Business associations call on EU to grant Georgia membership candidate status

Fourteen business associations operating in Georgia on Thursday issued a joint statement in which they called on the European Union to grant the country membership candidate status next month. 

The group welcomed this month’s recommendation of the European Commission on granting Georgia the EU status, and said they “firmly believe granting [the] status to Georgia will send a positive message to other countries of the Eastern Partnership region”.

• European Commission recommends granting Georgia EU membership candidate status

The domestic business said the status would “bring the country even closer to the final goal” of membership of the EU, and confirmed “strong” support for the European integration of Georgia, which they said was of “particular importance” for the latter’s “long-term stability, prosperity and development”.

The associations also said they saw the Association Agreement, signed with the EU in 2014, as well as the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and visa-free travel that came into force in 2017, as “key tools” that should be “fully utilised” in the EU-Georgia rapprochement process.