Parliament Speaker expects “conscientious and fair” EU decision on candidate status

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the European Union must make a “conscientious and fair” decision on the country’s membership candidate status later this year and allow Georgia to move to the next stage in its European integration process.

In his remarks over the matter, Papuashvili noted Georgia “must be” at the same level as Ukraine and Moldova in the bloc’s enlargement process.

[W]e take our share of responsibility. As in recent years, we are in the process of implementing the [2014-signed] Association Agreement [with the EU] in good faith, and fulfilling the commitments we have made within the framework of our relationship with the European Union”, Papuashvili said. 

The Georgian Parliament official stressed the European Commission’s January report on the bloc’s enlargement had confirmed that Georgia was still the frontrunner in the Associated Trio that also includes Moldova and Ukraine.

He also said among the three states, his country was a “leader that was not granted the membership candidate status” in last year’s decisions on their applications to join the EU.

So now it is up to the European Union. It must now make a fair and conscientious decision and allow Georgia to move to the next stage. Georgia should be at the same level as Ukraine and Moldova, [the principle of] fairness demands it”, he concluded.