The European Parliament welcomed on Wednesday 14 November the sustained reform process in Georgia and the progress made in the implementation of the Association Agreement (AA) with the EU and the Comprehensive and Deep Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
In Andrejs Mamikins' (S&D, Latvia) report on the implementation of the EU's AA with Georgia, adopted by 528 votes to 97 with 34 abstentions, MEPs call for further reforms and efforts to stabilise the country, deepen democratic reforms and pursue economic and social improvements.
For MEPs, it is also important to implement an ambitious reform programme to depoliticize state institutions and their staff and to continue the fight against corruption, especially among elites. "The fight against corruption must go hand in hand with the independence of the judiciary", they add.
The European Parliament welcomes the competitive nature of the presidential elections, while calling for the problematic issues to be resolved before the second round (see EUROPE 12128).
Parliament also urges the Georgian authorities to intensify their efforts to ensure that the populations of these regions benefit from the AA and DCFTA.
On trade, MEPs welcome the progress made on the diversification of Georgia's exports, while asking the Commission to support Tbilisi in identifying other export areas, other than commodities and agricultural raw materials. Georgia must improve food security, they add. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Hermine Donceel)