The Chair of the EU Integration Committee, Maka Botchorishvili, delivered a speech at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) plenary session in Stockholm.
“We expect the EU to take a crucial step on the basis of a fair assessment and grant the status of a candidate state to Georgia this year, which will promote Georgia’s progress on the European path along with other candidate countries,” she stated at the session.
The EU member states discussed the priorities of the EU presidency of Sweden. Botchorishvili concentrated on the process of compliance with the EU recommendations and the reforms undertaken in Georgia.
“Based on the report promulgated in February 2023, the European Commission also confirmed the significant progress achieved by Georgia in the EU integration process. The successful reforms converted Georgia into a very attractive country in numerous terms and approximated us to European standards,” she urged.
The attendees discussed the EU market prospects. In this context, Botchorishvili dwelt on the economic integration of Georgia to the EU uniform market.
“In 2022, Georgia expressed the will to access the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA); now, we expect that the efforts undertaken by Georgia in view of compliance with the necessary criteria will be properly and timely estimated and the Georgian banks will be allowed to join the SEPA, which will increase business opportunities for the enterprises and simplify access to the wider European market,” she added and underlined the necessity of integration of Georgian citizens to the EU labor market, equal opportunities for Georgian students to study in Europe, and the engagement of Georgia in the European Roaming Zone.
“The EU can open real integration perspectives for aspirant countries to facilitate the progress of their EU integration process and free movement of the goods, services, capital and people within the EU market. The enlargement of the European uniform market creates new opportunities and increases its attractiveness,” she noted.
