President Stresses Importance of Reforming Judiciary, Depolarization
On 24 November, President Zurabishvili made an address focused on the importance of implementing the European Commission’s recommendations for attaining candidate status at the House of Justice’s presentation of “EU Agenda, Justice Reform.” To that end, she singled out the need for depolarization and reform of the justice system.
Application for EU Membership
President Zurabishvili called Georgia’s application for EU membership and the European Council’s decision to grant the country a European perspective a “historical moment” and reiterated that the country would not have reached this point so soon “if not for Ukraine’s dedicated struggle.”
- 23/06/2022 – EU States Recognize Georgia’s European Perspective
“We should know this and every minute we should admit that this is not our achievement,” she added.
Noting that Georgia had many achievements in this direction and “we were really one of the leading countries on the path of European integration,” President Zurabishvili underscored that “we fell a little behind […] due to our joint fault [in the matter].”
“We didn’t even expect to put forth our candidacy. The date that was named was 2024, and we were going to [submit an application], but nothing was ready for that yet, and it somehow happened, and we are taking advantage of it, and we should be very grateful for it,” she emphasized.
Judicial Reforms
President Zurabishvili noted that the most significant of the 12 recommendations is to reform the justice system and bring this process to its conclusion. “Because this is the means, the way, for us to finally get out of the Soviet system, there is no other way,” she stressed.
According to the Georgian President, “everything else comes from this,” including the protection of human rights and businesses, establishing European safety standards, overcoming discrimination, and the inviolability of private property.
“That is, everything that we generally call democracy, everything goes through justice. If there is no justice, then nothing is protected and we are dependent on the will and decision of this or that [person],” she said.
In this context, she recalled her veto of the controversial surveillance bill, and told the participants of the event, “I missed your support a little when I vetoed this very un-European law.”
Depolarization
The President also asserted that it is precisely by agreeing on judicial reforms that the country can fulfill the recommendation on depolarization, “without which everything will be in vain.”
“This agreement means that, for the first time in recent times, parties will be able to place Georgia’s interests before party interests,” President Zurabishvili contended, adding that “unfortunately” in the recent past, “we were unable to do that.”
Noting that “this is what is hindering us,” the President emphasized that this is important for any country because “if there is no minimum consensus, the country cannot develop.”
“We were there [in Europe], we have to go back there. We should see those possibilities in ourselves and I am sure that there is potential for this in you, us, and society, and I am very optimistic,” she concluded.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
