"If Georgia is ready by 2030 and fulfills all the conditions, I think the EU should be ready to accept Georgia," said the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.
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At the press conference held after the meeting of the Georgia-EU Association Council, a Georgian journalist asked a question about the possibility of EU expansion and the date mentioned in this regard, 2030. Varhelyi said that this opportunity is now presenting itself, and it is too early to say when the expansion will happen.
"But what is clear is that from our side, from the side of the Commission, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the member and candidate countries are ready. If they are ready in 2030, then it will happen in 2030. If they are ready sooner, it will happen sooner.
There are clear conditions for becoming a member of the European Union, and you can become a member of the European Union only after meeting these conditions. If Georgia is ready by 2030, fulfilling all conditions, I believe the EU should also be ready to accept Georgia by 2030, because I see it as a two-way road," said Varhelyi.
Oliver Varhelyi's statement that the door is open for Georgia was also supported by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
"Everyone should know that the door is open. Now, you have to walk through that door, and walking through the door means what everyone knows: it's a merit-based process, conditions have to be met, reforms have to be made. You can't ask for more. Don't look for the cat's fifth leg. The door is open, and we are talking about fulfilling the requirements that are set for everyone," said Josep Borrell.
Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, stated that the government has ambitious plans for the country's European integration, and by 2030, Georgia will be more prepared for EU membership than any other candidate country.
"This is our ambition. We are committed to this agenda, to the steps necessary for European integration. We have great hope that Georgia will become a member state of the European Union by 2030," the Prime Minister said.
Georgia was granted the status of a candidate country for the European Union in December 2023, with the condition that the country would take steps in nine specific areas.
The European Union has requested Georgia to take action in several key areas, including: Combating disinformation, foreign information manipulation, and interference that undermine EU values; Aligning Georgia's foreign policy more closely with the EU's common foreign and security policy; Addressing political polarization within the country; Ensuring a free, fair, and competitive electoral process, particularly in 2024; Enhancing parliamentary oversight; Implementing judicial reforms; Ensuring the efficiency, independence, and impartiality of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Special Investigation Service, and the Personal Data Protection Service; Enhancing the existing action plan for deoligarchization; Improving standards for the protection of human rights.
Fulfillment of these conditions is necessary to proceed to the stage of initiating accession negotiations.
