The President on the Importance of Judicial Reform and Depolarization

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, speaking on November 24 at the presentation “EU Agenda, Justice Reform”, organized by the Center for Law, Education and Expertise “House of Justice”, spoke about the importance of implementing the recommendations of the European Commission for the country to obtain the status of an EU candidate. In this context, President Zurabishvili highlighted the reform of the justice system and depolarization.

Application for EU membership

Salome Zurabishvili called Georgia’s application for EU membership and the European Council’s provision of a European perspective to the country a “historic moment”. “We would not have waited for this really today, if not for the selfless struggle of Ukraine. We must know this and must admit every minute that this is not our merit, ”she stressed.

Noting that Georgia has many achievements in this direction and “we really were one of the leading countries on the path of European integration,” President Zurabishvili added that “we are a little behind … due to our common fault.”

“We were not even expecting a nomination. The date was named 2024, that we were going to (submit an application), but nothing was ready for this yet, and somehow it turned out, and we use it, and we should be very grateful for this,” the President of Georgia stressed.

Justice reform

President Zurabishvili noted that the most important of the 12 recommendations of the European Commission is to reform the justice system and bring this process to an end. “Because this is a means, a way for us to finally get out of the Soviet system, there is no other way.”

According to Salome Zurabishvili, “everything else comes from this” – the protection of human rights; business protection; setting European safety standards; overcoming discrimination; determination of the need or unnecessary listening; inviolability of private property.

“That is, everything that we generally call democracy, everything goes through justice. If there is no justice, then nothing is protected and we depend on the will and decision of this or that person,” the president said.

In this context, she recalled her veto on the bill on the so-called. auditions, and told the event attendees: “I missed your support a bit when I vetoed this very un-European law.”

Depolarization

According to President Zurabishvili, it will be possible to fulfill one of the recommendations of the European Commission on depolarization, “without which everything will be in vain”, with the help of an agreement on the reform of the justice system.

“This agreement means that for the first time in recent times, the parties will be able to put the interests of Georgia above the interests of the parties,” the president said, adding that “unfortunately” in the recent past, “we were not able to do this.”

Noting that “this is exactly what is hindering us,” President Zurabishvili stressed that this is important for any country, because “without a minimum consensus, a country cannot develop.”

“We were there (in Europe), we have to go back there. We must see these opportunities in ourselves, and I am sure that there is a potential for this in you, in us and in society, and I am very optimistic,” the President of Georgia said at the end of her speech.