Rutte: In the case of Georgia, There is More to be Done, it is One Step Behind
By The Messenger Staff
Friday, June 24, 2022
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte stated before the meeting of the European Council that the Council would likely share the European Commission's recommendation and not grant Georgia candidate status because it is “one step behind.”
According to Rutte, the European Union supports Georgia's European aspirations and intends to work with the country to reach the level where the Council can grant candidate status.
“We support Georgia's aspirations. I think we all agree with the European Commission that there is a clear European perspective for Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia and that all of them still have a lot of work to do, especially Georgia - to achieve candidate status.
Enough work has been done by Moldova and Ukraine for candidate status, more work needs to be done in the case of Georgia but the European perspective and ambitions are clearly stated and we need to work with them. “The Netherlands is also working on a number of bilateral programs with Georgia to help them reach the level where we can grant candidate status,” Rutte said.
Asked by reporters why Georgia will not receive the status today, the Prime Minister said that Moldova and Ukraine have made more progress compared to Georgia, while Georgia can be said to have the potential to run, but is one step behind.
Rutte noted that Europe sees and recognizes Georgia's European ambitions, but at the same time tells him that more needs to be done.
