PM vows to endorse deoligarchisation action plan

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said the Government meeting during the day would approve the deoligarchisation action plan aimed to meet one of the conditions outlined by the European Commission last year for granting Georgia the European Union candidate status.

Today, at the Government meeting, we will approve the deoligarchisation action plan, which was already defined and is a component of the 12 priorities [for EU candidacy] and now the nine steps [outlined by the European Commission]. We are committed to endorsing it”, Garibashvili said.

The Government in September announced it would develop the action plan to address the task of deoligarchisation of the domestic political scene “in accordance with the Venice Commission opinion and the requirements of the European Union”, ahead of the bloc’s decision whether to grant Georgia its membership candidate status later this year. 

Deoligarchisation is one of the 12 conditions outlined by the Commission last year for granting Georgia the status, with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe recommending the country in June to ensure a “systemic” instead of “individual” approach to the issue in comments on a draft legislation prepared by domestic lawmakers.