European Commission President highlights Georgia’s “progress”, calls for taking “opportunity”
She added the experience of the European Union enlargement showed that it had been “of enormous benefit to countries and societies”. Photo: Johanna Geron/EPA
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Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday said her meeting with the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Granada had reviewed Georgia’s “progress” on the European integration path.
In her remarks with the media, von der Leyen noted that “a lot has been done and a lot is still to do” in terms of implementation of necessary reforms for the integration process.
“The main message is ‘take the opportunity now, give a push forward to the process’”, the EU official said.
She added the experience of the European Union enlargement showed that it had been “of enormous benefit to countries and societies”.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday highlighted his “devotion” to Georgia's European Union membership on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Granada.
Georgia's progress in implementing the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Granada.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday said he had received confirmation from all European leaders that they would support the decision to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, on Thursday said he had “optimistic” expectations regarding the European Commission’s upcoming decision on Georgia’s EU membership candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday hosted his visiting Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán and his wife at a dinner in Bioli wellness resort near Tbilisi, where the officials discussed “friendly ties and partnership” in an informal environment before their scheduled official meeting on Wednesday, the Government press office said.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Wednesday said Hungary was expected to be “vocal” in voicing its support for Georgia’s European integration at the Council of the European Union, the bloc’s key decision-maker, ahead of the EU’s decision later this year whether to grant Tbilisi its membership candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday told his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán his Government had ensured an “open, transparent and inclusive process” for the implementation of the conditions outlined by the European Union last year for granting Tbilisi its membership candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday addressed Charles Michel, the European Council President, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish PM whose country chairs the Council of the EU, and leaders of the bloc’s member states to back his country’s EU candidacy in a “watershed moment” for its integration this week.