‘‘Today is a kind of crowning and summing up of our 11 years of activity, which brought peace, stability, that great transformation and change, one might say, 10 years of Europeanisation. It must be said that it would have been impossible to achieve this if Bidzina Ivanishvili and his entire team, Georgian Dream, who continue this great, national work, had not made a historic change,’’ Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili said this at a briefing held in the government administration. After news broke that the European Commission issued a recommendation to grant the status of a candidate for EU membership to Georgia.
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According to Gharibashvili, the government has been working 24 hours a day on the implementation of 12 recommendations over the past year. ‘‘Unfortunately, the opposition, and I mean of course the radical opposition, has not done anything on the path of our country's European integration,’’ the Prime Minister stressed that all statements that this was a result of the will of the people are speculations.
‘‘If any government or ruler has done anything in the way of tangible European integration, it is the Georgian dream, with the association agreement, free trade, visa-free regime, the European perspective that we got last year and the candidate status, which I believe will finally be signed in December.
We will have close coordination with our European friends, and I want to point out that despite many obstacles, despite resistance, sabotage, provocations, and many destructive actions, joint, coordinated actions of internal and external enemies, we will win, our country won today, our people won, our truth has won, and once again, I heartily congratulate everyone on today's recognition,’’ stated the Prime Minister.
As for the conditions of the European Union, without the implementation of which the country cannot proceed on the next step of EU membership, the prime Minister said:
‘‘This is a normal and natural process that we will certainly continue, as we have coordinated with our European colleagues, a large part of the recommendations have been implemented, some of them may be partially implemented, but this is a natural process that we will follow and bring this matter to the end.’’
While announcing and congratulating the decision on granting the recommendation, the President of the European Commission and the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia particularly emphasized the merits of the people of Georgia.
‘‘It is truly a huge step for Georgia that underlines the impressive and very clear position of the majority of the population of Georgia to join the European Union,’’ said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
‘‘First and foremost, I wholeheartedly congratulate the population of Georgia, the people who firmly and consistently support Georgia's European path,’’ said EU Ambassador Pavel Herczynski.
The final decision on granting Georgia the status of EU membership candidate will be made at the summit on December 14-15.
The European Commission has set 9 conditions for Georgia to fulfill, after which the country will move to the stage of accession negotiations. The list of conditions is as follows:
- Fight against disinformation and foreign information manipulation regarding the EU and its values.
- Improving the compliance of Georgia's foreign policy with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union;
- Fight against political polarization - including working more inclusively with opposition parties in the parliament, especially on legislation related to European integration;
- Ensuring a free, fair, and competitive electoral process, especially in 2024; Full implementation of the recommendations of the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Completing electoral reforms, including ensuring adequate voter representation well in advance of Election Day;
- Improving parliamentary oversight, especially of the security services. Ensuring the institutional independence and impartiality of key institutions - the election administration, the National Bank, and the Communications Regulatory Commission;
- Completion and implementation of judicial reform, including the comprehensive reform of the High Council of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office, fully implementing the recommendations of the Venice Commission through a transparent and inclusive process;
- Ensuring the effectiveness institutional independence and impartiality of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Special Investigation Service, and the Personal Data Protection Service. Considering the recommendations of the Venice Commission regarding these bodies through an inclusive process. accumulation of strong experience in effective investigation of cases of corruption and organized crime;
- Improvement of the existing action plan on de-oligarchization, so that de-oligarchization is implemented with a multi-sectoral, systemic approach, in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and as a result of a transparent and inclusive process, with the involvement of opposition parties and civil society;
- Improving standards of human rights protection, including by adopting an ambitious human rights strategy and ensuring freedom of assembly and expression. Initiate impartial, effective, and timely investigations into incidents of threats against vulnerable groups, media professionals, and civil activists and bring to justice the organizers and perpetrators of violence. Holding consultations with civil society, ensuring their involvement in the law-making and policy-making process, and ensuring their freedom to work.
