The Committee heard the report on the fulfillment of the Association Agreement and the EU Integration National Action Plan for 2022.

“The Association Agreement remains a key instrument for the EU approximation and formation of the milieu that is called the maximal political association and economic integration with the EU. Today, Georgia enjoys the European perspective but the Association Agreement remains a key instrument that is crucial for the country for the legal approximation with the EU and creation of the basis for the EU membership of Georgia”, - the Chair of the Committee, Maka Botchorishvili stated.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, Teimuraz Janjalia overviewed the progress achieved by Georgia at the EUAA implementation path. As he noted, the country strives to receive the EU candidacy on the basis of the successful fulfillment of the so-called homework. The progress in the EUAA implementation allowed Georgia to submit the application for EU membership, based on which, the European Council made a historical decision on June 23 and granted the European perspective to Georgia.

“Georgia, as a European country, submitted the EU membership application on March 3 and later, got engaged in the development of the questionnaire issued by the European Commission to Georgia. The European Commission gives the term of 6 months to the countries for filling the questionnaire, though Georgia managed to give qualified answers to about 3300 questions within a month”, - he declared.

As the reporter noted, Georgia expects the publication of the second part of the questionnaire within the current year.

“Georgia has become a member of the enlargement package, which stands as an essential message in global, so in domestic terms since Georgia is already considered along with the candidate states. It is paramount that the priorities of Georgia are now raised in new formats in the relations with the EU. In autumn 2023, we expect to receive the EU candidacy within the enlargement package”, - he assured the attendees and added that Georgia keeps successful fulfillment of the EUAA commitments and agenda.

According to him, Georgia has already fulfilled about 50% of the EUAA commitments and 60% of the EU directives and regulations in terms of the DCFTA component have already been reflected in the national legislation.

Georgia successfully proceeds with the legal approximation with the EU and as the reporter informed MPs, our country has already finalized the EUAA new agenda with a timeline of 7 years and unifying the average and long-term priorities.

As he added, in regard to the application of the EU capacity-building instruments, Georgia has been recognized as a leading country not only in the region but in the EU neighborhood.

As to compliance with the EU recommendations, Georgia has already achieved progress and fulfilled almost all the recommendations to a certain extent. There are issues that are related to the development of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR assessments and hence, we have to go beyond the timeline we have established, though higher importance is attached to a high-quality implementation of the EU recommendations with the engagement of these organizations. Today, we can loudly declare that the steps are taken towards all 12 recommendations and the greatest part of them has been already fulfilled”, - the Chair of the Committee stated.