Maka Botchorishvili, Chair of the European Integration Committee, participated in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) Chairpersons held in Namur, Belgium. During the meeting, attendees discussed Belgium’s priorities for its EU presidency, as well as social rights and the EU enlargement policy. Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, presented the European Union’s priorities to the session participants.

In her speech, Maka Botchorishvili expressed gratitude to her colleagues for their support of Georgia’s integration into the EU.

“Reaching this historic milestone has not been easy, given the significant challenges and a relentless disinformation campaign. I extend my gratitude to everyone who, instead of attempting to rewrite history, has assisted us in commencing the authorship of a new European chapter in Georgia’s history.

Enlargement policy holds greater strategic importance and a more significant role today, and we no longer have the luxury of allowing the process to be as slow as it has been over the last 10 years. We all require effective mechanisms for integration and the removal of existing barriers wherever possible. This will enable candidate countries to rapidly integrate economically and politically into the EU”, - said Maka Botchorishvili.

She also emphasized the reforms carried out by Georgia and their importance in the integration process: “Georgia has successfully implemented reforms within the framework of the Association Agreement, which has laid a solid foundation for us as a candidate country to leverage new opportunities for integration into the EU”.

The COSAC, hosted by the EU-presiding country, Belgium, took place in Namur. The event was attended by the Chairs of the European Affairs Committees from the parliaments of the 27 EU member states, as well as candidate countries. The Vice-Speaker of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas, and several MEPs were also present. The meeting was presided over by Eliane Tillieux, Chair of the House of Representatives of of Belgium, and Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Senate.