The Committee on External Relations of the European Parliament adopted a report with amendments on Georgia

The Committee on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament adopted Sven Mikser’s annual report on Georgia with compromise amendments.

The report was supported by 47 MEPs, five opposed.

In particular, we are talking about a modified version of the amendments prepared by individual deputies, which were made public yesterday. In the compromise version adopted today, there is no longer a request to impose sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili. In addition, the release of Mikheil Saakashvili from prison is no longer called a prerequisite for obtaining the status of an EU candidate.

The new version of the amendments “expresses concern that deep polarization continues to be a defining feature of Georgia’s political environment; The amendments call on all interested political parties to refrain from any divisive and aggressive rhetoric, to join forces so as not to jeopardize the main goal of Georgia’s accession to the European Union through the implementation of ambitious democratic, legal and anti-corruption reforms; emphasizes the need to build and increase trust between all political and institutional players, as well as between them and the Georgian people; The key provisions of the EU-brokered agreement of 19 April 2021 continue to represent a path to strengthening democracy and the rule of law and reducing polarization in Georgia and are therefore reflected on the agenda of the EU-Georgia association.”

The amendments also express concern over the withdrawal of the ruling Georgian Dream party from the April 19 agreement and call on all political forces to fulfill their obligations under the agreement.

In addition, the amendments mention that the court decision to prosecute the leaders of the Lelo for Georgia party Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze and the use of the court decision to deprive Japaridze of his parliamentary mandate is a clear manifestation of the politicization of justice; It is emphasized that further persecution of political leaders will be contrary to the declared intentions to reduce polarization.

With regard to the issue of de-oligarchization, the new amendments concern: “the need to eliminate the excessive influence of private interests in economic, political and public life, as one of the priorities identified by the commission, the solution of which is necessary before Georgia is granted candidate status; There is a recommendation to eliminate the excessive influence of private interests, especially former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, in various spheres of the political, economic and public life of the country through a systemic way of structural and regulatory reforms.”

The new version of the amendments states that “the Georgian authorities should release former President Mikheil Saakashvili and give him the right to receive appropriate medical treatment abroad on humanitarian grounds and as a means of reducing political polarization; Calls on the Georgian authorities to stop politically motivated criminal cases and reconsider the current criminal cases against media workers and owners or close relatives of media outlets that criticize the authorities.”

The new amendment again refers to the review of Nika Gvaramia’s case and expresses the expectation that the EU External Action Service and the EU Delegation on the ground will continue to monitor all legal proceedings related to politically motivated cases.