MEP stresses “geopolitical mistake” of not granting Georgia EU candidate status in 2022

Nacho Sánchez Amor, a member of the European Parliament, on Wednesday highlighted the “geopolitical mistake” of the European Council not granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status last year.

In comments on the ongoing work for the country to receive the status in 2023, Sánchez Amor noted “if Georgia fulfils the conditions, there should be an offer of candidate status”.

In my opinion, last year, when Georgia was not offered a status like Moldova and Ukraine, it was a geopolitical mistake. Rather than reducing polarisation, this has created a landscape for more polarisation [of the domestic political life]”, Sánchez Amor said.

The MEP stressed that now the Georgian Parliament and the domestic parties must try to offer Brussels and EU member states an image of a country “united” around the goal.

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Tuesday said the Government’s European partners were “acknowledging” the “mistake” of last year’s decision not to grant the country the European Union membership candidate status.