EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says the report on the implementation of the Association Agreement published by the European Parliament “is not a product of the European Parliament, but it’s written by the European Parliament Research Center and helps MEPs assess the situation in Georgia.”
The ambassador notes that the conclusions presented in the report belong to the authors, although many of the issues raised in the report, including political polarization, polarization in the media, questions about judicial reform, elections, and democratic institutions, were also raised by officials in Brussels.
Hartzell said it is clear that these are issues that will continue to be discussed with the Georgian authorities, as this is an important aspect of Georgia’s application for EU membership.
Hartzell added that he thinks the Commission will present a conclusion on the application soon.
The report commissioned by the European Parliament reads that since April 2020, Georgia has seriously backslid with respect to the basic democratic principles and key political commitments it made as part of the Association Agreement. The document assessing the implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia covers the period of 2020-2022.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: European Parliament: Georgia Seriously Backslid With Respect to Its Democratic Principles
