Georgian Parliament Committee Chair discusses EU enlargement at conference of candidate countries
The Conference also discussed regional cooperation and connectivity, with the Committee Chair noting Georgia's role in the Middle Corridor, a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus. Photo: EU Integration Committee, Parliament of Georgia
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Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday discussed the European Union’s enlargement policy at the 20th anniversary meeting of the Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on European Integration/Affairs of the States Participating in the Stabilisation and Association Process in South-East Europe.
The Committee said the Conference discussed the EU enlargement policy, achievements and challenges faced by candidate countries, impact of the “geopolitical environment” and regional cooperation matters.
Botchorishvili highlighted progress achieved by the country “in various directions” in its association with the bloc and challenges facing the state, noting the country had become a candidate for EU membership in December of last year.
The vast majority of Georgian citizens support Georgia's integration into the EU. Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia last month, and more than 53 percent of Georgian voters made it clear that they entrust their European future to the ruling party”, she said.
She also mentioned the European Commission's latest enlargement report, which noted that Georgia had made progress in 25 of 35 enlargement chapters, “surpassing” some other candidate countries in “fundamental rights”.
Botchorishvili also highlighted security challenges facing the country, the “geopolitical importance” of Georgia in EU enlargement policy, and the need to “maintain security and stability” in the wider region.
The Conference also discussed regional cooperation and connectivity, with the Committee Chair noting Georgia's role in the Middle Corridor, a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus.
The COSAP Parliamentary Conference has been used as a platform on EU integration for Western Balkan countries since 2005. This year, Georgia hosted the first inter-parliamentary conference on EU integration issues with the countries in Tbilisi, marking its second participation in the COSAP parliamentary conference.