On Wednesday evening (7 April), the spokesperson for the European External Action Service expressed the EU’s concerns regarding the Georgian Parliament’s adoption, on 1 April, of legislative amendments revising the selection process for Supreme Court judges.
This adoption took place even though the main opposition parties continue to boycott Parliament.
Reiterating that the EU had repeatedly expressed its concerns about the shortcomings in this selection process and the applicable rules, the spokesperson noted that the EU welcomed this initiative to amend the legal framework of the selection process. However, “it is disappointing that the Georgian Parliament hastily designed and adopted these amendments without an inclusive consultation process,” they said, lamenting that Georgia had previously amended this legislation in a rushed process—without submitting a timely request to the Venice Commission and without waiting for its final opinion.
“It is crucial that the Supreme Court, Georgia’s highest judicial instance, is composed of judges of utmost professional competence and integrity,” the spokesperson insisted.
On behalf of the EU, they thus “strongly” recommended that Tbilisi ask the Venice Commission as soon as possible to determine whether the adopted amendments comply with its previous recommendations. “The new rules, once confirmed by the Venice Commission, need to apply equally to all applicants,” they warned.
According to the spokesperson, revising the selection process for Supreme Court judges in line with Venice Commission recommendations is a condition for the disbursement of the second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Georgia (see EUROPE 12609/35). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)