The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, called on Georgia on the evening of Tuesday 6 September to make progress with its reforms, in particular in the 12 areas highlighted by the EU for Tbilisi to obtain its status as a candidate for EU membership.
“The moment is now to push ahead with the reforms, not to waste time or energy on internal divisions, but to work together”, the Commissioner warned, speaking at the 7th EU-Georgia Association Council. He recommended that Georgia focus on the implementation of the 12 priorities identified by the EU.
“Strengthening the Rule of law, implementing the necessary justice reforms to ensure a judiciary independent of outside interests, increase the fight against corruption, eliminating the excessive influence of vested interests in economic, political, and public life and strengthening the independence of the media of course are among these key tasks”, Mr Várhelyi said.
The Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, stressed that his country understood that its European perspective came with important responsibilities. “Georgia is fully committed to the implementation of the 12 priorities”, he promised, adding that as soon as the decision was taken at EU level, his country had presented a concrete action plan with deadlines.
Beyond reforms, the High Representative and the Commissioner called for the fight against political polarisation. Mr Borrell stressed “a responsibility to try to overcome polarisation, to build bridges across the political spectrum and to focus all collective efforts of the Georgian nation to reach the proclaimed objective to join the European Union, which is not only something that the government has to do, but the whole political spectrum and the whole society”. According to him, the accession process must be accompanied by a national consensus and the political forces must find a way to work together.
Recalling that he had launched an inclusive process bringing together political groups, opposition parties, the government and civil society, Mr Garibashvili regretted that opposition political parties had been unwilling to participate.
More broadly, the three men reviewed important topics of cooperation, including digital, energy and transport connectivity, strengthening Georgian resilience, particularly in the field of cyber security and the fight against disinformation, and combating illegitimate asylum claims by Georgian citizens.
The High Representative also recalled the EU’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and that the Union was continuing its efforts in this regard.
See the joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/2z9 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)