29/11/24 (Agence Europe) – The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, Nils Ušakovs, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Georgia, Rasa Juknevičienė, on Friday 29 November regretted the decision taken the previous day by the Georgian Government to suspend efforts to start EU accession negotiations (see EUROPE 13534/31). “(...) it was the sovereign decision of Georgia to apply for EU membership in March 2022, and that it was granted candidate status in December 2023. Instead of using this historic opportunity and moving forward with the accession process, there has been a continuous democratic backsliding in Georgia”, they said in a joint press release. The MEPs also expressed “deep concern” about the rights of pro-European Georgians who have protested against the government’s plan to halt the EU integration process. (CG)