EU Commission to Present Opinion on Georgia’s EU Membership Application
By Khatia Bzhalava
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
The ambassadors of the EU member states have agreed that the European Commission will present its views on applications for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, the French delegation to the Council of Europe wrote on Twitter. It also mentioned the launch of a written procedure for the Council to validate draft letters seeking the opinion of the Commission.
Maka Bochorishvili, EU Integration Committee Chair stated that accession to the EU is a difficult and long process and it will depend on Georgia and its reforms as well as on the support and readiness of partner countries to have a further expansion with Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has welcomed the EU Council’s decision, stressing that this new chapter in EU-Georgia relations motivates the government to accelerate the reform agenda.
Member of the European Parliament Petras Austrevicius has stated that the message to the aggressor Putin must be clear that Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova are future members of the European Union. He emphasized that the discussions on EU membership of Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova would require a certain amount of time, noting that it is important not to revise the decision.
A draft resolution on Georgia's integration into the European Union was submitted to the Parliamentary Bureau of Georgia on Monday. In the 13-point document, the Parliament calls on the EU member states and the EU institutions to take all respective steps for the acceleration of the EU integration of Georgia. The document also calls on the EU to engage at the high level in the process of strengthening Georgia’s territorial integrity, as well as in promoting peace and stability in Georgia and the region.
