Statement on the EU Candidate Status for Georgia

Georgia is Europe and Georgians are Europeans. This fact has been recognized once again by the European Commission in its annual enlargement report. We, the friends of Georgia in the European Parliament, strongly support the Commission’s recommendation to grant Georgia EU candidate status with conditions. Despite the Georgian government’s continued reluctance to implement the Commission’s twelve recommendations and align the country’s foreign policy with the EU, the will of the Georgian people, some Georgian political leaders, including the President of Georgia, and many Georgian civil servants proved to be stronger and their Europeanness more resilient. They, and only they, deserve the credit for this historic achievement.

There is still one step to go before the EU candidacy. We continue to monitor situation and work hard to ensure that the support expressed by the European Commission and the European Parliament will be reflected in the decision of the European Council in December 2023.

Respectfully,
Friends of Georgia in the European Parliament:

• Petras Auštrevičius
• Viola von Cramon-Taubadel
• Anna Fotyga
• Michael Gahler
• Markéta Gregorová
• Rasa Juknevičienė
• Andrius Kubilius
• Sven Mikser