More than 100 million euros will be frozen and, instead of going to the Georgian government, it will be given to civil society organizations, – the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, told journalists on Monday prior to a session of the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union.
He said he was to recommend the suspension of the support of a significant number of EU programs currently running in Georgia, but added that the struggle of the Georgian people for fair elections will continue to be supported by the European Union.
“It is clear that the issue of Georgia is what everyone is discussing today. Specific decisions must be made. My proposal is to stop supporting a significant portion of the programs that flow to the government. More than a million euros will be frozen and instead of going to the government, it will go to civil society organizations. That is, we will take this money, more than 100 million, and give it to civil society organizations to support them in the fight for fair elections. The European Union will continue to support the Georgian people.
“The accession process is suspended until the Government of Georgia returns to its original path, and when it returns to its original path, many things must change, and during this time, we will use the money, which until now was directed to the government, for people who are fighting for their own destiny,” Borrell said.
On Monday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council discussed Georgia’s post-election situation, evaluated Russian aggression against Ukraine, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joining via videoconference for an informal exchange, and reviewed potential relations with the US following the presidential and parliamentary elections held on November 5.
