EU Commissioner: Black Sea Electricity, Internet Broadband Cable Project - “guide for other partners”
Olivér Várhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the Black Sea Electricity and Internet Broadband Cable Project would serve as a “guide for other partners”. Photo: Gov't Administration
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Olivér Várhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the Black Sea Electricity and Internet Broadband Cable Project would serve as a “guide for other partners”.
Perhaps the most important and tangible project we have is the Black Sea Electricity and Internet Broadband Cable Project. This model, which we created to bring green energy to Europe and broadband, high-speed internet to Georgia, and therefore to create a digital economy in the country, is an example for all partners”, Várhelyi said in his comments after the eighth meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council in Brussels.
He said the meeting also discussed transport connections.
New trade connections and routes are crucial, and Georgia has all the potential to become the centre of a new trade route. For that we need the Black Sea to become a new corridor to Europe, and so we need to repair and improve the port infrastructure”, he said.
The Commissioner highlighted “open opportunities” for Georgia, namely roaming and the first settlement system in Europe.
Roaming is an area where the Government has made great strides, as the settlement system is an important aspect that will allow us to be interconnected and thereby significantly reduce roaming and data exchange costs for both travellers and Georgians living in Europe. This will be the landmark change that will be noticeable for the population of Georgia”, he said.
Várhelyi added the second area of cooperation involved the payment system.
Here we still have steps to take [...]. It is about refining the legal norms, improving the rules in the banking sector, in order to move to a single European payment system”, he said.
The Commissioner stressed Georgia was part of the “European family”, adding “we are moving at a faster rate to new heights”.
Olivér Várhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the EU membership candidate status, granted to Georgia in December, was bringing “benefits” and “dividends” not only to the country but also to the bloc.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Tuesday told the visiting Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that his trip to Brussels was a “sign that Georgia has chosen the European path very seriously”.
A Georgian delegation led by the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is holding meetings of the Association Council with the European Union in Brussels, the Government Administration said on Tuesday.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said the eighth meeting of the Association Council between the European Union and Georgia would discuss the Black Sea submarine electricity cable project, a project for a new transmission route to connect the South Caucasus grid to Europe.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday highlighted his Government’s “ambitious plans” regarding Georgia’s integration into the European Union, noting in 2030 Georgia would be “more than ready” to become a member of the bloc.
Georgia’s participation in the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was reviewed on Tuesday by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in a meeting held on the sidelines of Kobakhidze’s visit to Brussels.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said it was “important” for the country to become a part of Europe's unified roaming space, adding “a lot of work” had been done by domestic authorities for the objective.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Wednesday said the Government was looking forward to deepening its cooperation with Iceland in green energy, innovation, tourism and other sectors.