Parliament official: most EU recommendations already implemented, Georgia expecting “fair assessments”, candidate status
She highlighted Georgia’s potential to “open new geopolitical opportunities” and contribute to wider European security and prosperity and stressed granting the country the candidate status would “encourage” its progress on the European path. Photo via Parliament of Georgia
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Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Sunday said Georgia had already implemented most of the recommendations, outlined by the European Union last year for granting its membership candidate status and noted the country was expecting the bloc to “take a firm step” and grant Georgia the status based on “fair assessments”.
Georgia's application for EU membership in 2022 is a constitutional goal of the country, which is supported by more than 80 percent of the population of Georgia”, Botchorishvili said at the 12th meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee in Brussels.
She highlighted Georgia’s potential to “open new geopolitical opportunities” and contribute to wider European security and prosperity and stressed granting the country the candidate status would “encourage” its progress on the European path, the Parliament press office said.
Photo via Parliament of Georgia
The implementation process of the EU’s 12 priorities and steps taken in this regard by the country were emphasised by the Georgian delegation at the Committee meeting. The Georgian side highlighted the implementation of recommendations as a “priority” to receive the status in December.
The meeting was attended by the permanent delegations of the Georgian and the European parliaments, as well as representatives of the executive structures of Georgia, the Public Defender of Georgia and the institutions of the European Union.
The next meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee will be held in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
Thea Akhvlediani, the Georgian State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, on Thursday highlighted the “success” of her Government's efforts for peaceful reintegration of the country’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions in comments for representatives of the European Union.
Genadi Arveladze, the Deputy Economy Minister, on Thursday said Georgia was “ready to do everything” to achieve its goal and become a member of the European Union, noting “getting the membership candidate status and beginning the accession negotiations are only the commencement of a long road” to EU integration.
Nacho Sánchez Amor, a Member of the European Parliament, on Thursday said the decision of the European Commission not to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status last year, had been a “big political mistake”, which strengthened polarisation instead of depolarisation in the country.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday expressed her expectation that the European Union would take a “decisive step” this year based on ”fair” assessments and grant its membership candidate status to Georgia, encouraging the country to “move forward” on its European path together with other candidate countries.
Diana Jabłońska, the Head of Unit for the team following Georgia, Moldova and the Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership in the European Commission, on Thursday said the European Commission’s report on Georgia's compliance with the European Union legislation showed there was an “important basis for moving forward”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday told Gert Jan Koopman, the Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, that Tbilisi expected “proper assessments” of its “efforts and progress” by obtaining the bloc’s membership candidate status by the end of this year.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday said polarisation was a “problematic” issue of the 12 priorities, outlined by the European Union in June for granting its membership candidate status to the country, as it could not be resolved by the Government’s reforms, it required “reduction of radicalism” in domestic opposition.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili hosted Paweł Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union, and ambassadors of member states of the bloc for a dinner on Monday.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on Monday said his country’s Government supported granting the European Union membership candidate status to Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday left for Belgium with a Government delegation, the Government Administration said.
Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Georgia's Representative to the European Union and the country’s Ambassador to Belgium, on Tuesday said Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, during his visit to Brussels, would discuss “all priority topics” of the Georgia-EU agenda, including the priorities outlined by the bloc last year for granting its membership candidate status to Georgia.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the Georgian Government would present a “detailed” report on all the fulfilled 12 priorities outlined by the European Union for granting the country its membership candidate status later this year.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the country’s European integration, as outlined in its constitution, was a “benefit not only for the ruling team” but also for its citizens.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday said the country’s legislative body had “practically completed” its work on the priorities outlined by the European Council last year for granting the state the European Union membership candidate status.