Parliament official: EU considering enlargement “very seriously”

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Friday said the focus made by the German Foreign Minister at a Berlin conference on European Union enlargement “once again underlined” that the bloc was considering the prospect “very seriously”.

This situation, of all of us discussing together what the European Union should be, means that EU member states take seriously the opinions of candidate countries, as this format lays the foundation for our coexistence, building a new future for Europe together”, the Parliament official said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday said a “large part of the Georgian public” had “clearly expressed their desire” for the country to join the European Union, and vowed they would not be “left alone”.

In her remarks at the conference, Baerbock highlighted support for the country’s European integration path.

The top German diplomat noted the unacceptability of allowing “gray zones” in Europe and the importance of assisting the countries on their path to joining the bloc in strengthening democratic institutions and to becoming economically strong.