GD Reacts to EU Enlargement Plan Announced by Charles Michel
According to Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of Georgian Dream, Charles Michel’s statement on the enlargement of the European Union has both pros and cons. According to him, if we are talking about the Balkan countries, which received the candidate status 12, 18 years ago, “this does not give a reason for great optimism”.
“Everything will be done to obtain candidate status. We know that we are making very good progress in fulfilling the 12 recommendations. Work in this direction continues and will be completed in the near future … By 2030, if anyone will be ready for EU membership, it will be Georgia, first of all, based on the policies that our government is pursuing,” Kobakhidze added. He also noted that “this statement was a bit general” and added: “I hope that in the future it will be specified that 2030 is a relevant date for all countries that have candidate status or will have candidate status in the near future.”
According to the first vice-speaker of the Parliament, Gia Volski: “In the perspective of 2030, they see a real opportunity for the enlargement of the European Union because, as Macron says, there is no synchronization even among the 27 members, which is required by this very important political union. We have seen many examples of this. Surprisingly, this does not mean that we have to abandon some commitments. On the contrary, there is an Association Agreement and there are carefully implemented recommendations. We can continue to discuss certain issues, but the fact is that our position is firm. That is how the European Union sees the situation”.
Guram Macharashvili, one of the leaders of the People’s Power, said: “It is positive that Charles Michel’s statement reads that Georgia will receive the status of a candidate country. However, it should be noted that it is unfortunate that he mentioned such a long-term perspective. This is exactly what contributes to Euroscepticism”.
Also Read:
- 29/08/2023 – Opposition Reacts to EU Enlargement Plan Announced by Charles Michel
- 28/08/2023 – Michel: “We must be ready to enlarge by 2030”
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian)
