Brussels, 12/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 11 July, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle announced a new programme of €16 million, which aims at “enhancing Georgia's capacity for border management and migration” for “safer and easier movement of people and goods”. Füle signed the four-year financing agreement for this programme with Georgia's State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexander Petriashvili.
The programme should enable improvement of Georgia's border management by supporting agencies active in this field, encouraging the exchange of data and providing modern equipment for the monitoring of borders in line with EU standards. The programme also aims to strengthen the government's capacity to coordinate and manage migration through technical assistance - in particular, through supporting the implementation of a migration action plan and through strengthening the government's capacity to fight against cross-border crime and trafficking in human beings by supporting the state migration commission and the state fund for victims of trafficking in human beings. Border management and migration are part of the dialogue on visa liberalisation, and the visa liberalisation action plan.
Good governance and respect for human rights are integrated into this new programme, the Commission states.
Füle calls for reforms. During a conference in Georgia on 12 July, Füle said he wanted to dispel a myth - that “Georgia's chances of success in Vilnius are low” and that, after the elections last October, the country “does not continue in its previously defined pro-European, pro-democracy and pro-reform orientation”. “This indeed is a myth and needs to be dispelled - we do not see this as a truthful reflection of the country's reality”, Füle said.
The previous day, Füle stated that “the run-up to Vilnius is also a crucial phase when Georgia is expected to demonstrate its genuine commitment to the European path”. He reiterated the importance of shared values. He therefore underlined the need to have strengthened democratic institutions, and for political pluralism and freedom of the media to be promoted. Füle added, once again, that it is important that justice is fair and free of any political interference.
Welcoming “the Georgian government's commitment to ensure that criminal prosecutions will be transparent and fully respecting due process”, Füle said that “it is important that this commitment be reflected in the public statements of politicians and in their actions”. He stressed “the importance the EU attaches to constructive cohabitation and cooperation between the various branches of power”. (CG/transl.fl)