EU Approves Report on Implementation of Association Agreement with Georgia
The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has approved a report on Implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Georgia, initiated by Sven Mixer, with 552 votes against 61.
The 36-point document discusses the implementation of Georgia's commitments and reforms under the Association Agreement.
The authors of the report assessed achievements in important areas such as political dialogue, rule of law, human rights, economic and sectoral cooperation.
Overall, the report represents a positive assessment of the implementation of the Association Agreement and the progress made in implementing reforms and passing legislation.
It praises the March 8 agreement reached between the ruling party and the opposition, noting that it significantly contributed to strengthening Georgia's parliamentary democracy following internal political turmoil, relating to the parliamentary election system.
The report also says that the state of the judiciary is still a matter of concern, due to shortcomings in the selection process of judges and a number of proceedings against the opposition, which have raised concerns about the impartiality of the judiciary. It is critical to uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the judiciary, it stresses.
Through the report, Georgia is offered to implement the recommendations issued by such international partners as the Venice Commission and the OSCE.
The report also highlighted that “Georgia continues to face significant external challenges, notably a worsening situation in its occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali / South Ossetia and cyber-attacks linked to Russian actors.”
It also praises the steps taken by the Georgian people and the public to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and the effective preventive measures taken by the medical and state authorities, which have eased the burden on Georgia's healthcare system and reduced its negative impact on the economy.
By Ana Dumbadze