On the evening of Wednesday, 15 May, President of the European Council Charles Michel emphasised his “full support in continuing to help Georgians to work towards a European future, including by helping to find the best way to address legitimate concerns of all sides”.
Earlier in the day, he had spoken to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and then Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the telephone—discussing possible ways to address public concerns regarding the law on the ‘transparency of foreign influence’ (see EUROPE 13410/10).
According to a European source, Mr Michel stressed the special role that Mrs Zourabichvili has been playing in reducing polarisation in the country and thanked her for all her efforts to that end. He also encouraged Mr Kobakhidze to continue his commitment to finding ways out of the political turbulence.
“It is up to the Georgian people to determine their own future. Courageous political leadership can facilitate it”, President Michel reportedly pointed out, warning that Georgia should not risk its European future for any actor’s short-term political gain.
According to this source, the EU and Mr Michel are closely involved in trying to find the best possible solution and in supporting Georgia’s European future. The source revealed that the president of the European Council was now going to consult EU Member States on “how to address outstanding challenges”.
On their side of things, David McAllister (EPP, German), chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs; Marina Kaljurand (S&D, Estonian), chair of the delegation for relations with the South Caucasus; and Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonian), the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Georgia, called on the Council of the EU and the European Commission on Wednesday evening to reconsider relations between Georgia and the EU, “including our political and financial support to the country”.
They also asked the European Commission to provide an immediate oral assessment as to how the law will impact Georgia’s EU accession process, as 12 foreign ministers had requested on 10 May (see EUROPE 13408/31). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)