“All issues” raised during EU High Representative Borrell’s visit for Georgia’s candidacy “addressed” - Parliament Speaker
Speaker Papuashvili hailed a “very productive cooperation” with the European Commission. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili’s Facebook
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday claimed “all issues” raised during the September visit of Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative and the Vice President of the European Commission, around the Georgian Government's fulfilment of the bloc’s conditions for granting the country its membership candidate status had been “addressed”.
In his press comments, the official hailed a “very productive cooperation” with the European Commission, which outlined conditions for Tbilisi’s candidate status in June 2022, and noted legal changes drafted “in coordination and agreement” with the EU structure had already been initiated.
The Georgian authorities have reacted to all the issues raised during Borrell’s visit in good faith. We expect the efforts made by the country’s Government over a year and a half [to meet the candidacy conditions] will be properly assessed [by the bloc later this year]”, Papuashvili said.
In his messages while in Tbilisi on his first official trip, Borrell highlighted the need for unity of “all political forces” in the country for ensuring Georgia’s EU integration, and stressed “depolarisation, deoligarchisation, political, economic, social, judicial, electoral reforms, media pluralism and human rights” as priorities to be addressed.
Georgia officially requested EU membership in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, along with the latter and Moldova.
In its decision in June of the same year, the European Council granted Ukraine and Moldova the bloc’s full candidacy, while Tbilisi obtained only a European perspective and a reform agenda to fulfil the EU candidacy.
The Georgian Government called the bloc’s decision “historic” but “unfair and not merit-based”, while officials from the ruling party have said they hope the country will be granted the “deserved” status later this year.
The European Commission is scheduled to present its final report on Georgia’s implementation of the outlined conditions in early November, with the European Commission using the document in December to decide on the status.
Lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party on Wednesday urged Khatuna Samnidze, the head of the Republican Party in the Parliament, to name domestic opposition representatives she accused on Tuesday of taking actions to “hamper” Tbilisi’s obtaining of the European Union membership candidate status in December.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said his Government had made "a lot of progress" on obtaining the European Union membership candidate status later this year and added expectations were “quite positive” about the outcome of the work.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative on a visit to Georgia, on Friday stressed “Georgia no doubt belongs to European family”, before revealing the bloc’s “key messages” ahead of its decision later this year on whether to grant Tbilisi its candidate status.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the introduction of electronic voter registration and voting in the country starting with the 2024 parliamentary elections was a “qualitatively new electoral system” of a “top standard”, in comments to critical reactions to the initiative by a part of the domestic opposition.
Khatia Dekanoidze, an opposition MP from the Euro Optimists faction in the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said she could confirm “mixed messages” from domestic opposition groups over the country’s European Union membership candidate status were “causing concerns” among its foreign partners.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday told the Global Gateway Forum the country remained “determined in its choice to align” with the European Union and its values, “despite the challenges Georgia faces”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the European Union membership candidate status would be received by the Government on behalf of the country’s citizens, as the bid for the status had been “made on their behalf” in 2022.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Friday said even the governments who were the “biggest sceptics” of the enlargement of the European Union “strongly supported” Georgia’s integration into the bloc.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said a “positive” decision on the European Union membership candidate status later this year would “strengthen” the Georgian Government ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections.
Stéphane Sarrazin, the Canadian MP, on Monday lauded the engagement of a Georgian Parliamentary delegation in the ongoing Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly of Europe in Athens, saying the forum was a “good opportunity” for cooperation over topics like Georgia’s EU integration.