Croatian Parliament official: 2022 “injustice” of no EU candidacy for Georgia should be “corrected”
The Croatian official noted that the world was facing a “global crisis, a global challenge” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Photo: Croatian Parliament
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Domagoj Hajduković, the Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Croatian Parliament, on Monday said he hoped the “injustice” of European Union bodies denying Georgia the bloc’s membership candidate status in 2022 would be “corrected” with a decision on the matter later this year.
I sincerely hope that the injustice towards Georgia will be corrected by the end of the year and Georgia will become a [EU] candidate country”, Hajduković said.
The Croatian official noted that the world was facing a “global crisis, a global challenge” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
The European project, its peace component, has never been more important than now. As we look to the future of our continent and the European Union, we must not forget [about] the [EU’s] enlargement”, he continued.
Hajduković stressed the bloc’s “peace project” would be “impossible to achieve”, and the EU would “not be perfect”, without Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo - the countries aspiring to join the bloc.
Glenn Bedingfield, an MP in the Maltese Parliament, on Monday said Georgia should receive the European Union membership candidate status in December.
Vasile Dîncu, the Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Romanian Senate, on Monday said his country’s Government “strongly” supported not only the integration of Georgia into the European Union, but also its accession to NATO.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday highlighted the strategic partnership signed with Hungary last year and the latter country’s “firm and unconditional” support for Georgia’s European integration in a Tbilisi meeting with his Hungarian counterpart László Kövér.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday discussed his country’s agenda for accession into the European Union with Peter Burke, the Minister of State for European Affairs of Ireland as part of his visit to the country.
She stressed EU bodies granting candidate status to Georgia later this year and opening negotiations with candidate countries, together giving them a “clear roadmap” to EU membership, was the “only way” to go, and added “it requires strong support, and we count on you with this regard”.
Othmar Karas, the first Vice-President of the European Parliament, on Monday said he hoped there would be a “positive” decision on granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday said her participation at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for European Union Affairs in Madrid had demonstrated the issue of Georgia was on the agenda of EU member states “even more actively” than last year.