Parliament Vice Speaker says “scepticism” on Georgia’s EU membership “misplaced” with “real chance” of enlargement by 2030

Gia Volski, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday said “scepticism” on Georgia’s prospects for joining the European Union was “misplaced” given European leaders were seeing a “real chance” of EU’s enlargement by 2030.

Volski’s comment followed a statement by the European Council President Charles Michel, who on Monday said the bloc “must be ready to admit new member states by 2030”.

The Georgian official acknowledged a lack of current consensus on the enlargement of the bloc, but stressed Georgian authorities should continue their work on meeting conditions for receiving the EU membership candidate status.

This is the rational opinion of European leaders. In this case, the word ‘scepticism’ is out of place - they see a real chance of EU enlargement by 2030, because, as [the French President] Macron says, there is no synchronisation among the 27 [EU member] states that is required from the EU”, Volski said.

“Of course, all this does not mean that we should give up our obligations - on the contrary, there is the [2014] Association Agreement [with the EU] and there are meticulously implemented recommendations. It seems that there is a difference of opinion on this issue within the EU and there is no consensus, because several countries have been in candidate status and waiting for decades, among them Turkey for the longest time”, the Parliament official continued.

Volski also said he hoped the country would receive the membership candidate status later this year.