Georgian Parliament Starts Working on Judicial Reform for EU Membership Conditions
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
The Parliamentary working group created to review judicial reforms for fulfilling conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status held its first meeting on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Speaker Shalva Papuashvili. The group created back in February will review the written analysis of the parties about the reforms, current challenges, and ways to tackle them.
Part of the opposition including Girchi, Citizens, European Socialists, For Georgia, and Republican Party Chair Khatuna Samnidze attended the meeting, while other opposition parties rebuffed to do so, citing ‘lack of confidence’ in the ruling party and demanding ‘concrete compromise steps’ to be included in the process. Beka Davituliani, a member of the Parliamentary majority, told the Georgian Public Broadcaster that the ruling team was ready to “carry out all the recommendations and continue the judicial reform.”
Davituliani also commented on some of the opposition parties rejecting to participate in the meeting, stating that the goal of the opposition was to use the topic of EU conditions for “internal political purposes and to bypass the elections to take over the Government,” adding ‘they will not have this chance’.
MEP Marketa Gregorova earlier urged the decliners to join the process, saying, “the EU must see both sides are ready.” According to Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, the European Council brought up depolarization to see a joint work of Georgian political groups, while “the opposition’s opting out will affect our work.”
The Parliament Speaker noted that the parliament cannot pass laws without the Georgian Dream majority or make any decision without the government elected by the majority population. He also stressed that the Parliament should work on EU recommendations and endorse the bills.
“There is no chance of making any decision without the government elected by the majority population. Therefore, those distancing themselves from this process are distancing themselves from Georgia’s European future,” the Speaker underscored.
He further added that those opting for the European Union will involve in the implementation of the EU recommendations, while those rejecting to do so ‘do not fancy the EU’.
