Georgia Receives EU membership Questionnaire
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi handed a questionnaire to newly appointed Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili regarding the application for EU membership. The ceremony was held in Luxembourg. Together with Georgia, Moldova also received the same document.
“Georgia's irreversible process of integration into the European Union is entering a qualitatively new stage — the self-assessment questionnaire of Georgia's EU candidate status has been handed over,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ministry, Georgia is given 1.5 months to complete the self-assessment questionnaire, and the final decision on granting Georgia the status of EU candidate is planned at a meeting of the EU Council scheduled for June this year. The questionnaire contains 369 questions, significantly less than the ones received by other EU partners. Previously, forms included about 2,000-5,000 questions for countries aspiring to join the Union. After the Georgian authorities fill out the questionnaire, the European Commission will prepare its report and forward it to the European Council.
“Georgia will ‘spare no effort’ to fill out the EU membership questionnaire and proceed to the next stages of the application process,” Darchiashvili said on Monday.
According to him, by receiving the questionnaire the country had made “another major step forward” on the path of EU integration.
On March 3, Georgia applied for EU membership. Earlier, Ukraine and Moldova announced their intention to join the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At a summit of EU leaders in France on March 10, the European Commission was asked to prepare an assessment of Georgia's application, on the basis of which it could be granted candidate status.
The questionnaire is an official document of the European Commission, which is used by the EU to assess the country wishing to join the EU to be granted candidate status.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament delegation visited Tbilisi as well. During the meeting with PM Irakli Gharibashvili, sides discussed Georgia's official application for European Union membership and the European Parliament's support for the country.
Garibashvili told the visiting officials a working group had been set up after Georgian authorities received the EU membership questionnaire, a phase in the process of its membership bid, and the Government was ‘mobilised’ to send the completed questionnaire to Brussels as soon as possible.
According to the Government Administration, the meeting also involved remarks on Georgia as a reliable partner of the EU, with the sides also noting the EU-Georgia High-Level Strategic Security Dialogue remained an ‘effective platform’.
The parties agreed on the importance of deepening Black Sea regional cooperation, including strengthening transport and communication links. The meeting also focused on the situation in the Russian-occupied territories of Georgia and the security challenges therein. Garibashvili noted Georgia was committed to its position that all conflicts on Georgia’s territory should be resolved only through peaceful means. The security challenges created as a result of the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine were discussed. The PM highlighted Georgia’s support for Ukraine in both political and humanitarian dimensions.
