Parliament Speaker: need for “serious, conscientious and fair” attitude from domestic opposition, EU

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday highlighted the need for a “serious, conscientious and fair” attitude towards the country from the domestic opposition and the European Union.

Commenting following critical assessments by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe of the domestic bill on deoligarchisation - designed to address one of the conditions for Georgia to be granted the EU membership candidate status - Papuashvili noted there was “confusion” around the condition.

We demand a serious, conscientious and fair approach towards Georgia from everyone - from the [domestic] opposition, from the European Union. One can not play with the country like this - sometimes to talk about deoligarchisation, to say that the [corresponding] Ukrainian law is good, that Georgia [should] follow this example, [but] then to say that there could be another direction. They need to make their mind up”, Papuashvili said. 

“This misunderstanding was caused by the European Commission itself. This should be recognised first of all. When we asked what was implied under the deoligarchisation, no one could say anything. This created confusion. This ambiguity was followed by resolutions of the European Parliament, the statements of various MEPs”, the Parliament official noted. 

Papuashvili claimed deoligarchisation had been noted as a condition for Georgia to be granted the status, while the European Commission had “not explained anything” around the concept.

The Venice Commission’s opinion on Monday recommended the Georgian authorities drop the legislative piece - which it said was using a “personalised”, instead of “systemic”, approach to curbing oligarchic influence on the domestic politics - and instead implement a wide range of systemic reforms to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of wealthy individuals.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed the opinions of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the European Commission on the Georgian deoligarchisation bill “contradict each other”.