Lawrence Meredith, Director for the Eastern Neighborhood and Institution Building at the European Commission, is visiting Georgia with a team from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a team from the European Investment Bank.
Meredith, together with EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell, will visit Imereti and Adjara to meet with beneficiaries of EU-funded projects.
He says during the visit the European Union will launch various projects related to business and entrepreneurship support, environmental issues, and the provision of high-speed Internet in the villages. However, he added the EU investments and assistance must be accompanied by clear progress in various directions.
“Our investments must be accompanied by clear progress in judicial reform, public administration reform and human rights,” Lawrence Meredith said at a briefing held at the EU Office in Georgia.
He noted that the above are the core values of the European Union and the implementation of these reforms is essential for democracy and the economy in Georgia. He added that the EU assistance is based on two pillars – investment and governance assistance.
“We believe that these reforms are necessary not only to advance Georgia’s democratic agenda, but also to ensure sustainable economic development, to create a level playing field and to attract investors,” Lawrence said.
As he noted, five different projects will be launched for Georgia within the framework of the visit. One of the projects aims to improve air quality.
“We see that there is no equal development between big cities and regions, sometimes it is five times, 10 times different. So, together with Ambassador Hartzell, we will go to Adjara through Imereti and visit the beneficiaries of the EU project to discuss our various projects. Georgia and the EU are stronger together, and our assistance will be beneficial to all citizens of Georgia,” Lawrence said.
By Ana Dumbadze
