Environmental Minister, European Commissioner discuss Georgia’s progress on EU integration path
Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, met with Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries in Brussels. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture
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Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, on Thursday discussed the “significant success” of the country on the path of European integration during his meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries in Brussels.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the meeting highlighted Georgia’s “tangible progress” in the priority areas outlined in the analytical report of the European Commission, published last year.
We are ready to continue working even more intensively to fulfil the priorities and recommendations set by the European Commission. The Ministry is actively preparing for the next steps of European integration”, Shamugia said.
The Georgian Minister provided the European Commissioner with detailed information about reforms carried out in environmental protection, including convergence of national legislation of air quality management to EU standards, adoption of a new industrial emissions law, introduction of modern water resources management systems, and protection of biodiversity.
In his turn, Sinkevičius welcomed the environmental protection reforms carried out in Georgia, and the pace the country was taking in its European integration.
The Ministry added the European Commissioner had expressed his “full support” to future sectoral reforms.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Wednesday said Georgia “continues progressing on its EU enlargement track” as the bloc’s candidate country, after his meeting with Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia.
Georgian Deputy Agriculture Minister Tengiz Nasaridze last week told the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin the agricultural production of the country was “actively growing”, with export indicators also on rise both worldwide and to the European Union.
Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia on Wednesday met Kirsti Narinen, Finland’s Ambassador to the South Caucasus, to discuss prospects of cooperation for reducing risks and disasters posed by climate change.
Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and Michael Francom, the Regional Director of the United States Department of Agriculture, on Thursday discussed topics of agricultural trade, cattle breeding industry and related challenges in a meeting held in Tbilisi.
Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, on Friday met Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, to provide information about reforms and “unprecedented steps” taken by the Government since 2012 to develop agriculture.