Georgia will have to make great efforts to show that it is ready to become an EU candidate

“In the coming weeks and months, Georgia will have to make great efforts to show that it is ready to become an EU candidate,” European Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy Oliver Varkheli said at a joint press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

As Oliver Varkheli noted, this wish will come true only if the whole country, the whole of Georgia, all Georgians inside and outside the country will work to achieve this goal.

“I am sure that history never gives the same chance twice. That is why we must seize this opportunity and make it a reality. To do this, we need to fulfill 12 priorities. We need to show a good story in this direction, I am glad to see that steps are being taken here, important decisions and proposals are being made and prepared in Parliament. I see that the Georgian government is actively working on this issue so that all 12 priorities are met. We already see positive shifts towards reforming the judicial system, we see progress in the fight against corruption, where Georgia is an advanced country. According to Transparency International, Georgia has a positive practice in this direction and is significantly ahead of other European countries, although we will have to work hard to make the anti-corruption agency completely independent, we need a law “On Deoligarchization”. I understand that work in this direction has begun and, of course, steps are needed to strengthen the fight against organized crime. Otherwise, you know perfectly well which points of the 12 recommendations I have in mind. The sooner Georgia completes these 12 priorities, the sooner it will move forward on its way to Europe.

I would like to emphasize the following, the sooner Georgia fulfills these conditions, the sooner the citizens of Georgia will receive the benefits that the candidate status will give you. We can’t waste time. For our part, we are ready to work with you, to help you at every step of the way to this goal, because Georgia very clearly showed us its desire and intention when it applied for membership, and even earlier showed its commitment to European values. This line was clearly visible and stood out especially during the period of independence. Therefore, we are ready to work with you in this direction,” Varheli said.