Bakhtadze Presents Roadmap to EU Membership in Brussels
Last week, while attending the joint meeting of the Government Commission on EU Integration and the State Commission on NATO Integration, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze declared that his country’s relationship with the European Union has never been so advanced as it is now, and, proudly, noted that Georgia is successfully implementing its responsibilities to the EU.
“I believe that we have sufficient resources to fulfill a part of our obligations ahead of schedule,” said Bakhtadze, optimistic about the legislative and institutional reforms that Georgia has carried out – a mandatory precondition for Euro-Atlantic integration.
The joint meeting approved Georgia's Annual National Program, one of the central mechanisms towards NATO membership. Bakhtadze reiterated that Georgia is a special and reliable partner for NATO, as evidenced by the strong messages made at the recent Munich Security Conference. “This year, we are hosting NATO's Secretary General, Military Committee, and North Atlantic Council, which is a great honor and, at the same time, responsibility. Still, all this reiterates that Georgia-NATO relations have advanced to a new level,” added Bakhtadze.
The following day, on March 5, Bakhtadze attended the 5th Meeting of the Georgia-EU Association Council in Brussels. There, he provided participants with Georgia’s “Roadmap 2EU,” a document that aims to support and enhance Georgia’s integration into the EU.
During the Georgia-EU Association Council meeting, Bakhtadze summarized Georgia’s progress towards European integration and presented the roadmap, which, as he explained, is “a very important document enabling us to consolidate our progress under European integration and to take further steps beyond the Association Agreement, toward deeper and more comprehensive integration, including sectoral integration.”
One of the most important steps towards integration over the past year include the visa-free travel regime extended to Georgian citizens by the EU in March 2018, explained Bakhtadze, “Ensuring a flawless visa-waiver process is one of our government's top priorities because, besides practical benefits, visa-free travel also carries political weight.”
Speaking about the roadmap at the Georgia-EU Association Council meeting, the Prime Minister said, “Georgia is the leader of the Eastern Partnership. When the implementation of the eastern Partnership Project started ten years ago, it was truly a milestone event. Georgia has been successful in fulfilling this task, but we believe that there is an opportunity to continue integration with focus on concrete sectors.” Consultations and detailed discussions began at the meeting, and, Bakhtadze added, “I can tell you – though it may be a bit too early – that this roadmap will help us consolidate democracy in Georgia, advance our success to a higher level, overcome the economic challenges currently facing Georgia, and successfully finalize the overarching reforms that apply to all directions, including structural reforms. I would like to single out the sector of education. I believe that this document will help provide the public with a concrete criterion for measuring Georgia's development and progress toward Europe.”
Also discussed at the meeting were the issues of the successfully competitive presidential election in October of last year, progress in rule of law reforms, progress in the implementation of the Human Rights Strategy and its Action Plan, the long-awaited adoption of the law on Occupational Health and Safety, the DCFTA, and the various financial and technical assistance the EU has provided to Georgia in the last year.
The EU underlined its commitment to continue assisting Georgia in the Association Agenda’s key areas of cooperation: economic development and market opportunities; strengthening institutions and good governance; connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change; enhancing mobility and people-to-people contacts.
By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: Press Office of the Prime Minister