The European Union and Georgia held the 8th meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council in Brussels, after the end of which the joint press statement was published.

“The EU recognised that Georgia carried out significant reforms in a number of areas and successfully approximated its legislation with the EU acquis in many sectors as noted in the European Commission report on Georgia of 8 November 2023. It was noted that the objective of becoming an EU member, strongly supported by Georgia’s people, the Government and across political spectrum has been a key driver in this respect. The EU urged all political actors in Georgia to demonstrate constructive cross-party cooperation and dialogue, overcome polarisation and refrain from actions that could further deepen the political tensions and hamper the country’s reform agenda. The Association Council commended Georgia’s vibrant civil society and underlined the importance of inclusive, meaningful and systematic engagement with civil society in the policymaking processes.

Emphasising the importance of fighting disinformation, anti-EU rhetoric and foreign information manipulation and interference, the EU called on Georgia to take meaningful steps in this regard, while noting the efforts made by the Government.

The Association Council stressed that the full independence, accountability and impartiality of all State institutions need to be ensured, in line with European standards and the recommendations of the Venice Commission, in particular all judicial, prosecutorial, anti-corruption and monetary institutions. The EU underlined the need to further improve the implementation of parliamentary oversight notably of the security services”, - reads the joint statement.