CU SecGen: Constitutional and Judicial Reforms Progress in Georgia

In his speech at the Council of Europe-hosted meeting of the Committee of Deputy Ministers on February 3rd, CU Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland discussed the current situation in Georgia and underlined that on the sidelines of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly, he held meetings with chairpersons of the opposition parties, Chairperson of the Supreme Court, Nino Gvenetadze and President of the Constitutional Court, George Papuashvili.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry (MFA) says the Secretary General underlined that he had a number of positive meetings during PACE week and that both the constitutional and judicial reform processes in Georgia are progressing well.

As Jagland stated, opposition leaders in Georgia have now convened a cross-party group on electoral reform, which is a good development for political dialogue, particularly before the crucial electoral process. “I was pleased to see opposition leaders speaking with one voice, despite having different opinions on many other issues,” the Secretary General stated, adding that it is now important that [they] and the Government work together to install a fully regional proportional electoral system.

Jagland further declared that he was pleased to hear that both the constitutional and judicial reform processes in Georgia are progressing well, and that accountability to the Parliament has become more visible in the political and judicial systems.

The EU official also emphasized that he was assured by both Court Presidents that important moves have been made toward independence and impartiality of the judiciary and that trust in state institutions is on the increase.

Source: www.mfa.gov.ge

05 February 2016 17:06