HR Borrell: EU Door is Open but Candidate Status Has to be Earned
Speaking to the press before the start of tomorrow’s meetings, HR Borrell underlined the EU’s support for Georgia’s EU membership, stressing that the EU’s door is open to Georgia and that the EU is committed to supporting Georgia on its EU path.
HR Borrell emphasized that Georgia “an important partner for EU” and stressed: “this is crucial time for your future, because in a few weeks the EU will consider next steps on Georgia’s EU accession path and for first time the report on Georgia’s progress as an enlargement country”.
He said: “I want to be very clear at this important moment: the EU door is open to Georgia, and EU is committed to support Georgia on its path towards EU membership, the door is open and we want to support you on the way.”
He then went on to say that “EU application is a serious commitment that candidate status is not something that countries are entitled to, it needs to be earned through serious reforms and adherence to EU values. And to be frank there is still quite a bit of work to be done.”
The High Representative stressed the importance of the implementation of the 12 EU priorities and that the hard work delivering them is not to please Brussels or EU member states, but to “improve the lives of the Georgian citizens leaving up to the overwhelming aspirations of the Georgian people” whose huge majority supports EU membership.
He then noted that the implementation of the priorities is a “national task” and that “unity is more important than ever” calling on Georgians to use “the short remaining time” to address the key reforms and requirements.
He took the opportunity to recall the substantial support provided by the EU to Georgia, which is the largest provider of bilateral assistance, amounting to around €340 million in 2021-2024, as well as an economic investment plan of around €1.3 billion.
He also spoke about the EU’s support for Georgia’s resilience and “strong cooperation” in the field of defence and security, highlighting in particular the EU’s support of €60 million through the European Peace Facility instrument to strengthen the resilience and capacity of the Georgian Defence Forces. He also recognized the important contribution Georgia has made to EU CFSP missions.
HR Borrell said he would use the meetings with Georgian President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and representatives of the Parliament, as well as civil society to discuss the negative consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and to reiterate support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
HR Borrell also said he was in Georgia to mark 15 years of continuous presence of EUMM, which had been established in 2008 “and since then has been monitoring every day areas adjacent to breakaway regions”, noting he will visit the Mission tomorrow.
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