Important for Georgia to “seize moment” on integration path - visiting EU delegation

Members of the European Union’s Political and Security Committee, who are on an official visit to Georgia, on Wednesday highlighted the importance for Georgia to “seize the moment” on its path of EU integration into the bloc.

The European Union Delegation to Georgia said in a statement the “door” to EU membership was “now open” after the “historic” decision by the European Council to grant the country the membership candidate status last year.

The visiting delegation noted the “merit-based nature” of the accession process and invited the Georgian authorities to “take the necessary steps” to reach the integration objective.

“The necessary reforms and progress need to be delivered without delays and in a whole-of-society approach, involving the government, all political parties and civil society”, their statement said.

The time is short, and the time is now to implement the 9 steps and avoid any decisions that could obstruct the way toward the EU. Concerns with regard to some recent initiatives, including the draft law on transparency of foreign influence, have been raised with the Georgian authorities”, the statement said in reference to the reintroduced controversial bill.

The EU welcomed the Georgian Government’s decision to invite observers of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to the parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

It also highlighted the need to ensure free and fair elections, stressing the need to address all remaining ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations on amendments to the domestic election code.