EU on the selection process of Supreme Court judges in Georgia
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Friday, April 9
On April 7, the European Union responded to the legislative changes adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on April 1 regarding the procedure for selecting candidates for the Supreme Court and submitting them to the Parliament by the High Council of Justice.
“On April 1, the Georgian Parliament adopted legislative amendments reviewing the selection process of Supreme Court judges. The European Union has repeatedly expressed concerns over the shortcomings in this selection process and the applicable rules,” read the statement.
While the EU welcomes the initiative to amend the legal framework of the selection process, it also expresses disappointment that the Georgian Parliament hastily designed and adopted these amendments without an inclusive consultation process. We regret that previously, Georgia had already amended this legislation in a rushed process without a timely request to or awaiting the final opinion of the Venice Commission.
The European Union, therefore, strongly recommends Georgia to request as soon as possible a Venice Commission assessment on whether the adopted amendments comply with its previous recommendations. “The new rules, once confirmed by the Venice Commission, need to apply equally to all applicants.”
“It is crucial that the Supreme Court, Georgia’s highest judicial instance, is composed of judges of utmost professional competence and integrity. Revising the selection process of Supreme Court judges in line with Venice Commission recommendations is also a condition for the disbursement of the second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Georgia under its current programme.”
Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy of the EU Nabila Massrali wrote on her Twitter: “Disappointing that Georgia parliament hastily designed & adopted amendments reviewing selection process of Supreme Court judges without an inclusive consultation process. EU strongly recommends Georgia to request Venice Commission assessment ASAP.”
Earlier, several MEPs said that the consequences of EU’s aid could lead to disagreements between political parties in Georgia. MEPs have expressed their concern over the failure of the Georgian government and opposition parties to agree to a proposal by Christian Danielson, to resolve the political crisis.
The Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Common Courts in the third reading. The package of bills related to the selection of candidates for judges of the Supreme Court was considered by the Parliament of Georgia in an expedited manner and adopted unanimously by 86 votes.
