, has been re-elected as the Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Implementation of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights of the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.